Sony TA-4300 (1971)
The Sony TA-4300 is a compact stereo amplifier introduced in 1971. Documentation on this model is thin — nearly everything known about it comes from Sony's own design history archive, and no period reviews, owner impressions, or market context have surfaced. Contemporary audio publications of the era focused their coverage on Sony's more ambitious multi-amplifier systems, which paired the TA-3120 with electronic crossovers rather than the TA-4300 Audio (April 1968, p.37). What the record does show is a modestly specified integrated amplifier with a low-profile chassis and a straightforward front panel layout: input selector, tone controls, and little else to get in the way.
Electrically, the TA-4300 was rated at 20W + 20W continuous into 8 ohms (both channels driven, 20Hz–20kHz), rising to 28W + 28W into 4 ohms, with total harmonic distortion claimed at 0.1% at rated output. Frequency response stretched from 10Hz to 100kHz (+0.5dB/–2dB) on the CD, AUX, and TAPE inputs. Phono stages (two of them, Phono 1 and Phono 2) offered 2.5mV sensitivity at 50k ohms with RIAA deviation held to ±1dB from 30Hz to 15kHz. Signal-to-noise was specified at 75dB for phono and 90dB for the line-level inputs. Tone controls were simple — bass ±8dB at 100Hz, treble ±8dB at 10kHz — with a loudness contour adding +8dB at 100Hz and +4dB at 10kHz at the –40dB volume setting. Speaker impedance is listed as 8 to 16 ohms.
One point of ambiguity: some secondary summaries have linked the TA-4300 to Sony's V-FET output transistor technology, but the official spec table does not state the output device type, and the claim appears to be a misattribution (V-FETs are more commonly associated with the later TA-4650). Until a service manual or period review confirms otherwise, the amplifier's output stage is best described as undocumented.
Known specifications:
- Continuous power: 20W + 20W (8 ohms, 20Hz–20kHz, both channels driven); 28W + 28W (4 ohms)
- THD: 0.1% at rated output
- Frequency response (CD/AUX/TAPE): 10Hz–100kHz (+0.5dB, –2dB)
- S/N: 75dB (phono), 90dB (CD/AUX/TAPE)
- Phono sensitivity: 2.5mV at 50k ohms; RIAA ±1dB (30Hz–15kHz)
- Tone controls: Bass ±8dB at 100Hz; Treble ±8dB at 10kHz
- Speaker impedance: 8–16 ohms
No original price, dimensions, weight, or production run length has been found. The TA-4300 remains a lightly documented footnote in Sony's early-1970s amplifier lineup — a capable-sounding compact design awaiting a collector's service manual to fill in the blanks.
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