Monkeyboi Posted March 24, 2019 Posted March 24, 2019 Got a second one of these with the sole purpose of adding some pre-amp outputs to a receiver that doesn't have them. Thought I'd post a few pics for those interested to know what's on the inside of this Dolby Atmos / dtsX / DSD receiver. This is the US version of the receiver. Definitely not the copper chassis, extra large transformer, or the Nichicon Fine Gold electrolytics you'd find in the ES line up , but you wouldn't expect it for the price. Interesting is the strategic attachment of adhesive tape to certain parts of the heatsinks. Cheers, Alan R. 1
Quark Posted March 24, 2019 Posted March 24, 2019 2 hours ago, Monkeyboi said: Interesting is the strategic attachment of adhesive tape to certain parts of the heatsinks. Looks like the tape could be used as a cheap and cheerful way of damping vibrations. 1
Monkeyboi Posted March 28, 2019 Author Posted March 28, 2019 On 24/03/2019 at 6:42 PM, Quark said: Looks like the tape could be used as a cheap and cheerful way of damping vibrations. I've seen it used in lots of their hi-fi equipment. Even found "the tape" on different sections of heatsink on the same model of amplifier or SACD player. Including the ES series components. Surely the don't resonance test every bit of gear that comes off the production line??? Or do they? Cheers, Alan R. 1
Quark Posted March 28, 2019 Posted March 28, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, Monkeyboi said: I've seen it used in lots of their hi-fi equipment. Even found "the tape" on different sections of heatsink on the same model of amplifier or SACD player. Including the ES series components. Surely the don't resonance test every bit of gear that comes off the production line??? Or do they? Cheers, Alan R. If they're putting it in the same places on particular models, perhaps it's a standardised approach to vibration control. Mind you, I'd expect more than a bit of tape on ES models, especially for the $ that are asked. Edited March 28, 2019 by Quark
Monkeyboi Posted April 1, 2019 Author Posted April 1, 2019 On 28/03/2019 at 2:32 PM, Quark said: If they're putting it in the same places on particular models, perhaps it's a standardised approach to vibration control. Mind you, I'd expect more than a bit of tape on ES models, especially for the $ that are asked. Agreed. ES gear is getting harder to buy new in Australia. It would appear Sony has somewhat condensed the ES line for our domestic market to but a mere handful of models. I wonder (other than it's inexpensive) do they use what appears to be adhesive tape? Considering its use on heatsinks I can only imagine the adhesive deteriorating over time and becoming unstuck. Cheers, Alan R.
pete_mac Posted April 1, 2019 Posted April 1, 2019 1 hour ago, Monkeyboi said: I wonder (other than it's inexpensive) do they use what appears to be adhesive tape? Considering its use on heatsinks I can only imagine the adhesive deteriorating over time and becoming unstuck. Cheers, Alan R. Interestingly, Sansui started to apply Teflon adhesive tape to a number of their later alpha series amps, including a span across the heatsink fins, the rear side of the timber cheeks, internal panels of the amp, and wrapped around selected RIKEN resistors at the input to the amplifier boards. Rubberised bitumen pads were used in other locations. Vibration and resonance control was apparently the name of the game. I haven't seen any of the tape come loose as yet, and many of these amps are 19-25 years old now and would have been subject to numerous heat cycles. I guess it depends on the type of adhesive backing that they use. 1
Monkeyboi Posted April 2, 2019 Author Posted April 2, 2019 On 01/04/2019 at 10:18 AM, pete_mac said: Interestingly, Sansui started to apply Teflon adhesive tape to a number of their later alpha series amps, including a span across the heatsink fins, the rear side of the timber cheeks, internal panels of the amp, and wrapped around selected RIKEN resistors at the input to the amplifier boards. Rubberised bitumen pads were used in other locations. Vibration and resonance control was apparently the name of the game. I haven't seen any of the tape come loose as yet, and many of these amps are 19-25 years old now and would have been subject to numerous heat cycles. I guess it depends on the type of adhesive backing that they use. Thanks for the heads up and pics. Interesting to see other manufacturers employing similar techniques. Cheers, Alan R.
