Sony ST-S550ES tuner w/wood panels, modified by RadioX
billbillw
Posts: 7,487
OK,
I've had this tuner for years dating back to when I had some early 90's Sony ES gear that matched it (F333ESL and E80ES). They could control the tuner using the 'Control-S cable', which allowed me to surf the presets (20 in all).
It has been about 3 years since I sold the matching Sony ES gear, but I've held onto this because it is a great sounding tuner.
I had this tuner modified and aligned by RadioXTuners and I've been told by Mike (RadioX) that he prefers this S550ES to some of the other more expensive (S730ES) tuners from Sony. He has worked on many of them and found them to be a great sounding tuner with mods. It is not a DX'ing tuner, but it does great in metro areas. I have no problem getting stations 50 miles away.
The mods included power supply upgrades (larger supply caps and Stealth diodes), Black Gate coupling caps, op-amp upgrades, and a matched filter set upgrade.
The work was performed by Mike back in 2006 and the tuner still sounds every bit as good as when he was finished with it.
Why am I selling now? I came into possession of a newer Sony SA5ES tuner which is just as good and it can be controlled directly by IR signal. It also is a better cosmetic match to my newer Sony ES system. I plan to send the SA5ES up to Mike for some magic as well.
This S550ES tuner is cosmetically nearly perfect. At least an 8/10, but probably better. It will include the original owners manual and the hard to find 'Control S Cable' in case you match this to a Sony Integrated or PreAmp.
Asking $150+shipping.
Pictures to be added later.
I've had this tuner for years dating back to when I had some early 90's Sony ES gear that matched it (F333ESL and E80ES). They could control the tuner using the 'Control-S cable', which allowed me to surf the presets (20 in all).
It has been about 3 years since I sold the matching Sony ES gear, but I've held onto this because it is a great sounding tuner.
I had this tuner modified and aligned by RadioXTuners and I've been told by Mike (RadioX) that he prefers this S550ES to some of the other more expensive (S730ES) tuners from Sony. He has worked on many of them and found them to be a great sounding tuner with mods. It is not a DX'ing tuner, but it does great in metro areas. I have no problem getting stations 50 miles away.
The mods included power supply upgrades (larger supply caps and Stealth diodes), Black Gate coupling caps, op-amp upgrades, and a matched filter set upgrade.
The work was performed by Mike back in 2006 and the tuner still sounds every bit as good as when he was finished with it.
Why am I selling now? I came into possession of a newer Sony SA5ES tuner which is just as good and it can be controlled directly by IR signal. It also is a better cosmetic match to my newer Sony ES system. I plan to send the SA5ES up to Mike for some magic as well.
This S550ES tuner is cosmetically nearly perfect. At least an 8/10, but probably better. It will include the original owners manual and the hard to find 'Control S Cable' in case you match this to a Sony Integrated or PreAmp.
Asking $150+shipping.
Pictures to be added later.
Post edited by billbillw on
Comments
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Some photos. The only flaw that I could see was a small chip on the left wood side panel, near the rear.
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Here are some photos that show the mods made by RadioXtuners.
Power supply with Panasonic FC/FM caps and stealth diodes.
Filter mod with sockets.
Output section with socketed Burr Brown OPA2604 and Blackgate NX coupling caps.
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Perhaps I should point out that this has over $150 in upgrades if you add the cost of alignment and parts for the modification. The filters alone are $36. Don't confuse this with a run of the mill S550ES that you see on Ebay.
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If I listened to the radio, I'd so jump on this having heard many good things about this particular unit.
Goodluck with the sale!
-FreddyTruck setup
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Bump. Still available.
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Bump. Maybe no one realizes the gains that are made by filter upgrades and alignments by a tuner professional. They take an ordinary midrange tuner and make it into a top performer. Look at some of the comments in the mod section over at FMtunerinfo to see what the experts say.
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Another bump for an excellent tuner with audiophile mods.
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Looks like this tuner is finally sold.
