New Amp

[Ammonite Audio]

My new (old) amp arrived today from Germany. It's a chunky beast!

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s301/hugocass/IMGP1284_zps02a77bee.jpg

What with a PL-71 coming, and now this, I promise to stop cloning Gromit's system now!

[Marco]

Ah - another Sony ES fanboy... Enjoy! :eyebrows:

Marco.

[Ammonite Audio]

Well, I had to see what all the fuss was about, didn't I? It'll be tomorrow before I get to play with it - a good excuse to hoover and dust the listening room. I wonder how it will manage with the Quads?

[istari_knight]

Nice one :thumbsup:

Being from Germany, does that make it 220vac input ?

[Ammonite Audio]

220v-230v, it says on the back. My mains is usually around 235v, but I have the PS Audio P5 set to output 230v, so no problems here.

[istari_knight]

Cool :)

I just wondered 'cos my AC varies between 256v-262v :eek: The increased voltage on transformer secondaries really stresses caps & regulators - You'll be fine though.

[RobbieGong]

Ah - another Sony ES fanboy... Enjoy! :eyebrows:

Marco.

There'll be a few of us Marco as I'll be joining the list too. Had my eye on an ES for a while now and will grab one as part of a number of future upgrades I have planned as soon as funds permit. Oh by the way, the eq will be going too, you'll be glad to know.... :eyebrows:

[RobbieGong]

Well, I had to see what all the fuss was about, didn't I? It'll be tomorrow before I get to play with it - a good excuse to hoover and dust the listening room. I wonder how it will manage with the Quads?

Looking forward to your thoughts after you've had a good play Hugo :)

[julesd68]

Looking forward to your thoughts after you've had a good play Hugo :)

Looking forward to a report too - my Tannoys just love the power and bass grip they get from my 670ES...

If only I lived in a house in the country where I didn't have to show any consideration for the neighbours - just love cranking the volume up...

[Tarzan]

Looking forward to your thoughts after you've had a good play Hugo :)

x2 With bells on!

[RobbieGong]

Come on then Hugo, Dont leave us in suspenders !! :eek:

[Ammonite Audio]

There is a slight technical problem in that the speaker selector switch does not work properly, or rather the relay board behind the binding posts does not work properly, so it only plays music through the 'B' terminals. Does that matter? Possibly not, but I am talking to the seller about it. He wants me to send it back to him in Germany, but I'm not sure whether that is warranted just yet. I am inclined to simply remove that relay board and replace it with a blank plate with a set of basic but good quality 4mm binding posts, since the original Sony ones do not accept 4mm plugs properly and I'm not about to invest in different cables. I can do without speaker switching, and getting rid of two relays and a few dozen other components between the output stage and the binding posts can only be a good thing.

So, how does it sound? Initial impressions are that it does not like the Quads, because the sound is rather rounded and soft, and lacking definition; however that might be a symptom of the speaker switching issue. I shall lug it into the office and try it with the (much kinder) Avalons.

As a side issue, I need to source a remote control for it. Does anyone have a Sony RM-S703 lying around?

[RobbieGong]

Hi Hugo, Sorry about the issues you're having, hope you get them sorted. With regards to your initial impressions, i've never read 'soft'. I've only ever read about the sense of ease of available power and grip.

[hoopsontoast]

The Speaker selection relay is a common fault with the Sony ES of this age, two of my 4 ES (1x670ES/3x770ES) have had this issue.
My temporary fix was just to use the switch lots that seemed to jog the relay, I believe Richard (Gromit) actually replaced some on his first 770ES. They are a cheap part IIRC.

[Ammonite Audio]

The Speaker selection relay is a common fault with the Sony ES of this age, two of my 4 ES (1x670ES/3x770ES) have had this issue.
My temporary fix was just to use the switch lots that seemed to jog the relay, I believe Richard (Gromit) actually replaced some on his first 770ES. They are a cheap part IIRC.

That's reassuring.

[istari_knight]

Rounded & soft is not right :hmm: Does it run hot ? ... Like, really hot ?

The relay fault is one that affects every model right up to the 30ES/50ES. The one's you require are 24v 8a DPST. Really not worth removing the protection board & fitting a blanking plate as it will completely devalue the amp IMO and the Sony binding posts do accept 4mm plugs... I use them myself !

If you don't feel confident changing the relay's yourself & can't find anyone local you're welcome to send it down & I'll do it FOC... Can also give it a general health check & reset the quiescent current at the same time :)

[Ammonite Audio]

No, it does not run hot - just warm, which I presume is normal given the size of the heatsink. I think that the Sony just does not get on with the Quad 57s, unlike my Lyngdorf digital amp which could have been made for such difficult loads.

Thanks for the offer of help, but I can change the relays and carry out any adjustments myself with the aid of the Service Manual, which is very clear on such things. If I do remove the relay board, it will be a completely reversible modification using the existing screw fixing points.

What sort of 4mm plugs are you using? The Belkin Z-Plugs on my speaker cable will only go in by around 5mm and only then with an unhealthy degree of force. Maybe my German spec amp has flimsier binding posts?

[istari_knight]

Ah okay, IME of the 770ES it should run red hot... The heatsink should be far too hot to touch with your hand [mosfets love high bias!] The service manual states 35mv but I lowered mine to 30mv & couldn't detect any difference in sound... The lower you can get away with the better.

I also use Z-plugs but not sure of the manufacturer I guess they could be a slightly different size - The amp internals most certainly will be, as you'll see in the service manual there a quite a few component changes [extra decoupling & larger psu caps] that are only fitted to the German models.

[Ammonite Audio]

Ah okay, IME of the 770ES it should run red hot... The heatsink should be far too hot to touch with your hand [mosfets love high bias!] The service manual states 35mv but I lowered mine to 30mv & couldn't detect any difference in sound... The lower you can get away with the better.

I also use Z-plugs but not sure of the manufacturer I guess they could be a slightly different size - The amp internals most certainly will be, as you'll see in the service manual there a quite a few component changes [extra decoupling & larger psu caps that are only fitted to the German models.

While I've been in conversation with the seller in Germany, it has not had much time playing and then just at low volume, so I expect it would get rather warmer when stoked up.

The main PSU caps are indeed colossal (18000uF each, I believe)!

[istari_knight]

Sorry, I should have been clearer... They should be red hot at idle & don't seem to get any hotter when pushed.

I'm sure you'll figure it out, as you say it may just bee a mismatch with the Quads.

[Floyddroid]

WTF is a Gibralter chassis?:scratch:

[The Grand Wazoo]

It was Sony's name for a mineral loaded plastic material. They tried create to some mystery around it by giving it a fancy name. All it really is, is polyester mixed with a bit of GCC (Ground Calcium Carbonate) - chalk, limestone and granite have a high content of Ca CO3.

[walpurgis]

It was Sony's name for a mineral loaded plastic material. They tried create to some mystery around it by giving it a fancy name. All it really is, is polyester mixed with a bit of GCC (Ground Calcium Carbonate) - chalk, limestone and granite have a high content of Ca CO3.

A bit like what they make those coloured kitchen sinks from.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Same principal, different type of plastic I think, but yes.