Sony TA-E77ESD Vintage Preamp - See Video

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One of our favorite vintage preamps from Sony.

Full of great features, including a capable DAC perfect for classic CD playback (redbook).

Also has a very capable phono section that can accommodate both MM (Moving-Magnet) and MC (Moving-Coil) phono cartridges for your turntable.

Fully tested in our lab where it performed flawlessly. Great condition with slight signs of use, plus great rosewood side panels which complete the vintage true ES look.

This TA-E77ESD will also come with a compatible Sony remote control model RM-U221. (The original Sony programmable remote control that would have shipped with this preamp is the RM-E7).

Check out this recent addition to our YouTube Channel "Battle of the Sony Vintage Preamps! Which to BUY BUY BUY?"

We also noticed this preamp is featured on the fabulous vintage HiFi website "The Vintage Knob", so you know it's something truly special:
"Not counting the big league ESPRIT preamplifiers, the TA-E77ESD was Sony's first preamp since the late 1970s' TA-E7B or TA-E88B. And there never was an ES preamplifier/amplifier combo in Japan, before the 77 combo... or after.

The E77ESD is the companion to the TA-N77ES pôwerhouse.

Feeding everybody is a large toroidal transformer plus a small transformer for the logic circuits. The toroidal however is a little lie : it really a regular EI potted into a round enclosure !

Nevertheless, multiple windings feed separately the digital and analog sections, all separated by copper bus bars and a very clean main board. Naturally, the E77ESD rests on a G-base.

Other parts are typical Sony (Nichicon Muse and Elna Duorex etc) and the two main caps are 4,700µF Elna Great Supply. Output impedance is a low 45 Ohm.

The TA-E77ESD was replaced by the strictly analog TA-E80ES in 1989 ; the latter borrowed some of its panel functions and layout but the structure and internal design were very different.

The TA-E80ES went on the be just as successful as its elder, although by then the USA strangely started to greet Sony's high-end units with marked indifference...

In Europe, however, there are as many E77ESDs as E80ESs - and that total makes plenty." The last photo in our listing is credited to The Vintage Knob website.

Click below to add our recommended matching cables from Kimber Kable, all brand new as SkyFi is an official Kimber dealer.

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Good

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Better

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Best

Please see the linked manual below or our photos for full specifications:

Sony TA-E77ESD Preamplifier - Owner's Manual

The SkyFi Testing Process for Preamplifiers:

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.