Frank Germing Posted April 18, 2020 Posted April 18, 2020 Hello, (I am Frank, Alkmaar, Holland) I have an old Sony ES amp; the VA777ES . It sounds fantastic. It weights about 24 kg. https://www.avforums.com/threads/upgrading-sony-tava777es-for-arcam-avr350.817497/#lg=thread-817497&slide=0 The interior looks like the Sansui on the picture. I have read a lot about the cheaper str-dn1080 that it is a very good amp. As an audio enthusiastic and music lover I am wondering how it sounds like in comparison to the heavy ES amps. Can you tell me something about that? Maybe thin, lightweight chips are better than the older heavy components?
Apurva Posted September 26, 2020 Posted September 26, 2020 Dear AV experts, I have an STR DN1080 which has gone dead after 3 years of good usage. Basically, after the last (automatic) firmware update, the unit is stuck in "CLEARING" mode with all the on-unit and remote buttons unresponsive. Nothing I do (power-cycle etc) can bring the unit out of this mode. A search on the internet shows other users facing the same problem. Since the unit is outside warranty, SONY is of no help here. Looks like I am going to throw it away - but before I do that I am willing to hack around and see if I can make any head or tail out of this. I am an Electronics engineer and have a fully equipped lab at home. Any pointers on where to get started will be hugely appreciated?
Monkeyboi Posted October 6, 2020 Author Posted October 6, 2020 (edited) On 18/04/2020 at 4:24 PM, Frank Germing said: Hello, (I am Frank, Alkmaar, Holland) I have an old Sony ES amp; the VA777ES . It sounds fantastic. It weights about 24 kg. https://www.avforums.com/threads/upgrading-sony-tava777es-for-arcam-avr350.817497/#lg=thread-817497&slide=0 The interior looks like the Sansui on the picture. I have read a lot about the cheaper str-dn1080 that it is a very good amp. As an audio enthusiastic and music lover I am wondering how it sounds like in comparison to the heavy ES amps. Can you tell me something about that? Maybe thin, lightweight chips are better than the older heavy components? Hi Frank, I have several Sony ES receivers, pre-amps, power amps and other components. The STR-DN1080 is IMHO a much lower class of build and performance . It's more of your secondary livingroom HT amplifier than a good audio amplifier. I purchased this receiver for a few of its virtues, those being its 4k video and Dolby Atmos capabilities as well as its ability to decode stereo and multichannel PCM and DSD from my NAS. The FM tuner is however terrible. One of the worst I've ever had in a modern receiver even with an external FM antenna connected via their dodgy non-coaxial cable single wire JST connector. It's not as if they didn't have place for a proper connector. Cheers, Alan R. Edited October 6, 2020 by Monkeyboi
Monkeyboi Posted October 6, 2020 Author Posted October 6, 2020 On 27/09/2020 at 12:24 AM, Apurva said: Dear AV experts, I have an STR DN1080 which has gone dead after 3 years of good usage. Basically, after the last (automatic) firmware update, the unit is stuck in "CLEARING" mode with all the on-unit and remote buttons unresponsive. Nothing I do (power-cycle etc) can bring the unit out of this mode. A search on the internet shows other users facing the same problem. Since the unit is outside warranty, SONY is of no help here. Looks like I am going to throw it away - but before I do that I am willing to hack around and see if I can make any head or tail out of this. I am an Electronics engineer and have a fully equipped lab at home. Any pointers on where to get started will be hugely appreciated? Okay, if you didn't experience a loss of power during the firmware update then it's probably a glitch in the update file. IMO Sony should ensure that the firmware they revise is thoroughly tested prior to release. Get an independent authorised repairer to evaluate the receiver and prove no hardware failure. Then sue Sony for bricking your receiver and compensation or for a replacement receiver. I haven't bothered updating my receiver firmware because of rumoured issues with DTS decoding. Cheers, Alan R.
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