Sony STR-AV850A stereo receiver from the front on a table

Rear panel of the Sony STR-AV850A receiver, showing the inputs, speaker terminals, AC outlets and power cord

Sony STR-AV850A Vintage Stereo Receiver – 80 WPC, Phono, Japan

Name: Sony STR-AV850A Vintage Stereo Receiver – 80 WPC, Phono, Japan
Brand: Sony
SKU: 7717
Price: 175.00 CAD
Availability: InStock

$175.00

A 1980s vintage Sony STR-AV850A stereo receiver: 80 watts per channel, with phono, made in Japan.

✔️ 80 watts per channel RMS at 0.006% THD
✔️ “Legato Linear” Hi-Speed amplifier
✔️ Tuner with Station Spectrum display
✔️ Drives two pairs of speakers
✔️ Made in Japan, 1987
✔️ PDF copy of the manual included
✔️ Very good condition, tested on our bench
✔️ Covered by Radique Warranty
✔️ Includes Perpetual Trade-Back Program eligibility
✔️ Expertly packed for safe shipping

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Description

An 80s vintage Sony STR-AV850A stereo receiver: 80 watts per channel, with phono, made in Japan. Perfect for your vinyl system.

Condition: Very good: the black faceplate and case are free of significant marks. Tested on our bench. Spring-clip speaker terminals for A and B pairs (B takes 8 to 16 ohm speakers).

A fairly high-end Sony

The STR-AV850A was a fairly high-end model, retailing new for $600 USD in 1987. It boasts a desirable “Legato Linear” Hi-Speed amp, 80 watts x 2 RMS, with an impressive 0.006% THD. It packs plenty of power, lights up beautifully, and offers a wide range of those distinctive 1980s-style push-button controls.

Features

Defeatable button-operated tone controls with memory function (by source)
Subsonic filter
Sophisticated tuner with a very cool Station Spectrum display
Can drive two pairs of speakers
Standby power switch
Two switched AC outlets
Soft copy of the manual in PDF included

Sony STR-AV850A Specifications

Power output: 80 watts per channel RMS
Total harmonic distortion: 0.006%
Dimensions: 430 x 130 x 345 mm (W x H x D)
Weight: 8.2 kg

See everything we have in stock from Sony.

🔌 Speaker Cable and the Right Connector

The speaker terminals here are spring clips rather than binding posts, so banana plugs and spades will not fit — our own gold-plated pin connectors are the right answer, and they make connecting and disconnecting far easier than stripping bare wire every time. We also hand-build speaker cable here in any length you need, terminated to suit, on our Custom Speaker Cable Builder. 👉

✅ Buy With Confidence — The Radique Promise

Backed by Radique Audio’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program. When you’re ready to move on, we’ll take it back. That’s the Radique difference.

📦 Watch how we protect your gear — our unboxing video.

📺 Curious about our business? Check out our YouTube channel for behind-the-scenes videos and more!

📞 Questions? Use the Ask a Question button above, or call us at 613-416-9995.

$175.00

Additional information

Weight	20.08 lbs
Dimensions	20.93 × 9.12 × 17.58 in

About brand

Sony at Radique

We service Sony, too. Bring us your own Sony receivers, amplifiers, tuners, CD players and cassette decks, Walkman-size players included for repair, servicing or restoration (not reel-to-reel decks), with a 90-day warranty on the work. See our Audio Service page

Sony began in Tokyo in 1946, founded by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita, and it helped bring the world the Walkman and the compact disc. We carry Sony stereo and AV receivers, CD players, cassette decks, amplifiers and speakers. We've had more than 220 Sony listings so far, covering more than 185 different models. Every used Sony here is inspected, tested and serviced as required, then photographed in-house and covered by our Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Don't see the model you want? Tell us on First Dibs and we'll email you when one arrives.

Sony models we've sold more than once include the TC-K61 cassette deck, the CDP-CE305 and CDP-C335 CD players, the STR-DA5700ES AV receiver and the STR-4800SD stereo receiver.

The Sony story, 1946 to today

Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita founded Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo ("Totsuko") in Tokyo in 1946, growing out of a radio repair business Ibuka had started the year before. The company was renamed Sony in 1958.

Tape and transistors. The G-model tape recorder of 1950 is described as Japan's first, and the TR-55 transistor radio of 1955 was the first Sony-branded product.

ES. Sony describes the TA-1120 integrated amplifier of 1965 as the first all-silicon-transistor stereo amplifier and dates its ES ("Elevated Standard") line from it.

Walkman and CD. The Walkman went on sale in Japan in July 1979. Sony worked with Philips on the compact disc, and Sony's CDP-101 was among the first CD players on sale in Japan in October 1982. Sony still makes ES AV receivers.

Which Sony is which?

STR receivers: stereo receivers from the late 1960s on, such as the STR-6120, and later AV receivers, including ES models.

TA amplifiers and ES separates: from the TA-1120 to the TA-E86 preamplifier and TA-N86 power amplifier (1978).

CDP CD players: from the CDP-101 (1982) and CDP-701ES (1983) to changers such as the CDP-CE305 and CDP-C335 we sell often.

TC tape decks: reel-to-reel recorders until 1985, and cassette decks such as the TC-K61 and the three-head TC-K777ES.

SS speakers: such as the SS-G7 floorstanders of 1978.

Buying used Sony: what to check

CD players. Open and close the drawer several times; hesitation can be an early sign of trouble. Laser pickups wear, skipping is a symptom, and tray belts age.

Cassette decks. Belts dry out and cause slipping or uneven playback, and worn heads dull the sound. Run fast-forward and rewind, and check Dolby.

Amplifiers and receivers. Noisy switches and dirty relay contacts cause many faults, and bias settings drift with age. On tuners, look for blown bulbs and broken dial cords.

Everything we list is inspected, tested and serviced as required here, and comes with our warranty.