There is a future F5. Not turbo, but special...
More info ? Any sneaky picturess ?
Sony VFETs part 2 is boxed and ready to go to the store.
Here are the output stage channels.
The front ends are in boxes on the porch waiting for UPS.
Hooray
After this one next batch 3 are interesting 
I am just listening to my Sony TA-5650 VFET amp (sj18/sk60s) and if the DIY build has similar sound quality then the winners are in for a treat. Completely get the vfet hype and have some Tokins waiting for when the Fetless designs are released.
I’ll not be letting the TA-5650 go though, it is something special.
I’ll not be letting the TA-5650 go though, it is something special.
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I have a Yamaha B2, and have had several of the various Sony devices over the years. (5650, 4650, 8550)
I think the Yamaha sounds a bit better than the Sonys. The 4650 with single pair per channel perhaps sounds close to the best, very nice. The Sonys all tend to break down, whereas my Yamaha B2 is all original and still sounds wonderful. The two 4650 chassis I now have cost me a couple of hundred dollars at auction years ago, but worked for me for years in various capacities before they eventually failed. However, they were already very old when I bought them (about 30 years?).
The Yamaha is just plain hypnotic. VFET delve deeper into the tone, but preserve intensity and dynamics of SS. I have to tear myself away from listening to it. They do not sound specifically like tube, but if I made a comparison, I would compare them to OTL amplifiers. They are in a league of their own.
Pass DIY Pass VFET Sony that I have is more precise, focussed, and clear than the vintages. Separation on the soundstage is nearly absolute, and you will not mistake octave related instruments and voices for each other. I would call it Germanic rather than Romantic, but amazing amp.
My sample of Tokin DEFISIT Pass DIY type is more sensuous and sounds more like a single ended amp in the way it holds and reveals tones, and is more dynamically open in the upper midrange, also like a single ended type. However, it does not lack pleasurable intensity.
They are all great amps, and trying to make absolute distinctions is like crushing them all in a narrow band at the top tier. I have played them all and enjoyed them all.
The vintages are overly complex beasts, as was the fashion in the day, as opposed to Master NP's zen pursuits.
I think the Yamaha sounds a bit better than the Sonys. The 4650 with single pair per channel perhaps sounds close to the best, very nice. The Sonys all tend to break down, whereas my Yamaha B2 is all original and still sounds wonderful. The two 4650 chassis I now have cost me a couple of hundred dollars at auction years ago, but worked for me for years in various capacities before they eventually failed. However, they were already very old when I bought them (about 30 years?).
The Yamaha is just plain hypnotic. VFET delve deeper into the tone, but preserve intensity and dynamics of SS. I have to tear myself away from listening to it. They do not sound specifically like tube, but if I made a comparison, I would compare them to OTL amplifiers. They are in a league of their own.
Pass DIY Pass VFET Sony that I have is more precise, focussed, and clear than the vintages. Separation on the soundstage is nearly absolute, and you will not mistake octave related instruments and voices for each other. I would call it Germanic rather than Romantic, but amazing amp.
My sample of Tokin DEFISIT Pass DIY type is more sensuous and sounds more like a single ended amp in the way it holds and reveals tones, and is more dynamically open in the upper midrange, also like a single ended type. However, it does not lack pleasurable intensity.
They are all great amps, and trying to make absolute distinctions is like crushing them all in a narrow band at the top tier. I have played them all and enjoyed them all.
The vintages are overly complex beasts, as was the fashion in the day, as opposed to Master NP's zen pursuits.
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Wow -- great write up! Thank you for sharing all of that.
I have a Bottlehead Kaiju 300B that I put together and enjoy, and some vintage TOTL Pioneer SS gear so I'm really looking forward to hearing that VFET magic and seeing how it compares and contrasts with my own ears.
Patiently (kinda) waiting.
I have a Bottlehead Kaiju 300B that I put together and enjoy, and some vintage TOTL Pioneer SS gear so I'm really looking forward to hearing that VFET magic and seeing how it compares and contrasts with my own ears.
Patiently (kinda) waiting.
The "round 2" VFET lottery entry window has been announced (it's in about 40 hours from now):
DIY Sony VFET lottery discussion
VFET-less round 3 details will come once the dust has settled from round 2.
DIY Sony VFET lottery discussion
VFET-less round 3 details will come once the dust has settled from round 2.
I have pretty much every vintage vfet amp that was ever made and also a newer one from our own NP.
I agree with most of your comments.....but all I will say is that the vintage amps need TLC at this age. The replacement parts matter.
Doing a true side by side comparison among them might pan out differently than comparison based on memory.
Personally I like them all...dif mfgs, new or old and it would be hard for me to make absolute statements.....except to B-1. The B-1 is a very special amp with very special sound that rivals that of the best tube amps.
BTW, I am a Yamaha fan as well, but I do find the Sonys just as engaging, based on choice of speakers or even based on music type. Luckily, I get to choose...My NP FW-3 gets enough rotation time too
The replacement parts matter.
Doing a true side by side comparison among them might pan out differently than comparison based on memory.
Personally I like them all...dif mfgs, new or old and it would be hard for me to make absolute statements.....except to B-1. The B-1 is a very special amp with very special sound that rivals that of the best tube amps.
BTW, I am a Yamaha fan as well, but I do find the Sonys just as engaging, based on choice of speakers or even based on music type. Luckily, I get to choose...My NP FW-3 gets enough rotation time too
A friend of mine totally restored his C1, B1 and B2. To resume his opinion : these piece of gear are perhaps equipped with the greatest actives parts ever made... and the worst electrolytics capacitors ever made. For him, There sonic signature (B1 and B2) are indeed close to his triode amps (SET 300B, 2A3). They absolutely need to be rebuild to sound there best, especially the C1, who has also numerous contact to clean.
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