Search the Community

Item: 1 or 2 yamaha b3 amplifier Price Range: Negotiable Item Condition: New or Used Extra Info: Hope you're willing to ship to SA

Exceedingly rare VFET amplifier. Japan only manufacture by the renown -- Victor Company of Japan. Known as Victor in Japan, you may know the manufacturer as the exported brand JVC. The amplifer uses 4 pairs of NEC Vertical Fet Devices. Manufacture - 1975- 1977. Japan only domestic market amplifier - therefore 100 VOLT Power supply is required. You will require a quality isolated 240v to 100v transformer. DO NOT use 120v or 110v supply to operate this amplifier. This amplifier is in original condition including the speaker terminals. You will require bare speaker wire or at maximum 2mm pins to connect speakers. Refer again to the date of manufacture. Power output - 100watts inmto 8 ohms. Weight - 20kg. I have driven 8, 6 & 4 ohmn loads with this amplifier without issue. Beautifully built bolid (beyond solid) piece of audio in remarkable condition. You need to see one in the flesh to appreciate the design and build. A collectors item, that also sounds excellent. The price is firm. - Thank you.

Well here it is, a 240v version of Yamaha B-1 Vfet amplifier. I am very lucky to have in my hand this extremely rare monster including the UC-1 meter accessory that allows 5 speakers to be connected and controlled from the front panel. The Yamaha B-1 is truly one of the best amplifiers Yamaha has made, running a all Vfet circuit and managing to squeeze out 160watt from a pair of giant 2SK77's on each channel. Here are the specs. Not bad for the 70's

Just picked up something very special....shhhhh

Is there anyone on SNA who has built or is contemplating a build of the Nelson Pass VFet amplifier project.( the one with the Sony VFets) ? Apologies if I have missed any posts/threads in this regard.

Sony TA-N7B 1977 160,000 yen 100w + 100w 8ohms 21kg Two independent monaural amplifiers Harmonic distortion .01% First stage – voltage amplifier. Dual FET input, a differential cascode amplifier, current mirror output circuit at the first stage and a bipolar transistor cascode amplifier at the next stage. Drive stage – Fully complimentary push-pull power amp. – Sony V-FETs 2SJ18 & 2SK60 plus bipolar transistors in cascode configuration. Triple dual output configuration per channel. The TA-N7B is considered a statement product from Sony. Just looking at the rather small footprint of the N7B tells you it’s built extremely well. Designed and built up to a standard, a standard in the late 1970’s that was very high. Sony’s aim in designing and building the N7B was to produce a state of the art audio amplifier employing the very latest and best audio engineering possible at that time. Some 37 years later, those experienced with this amplifier and technically qualified may look now and see the flaws in the designs. I’m no audio engineer; I don’t claim to be of any technical expertise. But I do like listening to music, and this amplifier was no doubt built to reproduce music to the highest fidelity level possible. Aesthetics, design, look? – It’s a matter of taste. I’ve had someone tell me the amp looks like a dorm refrigerator they had in college! – joking?, perhaps. When in the listening position and looking at the face, it is a very nice simple design. The backside, aint that flash in my opinion. It is unique that is the fact. Restoration The amplifier has undergone an extensive rebuild. Over 180 parts have been replaced. Also, some discrete enhancements or modifications have been done to make the amplifier more stable and to sonically take it “up†to another level. The alterations were researched, tested, re-tested, applied, then re-tested, to exacting standards (as the N7B demands) to ensure the highest level of integrity, and sonic purity. All replacements parts and substitues used are absolutely appropriate and precisely matched wherever required across all circuits. Listening to the Sony TA-N7B Plugged in and allowed to idle along at low volumes for a good hour before putting the foot down. It’s a bit like having a classic car restored, and you’re taking it out for a drive. You know it’s good, you know it’s been restored very well, but you just want to treat her gently. Once warmed up the Sony delivers a beautifully balanced sound, with what I describe as -- elegant power. A stupendously articulate and detailed delivery. Tonally, very refined and nuanced, nothing but the music is heard, in front of a completely silent background. But it is not cold or clinical. You will hear instruments and detail never heard before. You will hear a wavering in a voice or a backing singer, you never heard before. The layering and purity of the sound is quite amazing. Source and recording quality is therefore an even more important element when running the N7B. Critical of source is the TA-N7B no question. Transient speed and dynamics are wonderful. It’s a “quick†amplifier this Sony, very quick. Bass / low frequency is also superb. Mid bass, upper bass, low bass it’s all in there. The amplifier goes so low and with wonderful definition and control. Midrange and highs are also excellent. In particular vocals and piano is where the Sony excels. Voices and instruments seem to leap into the room with you. The only “weaker†aspect perhaps is the stereo separation. Not as good as expected or doesn’t seem to be in the same class as the other aspects of the amplifier. It’s very good, but not exceptional. Certainly the Sony ESPRIT TA-N902 (the best soundstage I’ve heard in an amp) & the Yamaha B2 seem to have better sound staging and separation Speaker choices need to be considered. You want an excellent full range speaker that has excellent grip and control on the bass, images really well. I have developed an immediate case of – floorstandis speaker-upgradeitis. Speaker placement as always is critical. Set up precisely to get the best from the Sony. Put a decent preamplifier with the N7B, one with reasonably high outputs. The N7B, as a result of the wonderful design, and sonics is a low gain amplifier. But that’s just the way it is. A beautiful highly accurate, linear, low noise (no noise!) and dynamic amplifier. You’ll really enjoy listening to your music with the Sony. Equipment Sony TA-N7B Stereo Power Amplifier Emotiva XSP-1 Balanced Differential Preamplifier Squeezebox Touch (EDO) Audio-dg NFB1.32 ES9018 Sabre DAC Krix Apex Floorstanding Speakers – 4ohms Quad 12L2 Standmount Speakers – 6ohms Grave Science interconnects Music Eagles - Hotel California – 192khz Rick Braun – Sessions II Tim Finn, Bic Runga, Dave Dobbyn – Together In Concert Steely Dan – Gaucho – 96khz Supertramp – Crisis What Crisis? Il Sogno – Elvis Costello Amy Winehouse – Frank