Sony TA-2000F Vintage Preamplifier with Phono and Meters

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The TA-2000F would make a great foundation for your vintage Japanese system. 

This vintage solid state preamp is one of the nicest looking pieces to come from Japan. Unlike modern Sony pieces it was actually manufactured in Japan in the 1970's.

The meters are superb and a rare feature in this era for a preamp. Both are super responsive and awesome looking.

It's full of great features including a full-featured phono section which you can dial in from a knob in the back. Dual tone controls allow you to dial in just the right amount of treble and bass with two ranges. A rear mounted level adjuster allow you to gain match your sources to perfection.

Condition is very good for its age and it presents super clean overall. We painted the top to address some scratches, removed an etching on the lower left edge, and fitted a new power cord.

This piece came through our lab where it went through our usual maintenance procedure to ensure good working condition. It is working as it should all around, with great detail and dynamics in our test systems here in the shop.

The TA-2000F is also featured on The Vintage Knob website so you know it's quite special:

"Very successful preamplifier and updated FET version of the original and equally successful TA-2000.

Sony kept the 2000F available in Japan much longer than elsewhere and even after the introduction (and shelving...) of the TAE-8450. The reason is simple : the 2000F sold like hotcakes - worldwide !

By way of the 1971 revision, the TA-2000 stereo preamplifier remained a bestseller between 1968 and 1976.

It was part of the units taken as reference in build quality when Sony started to work on the ESPRIT series because, in 1978, it still was impressive. And it still is today."

Recommend Cables:

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Better

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Best

Kimber Kable - Phono Interconnects - Better

Kimber Kable - Flagship Tonearm Interconnects - Best

The SkyFi Testing Process for Preamps:

We start with a visual inspection of all internal components to make sure that there are no signs of heat stress or damage. Capacitors are checked for telltale signs of predictive failure including bulging, shrunken wrappers, or physical leakage. We also inspect the PCBs for discoloration from resistors or transistors that may have been running hot. On vintage units we often spot check select capacitors for value and ESR.

When we first power on a preamplifier we connect its RCA output to a Sencore PA81 Power Analyzer which simulates real world loading conditions and gives us an oscilloscope interface. The first order of business is checking that the volume control works smoothly throughout its entire range with acceptable channel balance. This is accomplished by feeding a 1KHz sine wave into one of the preamp’s line level inputs while monitoring the preamp’s output on an oscilloscope. We then switch to a 1KHz square wave to test the tone controls, loudness function, and filters where applicable. During this step we are watching for equal alteration of the test signal by both channels. This also helps us identify dirty controls that will need treatment. Once the basic line stage functions are verified, we test each input individually. This is especially important for devices that use relays to select their sources. If the preamp is equipped with a phono stage we test that as well. We use an inverse RIAA filter which allows us to feed a reference test signal into the phono input with the proper RIAA equalization and level. A square wave or sine sweep is used to verify that the device’s phono stage is faithfully reproducing the RIAA curve. If the preamp under test has balanced inputs and/or outputs these are tested as well.

We finish up our bench testing with a listening test with our bench amplifier and reference speakers. During this test we check for hum or hiss that may not have shown up in earlier testing. We also check that all of the tone controls and filters perform as expected. If the preamplifier has remote control functions these are also tested. Preamps with tube circuits or complicated power supply topologies are connected at our long term test rig for extended stress testing under real world conditions.

Manual:

Sony TA-2000F Preamplifier Owners Manual