Instrument reproduction and voices also the amazing depth of the sound stage.

No IEC socket as standard but I added one to my amp.

Having recently getting a case of the upgrade bug I decided to upgrade my amp. The Arcam I used buzzed through a ps2 or gamecube because they were not grounded and because it takes they daft camcon plugs so I saw this amp as a bargain. As soon as I got the amp I removed the top cover to reveal two huge aluminuim heatsinks per channel also I noticed two LEDs (one per channel) to let you know if the channels are in working order .This amp is also quite heavy weighing in at 10.5kg and its big (hxwxd)it measured 150mmx430xmmx420mm .This amp is quality from start to finish from the smooth operating volume control to the quality input selector or the smooth opening panel covering up most of the controls to the remote being able to function a sony amp , tuner , cd & 2 tape decks .The sound from this amp is great it don't matter what music you like or play this amp likes every kind of music from Norah Jones to Motorhead this amp can go from very quiet , almost unhearable to pin you to the wall volumes in an instant. The best thing about this amp is the soundstage it is so clear and detailed even through the headphone socket my sennheiser and beyer dynamic headphones sounded better than ever .This amp's real talent is how amazingly it can reproduce instruments aspecially the piano and double bass also the way in which this amp produces the human voice is just superb. I just can't describe with words how amazing this amp really is , if you ever have the chance to hear or buy this amp I urge you to.This amp is just to good for it's £280 price tag (i used sony tafb-940r) I paid £100

Similar Products Used:

Arcam Alpha1 , Cambridge Audio A1 MK3 & Cyrus 1

solid built, Mosfet transistors providing crisp and clear sound. Relay switching, Biwiring option and Direct source

No preamp output, congested inputs, No impedance switch .Subsonic and loudness button - worthless in my opinion - perhaps useful for some Rap and techno lovers. With a bad speaker may sound bright and forward.

I have a typical DD 5.1 home theatre setup, but listening to music is awful. I was looking for a clean sounding 2 channel budject amp. Sony gear are reliable and value for money imho. If price was not an issue would have gone for Parasound preamp/amp combo. I compared Rotel, Harmon Kardon and found the TAF-B940R more neutral. I think it really would matter on the speakers you run. At the moment have sony SSB-40ES bookshelf speakers which sound good, but there is loss of detail in the midrange. My future plans are to upgrade the main speakers to Dynaudio, which are very good with detail. I find this amps S/N ratio much better because of relay input switching against cmos ckts. The torriodal power supply and large solid heat sinks are good. I hope to bi-wire with my future speakers which would help with cleaner sound. My current setup is a Marantz CD player single tray and has a fairly clean output. Sony SS-B40ES bookshelf acoustically sealed (German made) . Sound wise have run stanley clarke - If only the Bass could talk. The Bass is clean and tight, not sounding boomy. The highs are nice, but could be better with a good speaker. I have listened to Bose cubes setup. This setup beats them hands down. I have auditioned them together at the hifi -shop there is no comparison. Have listened to similar spec NAD integrated and both were close Lastly in this price range US $400 this is a very good spec amp and worth a buy.

It does a better job than less expensive amplifiers when partnered with the right equipment......

.....but then again maybe not. If you have to have one, stick to small scale music at low volumes.

I use this intergrated amplifier with KEF Q1's + QED Profile 4x4, and have come to find the sound is pretty horrible. Bass is lazy, lumpy, and not particularly controlled, treble is bright and harsh at high volumes, and midrange is trapped in the speakers somewhere trying to fight it's way out. It seems to deal with all music with that same sound. There is no real attack, or excitement, and crumbles under the pressure of tricky electronica, dance and rock music. The presentation of the amplifier worked better with Tannoy's laid back M3's, but though the presentation was more listenable, it's lack of the ability to play music properly is still apparent. I would not recommend this amplifier to anyone unless it was to be used with unrevealing budget speakers, and well rounded "musical" sources. Even if this was the case, I would still advise to look at other amplifiers in the same price range before trying this one.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel RA-931, Cambridge Audio A5, Arcam Alpha One, Denon PMA-250SE, Arcam Alpha 9 + 9P, Marantz PM-17 KI-Sig

Solid "tank" feel, good clean sound (neither harsh nor booming), great userfriendly layout, "Direct Source" button, motoroperated volume control, metal front and a built-in RIAA

Horrible speaker cable terminals!, tends to cover up the small details, almost impossible to connect from the front (cramped rear panel)

