Friday 12 February 2010

SONY TA-2650 - R.I.P.

Earlier this year, my hi-fi amplifier blew up! Yes, sadly, it has finally died. I say finally because I have actually been using this same stereo since the mid 70's.
I bought it from Larg's in Whitehall Street. The first major purchase off my own wages. It took me 2 years to pay it up mind you!
The sound quality was brilliant, so I didn't feel the need to get a new one over the following 34 years, although I did add to it over time with a cd player, cassette deck, mini disc player, tuner, the usual gubbins.
It does mean though, I won't be able to convert my old records into mp3 format now, until I get another one.
Anyway, you probably won't be surprised to find out that I kept my original Owners Instruction Manuals that came with it, dated 1976. So if there are any old audio boffins out there, here's a couple of pages from the manuals that may interest you.
The top one shows the front of the Sony TA-2650 amp, and the middle one is the back panel.
It came with 2 large wooden cabinet speakers (Sony 5300) which were made in Norway.
The turntable deck, Sony PS-1700, still works fine. The rubber slip mat has suction cups to help the vinyl grip better.
If I was told when I bought it that it would last 3 & a half decades, I wouldn't have believed them!!
Click images to enlarge.

4 comments:

  1. I remember purchasing my first 'Music Centre' (Turntable, Radio and Cassette player in one) fae Largs for 25 Pound in 1977 which was exactly my wages at that time. It even had the first Dolby noise reduction.

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  2. GG, does your house have a bric-a-brac annexe to store all the things you've hoarded over the years? Not that I'm complaining, otherwise Retro Dundee would not exist! ;-)

    Anyway, Maplin sell an ION USB turntable for 40 bucks. Well worth the money!

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  3. We got our first stereo in 1973. I remember the first record we played was the Slade album "Slayed "
    I used to turn the turntable speed up and listen to Pinky and Perky.

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  4. I remember a mate telling me when your needle broke you could use a sewing needle or a safety pin taped to the stylus arm, which i tried, and to be fair you did hear the song , didn't do the 7'single of Children of the Revolution much good tho :)

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