Plays everything well; music, movies, computer games, sounds good at all sound levels

runs a bit hot

Great amp especially for the money. I see complaints it's has a typical sony sound and should be used with a bright cd player (i'm reffering to paul simmons reaction of 4/25/00)

This amp does not color the sound whatsoever. If you use a low quality cd-player which sounds bright you'll get a headache of it (i know from experience). I personally think Paul simmons is used to the sound of his old system.
Also i can't understand why speakers are so difficult to choose for this amp? Use cheap speakers you get cheap sound, use good ones and you'll be rewarded with good sound.

If you're looking for a good amp just buy this one as long it't reasonbly priced. You won't be dissappointed as long it ain't broke :)

other products used to test
kenwood dp-2040 (cheap cd-player)
akai cd-m1200 (cd-player)
philips loudspeakers:fb 820(if i remember correctly) anyway, expensive well constructed floorstanders. midds could be better.
sony ss-x7: medium priced($500) floorstanding speakers. these sound quite good actually. Be carefull with buying sony speakers other types may be total crap like bose.
pioneer s203x-rds (cheap receiver)
yamaha rx-10 (receiver)
tested different speaker cables, makes no difference at all how hard some people scream it does. Just make sure the wire is thick enough

Similar Products Used:

several other amps ranging from the cheapest to higher priced ones

I had read quite a few reviews praising Sony's build and component qualityin their Mid to High Range Amplifiers.So i bought a TA-FA3ES Integrated amp
which gives around 2x80 watts(rms).
6 inputs,Relay driven input selector,Motor driven Volume control short circuit
protection and what looks like diagnostic Leds in the power section gives the
impression that this amp is built to last.It uses Sepp Mosfets and the condensers used have the same brand mark as those used in its 5000 dollar effect amp.Oh and it has a Torus transformer too.
The sound? Well the cleanest sound i have heard from a Japanese Amp ever,
Clean well defined bass,Tone controls have a nice wide range(for once!)
Loud pieces of music both rock and classical come through with ease i have
not had to turn it up more then 25% which surprises me for an amp in this class
ALL instuments are clearly heard without fading or distortion at high levels
Plenty of power in reserve it seems.
Im impressed i can live with this amp the next 5 years.

highly musical, sound open and fast, controlled even at high level.....very sweet sound.

nothing...!!!!

they produce contrast in music with staggering acurracy.sound brilliant with classical music too , excelling with the spoken word.....what a good sounding machine.....!!

Similar Products Used:

sony cd player cdp-xe900e
speaker ms25i
cable audioquest indigo 2
interconnect ixos 102 master- interconnect
stand atacama bd21

i just like to know what you think about the sony da50es didital amp and the wharfdale valdus series in speakers are these speakers good for home theatre? thank you very much .michael christodoulou

Just to correct some info on John, FA3ES is 70W(DIN) per channel, and it is biased to class A. Very hot after 15mins warm up. To suck every drop of juice from this amp, use it tape loop for listening to cd.

Actually it is rated at 70W+70W into 8 ohms and 100W+100W into 4 ohms

I bought this amp two weeks ago for a complete bargain price: 499 guilders (+/- $250). The sound is, in my opinion, fabulous. Great definition and depth, treble is crystal-clear and bass is sharp. I was surprised to hear such a difference, considering I use a few second-hand prehistoric grundig speakers. The sound even got better when I listened using my headphones(Sennheiser HD250). Wow.Build is as you would expect from the ES-series. Everything about this amp oozes durability.
It looks great too. Especially the champagne/gold finish is great.

You get a lot of value for your money, even if you pay more than I did.

I recommend, if you don't have any yet, to buy some quality interconnects.
I bought a pair of Cambridge Audio Pacific interconnects yesterday, and they are well worth the extra $50.

For a better overall picture:
I "tested" it with:
Sony CDP-XE800 cd-player
Sony MDS-JE500 md-recorder

Really Crappy 20 year old Grundig speakers I bought for $5 at a flea-market.
Sennheiser HD-250 headphones.

Cambridge Audio Pacific interconnects.

I bought TA- FA3ES four months ago. So I am really happy with it. Appart from that I payd only DM 600 (for a new one).
Both the sound and build quality are exellent. Buy with confidence!

I bought my Sony TA-FA30ES amplifier this summer (June, -99) and i've been in love with it ever since. The bass is extremely sharp and the sound is very clear. It's built to last. All the parts are high quality and HEAVY!! I'm soon going to attach a REL Q100E subwoofer to my audio equipment and the bass will go even deeper. My JBL-LX20 speakers only go to 48Hz. In case someone wants to know, what kind of other equipment I used to test the amplifier, here's a list:
Speakers: JBL-LX20
Speaker Cables: Supra Ply 2.0
RCA Cable between cd-player and amplifier: Supra EFF-ISL
CD-Player: Sony CDP-XB720

All I can really say about the amplifier is:

"DON'T THINK ABOUT THE PRICE, JUST BUY IT!"

I have been listening to this amp for about two weeks now, when Ibought it on discount (From Swedish krona to pound it was £260).
Before the Sony I listened to the new NAD c340 to. And to my
standard the sony was far superior to the NAD

I am very happy with the SONY.
* Very good detailnes in the sound.
* It has fantastic resolution. The music sound
good even on low volumes.
* Buildning quality is very good. The thing weights 10 Kg. The source-knob, volume-knobs and tone controlls is super solid.

All in all I am very sattisfied.