I bought this to replace my old technics Amp from the 80''s, that just couldn''t go on anymore. I was looking for a good looking, no-nonsense, clean sounding amp with a reasonable pricetag, and the Sony was an okay choice. It sounds nice and neutral, but it isn''t very revealing. It tends to miss the smallest details. This can be a good thing if there are weak links in your system, but I found it to be a shame, as you won''t get the last little something when you upgrade beyond the Sony''s pricerange. The amp looks great(IMHO), feels very sturdy and the layout and design are very functional and userfriendly compared to other amps at this price range. The volume control is smooth (and motoroperated when using the remote) the Volume and Channel Selector knobs are big and sturdy and I really love the fact that it has a "Direct Source" button. The back of the amplifier is a bit cramped though, and the screw-operated speaker terminals are extremely poor if you have to use a thicker speaker cable (like my Phase 3) than the ordinary 1$ per meter one. Another strong point is that is has a built in RIAA amplifier, so you are able to use your old (or new) recordplayer without having to buy a seperate RIAA. The remote control is very simple and has everything you need, including basic function of other Sony parts, such as MD, CD and so on. So in order to sum things up: Very clean smooth amp that is a good buy if you like the looks, great for the casual listener. Although in hindsight I would have bought the NAD if I had known of it''s existence back then. My system: Rotel RC 970BX Preamp Rotel RB 970BX Power amp Sansui FR-3060 Recordplayer NAD PP-1 RIAA Amplifier Sony CD Player Sony MD Player B&W DM 602 S3 Speakers Phase 3 & Tara Labs Nexa Speaker Cables (biwired) IXOS and Tara Labs Interconnects

Similar Products Used:

NAD C320, Rotel RC/RB 970BX, Older Class A Technics, and various integrated amps from Pioneer, Kenwood etc.

looks, sound

remote control

i worked during the summer just to buy this amp, the QS-cd player (cdp xb-930s) and a pair of bose 301-speakers. Well, the result is stunning. I'm quite sure that it is one of the best investments i've made. Excellent at low volume and also powerful (and clear) enough for a party in my living-room

Similar Products Used:

none

Excellent looks and build quality. Sounds great too.

A bit larger than necessary.

This amp is drop dead gorgeous!!! Sony knows that still most people buy an amp because it looks fantastic! But it sounds phenomenal too. Tight and fast detailed bass, "I can almost grab it" vocals and nice highs (although sometimes a bit metallic).
Other merits are a phono input and 4 speaker connections.
These are the two main things I miss on a NAD integrated amp.

Similar Products Used:

NAD C320, NAD 317.

Tremendous amount of value for the price, clear bass, excellent highs and mids. Looks great.

none

Before I bought this baby I tested some other amplifiers in the same price range and this one skyrocketed away from all competition. It's definately one of the best amps to buy for this amount of money. I use this one in a combination with a Bose Acoustimass 5 system and 2 x Magnat Vector 77 full-range speakers. The sound produced in a room of only 4 by 4 meters is plain outstanding! Bass which rattles the ceiling and detailed, clear highs and mids. They don't come much better than this!

Similar Products Used:

none

Good control/protection system - source direct button. Very good ambience and high frequency production.

Unfocussed deep bass - bright sound balance

Bought to please my wife - a matching hi-fi in the living room at last. Works well with the CDP-XB940 which I also got on clearance. This does not go loud without falling apart and has poor bass focus, but it also has detail and ambience without sounding annoying. For this price I give it 5 but think I'll need a better ES range amplifier soon to fix the bass.

Similar Products Used:

Audiolab 8000A (not really in this league)

neutral! clear mids and highs...punchy bass. good looking (I have the silver one)

none... well, a bit too sharp sometimes...

Good looking and sounds good too. Clear, clean upper and mids...tight, punchy bass.Neutral in all sense, at home with classical, metals and R&B. I think a great investment esp. partnered with a warm sounding CD player..and a excellent speaker..
my rig:
Mission 773e speakers
SOny CDPx930e

Powerful, detailed sound, good looks, well built, plenty of
features

Nothing in my view

This is a very good amp for the money. Listening to rock
or dance/trance music, the bass is natural, gutsy and deep,
while the midrange and treble is highly detailed. It is
great for any type of music in my view. The vocals are very
good and clear. I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a quality amp for this money. It may be big, but it is
beautiful!!!

System:-

Pioneer PD-F1007 C.D. Player, Sony TA-FB940R amp, Denon
Tu-260L MK II tuner, Tannoy Dorsets T-185 loudspeakers, QED
Quinex two interconnects and QED flat strand 76

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Creek 4140 amp