Sony TA-AX6 (1980–1981)
The Sony TA-AX6 is a Japan-only integrated amplifier from the very beginning of the 1980s, built for what Sony called the "digital ready" era. It was the flagship of the AX series, sitting above the TA-AX5, TA-AX4, and TA-AX3. It was never exported — strictly a domestic-market model.
At its heart is a DC amplifier design with no coupling capacitors in the signal path, dual FET input stages, and separate power supplies for the left and right channels — a twin-mono construction with three power supplies in total. The output stage uses Sony's S-FET hybrid devices (bipolar plus FET) and non-switching circuitry. Rated output is 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms from 20Hz to 20kHz at 0.007% THD, with a damping factor of 60. Signal-to-noise ratio is 100dB (IHF A network). The phono stage handles two MM inputs with RIAA accuracy of ±0.3dB.
Inputs include Phono 1, Phono 2, Tuner, AUX, Tape 1, and Tape 2, plus a multi-channel input and pre-out/main-in jumpers. Tone controls have selectable turnover frequencies, and there's a subsonic filter, loudness compensation, and two pairs of speaker terminals (4–16 ohms). Bass and treble controls are present, and the unit weighs a substantial 14.5kg. Original price was 49,800 yen.
Documentation is thin on the ground — production dates are given as either 1980 or 1980–1981 depending on the source, and the two independent dimension figures disagree (430×155×370mm vs. 460×165×390mm). What's clear is that this was a serious, well-built amplifier aimed squarely at the Japanese domestic market during the transition to digital sources. Contemporary integrated amplifiers from the period were often rated at 100 watts (20 dBW) per channel or less High Fidelity (April 1982, p.28).
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