# BIG RED SONY ES



## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Grabbed this 5 channel monster one night on ebay in a haze.

Its beautiful.

4 25 amp fuses.
about 20 lbs
75x4 and 280x1 but way under rated
hp and lp crossovers 40-4000k
****load of other features










Took some gut shots for ya



















Dual power supplies each with their own power and ground inputs.










Nice high quality components used through out.

Currently powering my entire system active and sounding amazing.










I was going to go all zapco but Im having a hard time with this guy. I already got half the zapco stuff I need....

I may refinish it and forget the zapco. I need a few days to decide I think. Unless someone offers me a decent price on the sony es. So torn.


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## ReloadedSS (Aug 26, 2008)

I've got the four channel version, and keep wavering on whether or not to keep it. They are sweet amps. The only drawback I can see is that it's physically quite large.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Yeah. That is my concern also. I may let it go but Im gonna give me a few days of listening to make sure first. Such a clean sounding amp. (rabble rabble)


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## Mike_Dee (Mar 26, 2011)

That's the first thing with Xplod on it that i liked...:laugh:


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## ReloadedSS (Aug 26, 2008)

Mike_Dee said:


> That's the first thing with Xplod on it that i liked...:laugh:


There was one more generation of ES amps, but they weren't as good. This was Mobile ES's last stand.


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## nubz69 (Aug 27, 2005)

I would love to know what you think about this amp. How much did you get it for? I know where one is in my area and I am not sure if it is worth picking up.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Ive been listening to it for the last 4 hours and I friggin love it. It sounds so clean and has so many features and forget what power rating are what...This amp's 280 watts almost too much for my IDQ. Sounded just like the zapco ref500.1 thats in there.

This is two amps in 1 chassis the big red 4 channel and this amp which is the sub section.

7527 SONY XPLOD MOBILE ES AMP 360W SUBWOOFER AMPLIFIER | eBay

More info on this amp

Sony ES XM-7557 75W x 4 + 220W x 1 Car Amplifier - Hands-on Research at Crutchfield.com

As far as price. Bring that question to PM as I am still considering sticking with zapcos and selling this just because I would have to redo my trunk floor to accommodate this amp and allow it to cool properly. 

Yes, I highly recommend this amp. You will not find an all in one solution amp any cleaner than this. I am a/b this with zapco ref at the moment and cant call it.

But if someone wants to help me make my decision, PM me an offer.

Sure its big and heavy because its made solid and is all thick aluminum. 23" really isnt that long. Well it is but...ya know. a 650 is 32"


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## ReloadedSS (Aug 26, 2008)

I will say this as well - look at the specs, 0.5 ohm stable...aren't many amps that can make that claim -- designed to dig low impedance if asked whereas most amps will smoke and die.

I agree with tyroneshoes, they are big and no joke heavy. But as you can see from the amp guts, they have a lot of very nice components (Nichicon caps!).


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## rexroadj (Oct 31, 2008)

Several people forget or just simply were not into the high end at the time.... These are/were bar none, some of the greatest amps ever put out...by anyone at any time! (imo of course  You will be hard pressed to find something that will be better sounding, cleaner, more powerful in that package at most all price ranges. Its a shame they have not tried to re-live the ES setups..... Obviously the market is just not there. You cant fry these, over run them, fatigue them, or not have incredible results with them. If I could even pretend that I have a need for it I would make an offer  If your happy with it and can fit it....then.........................................................?


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

BIG RED SONY ES - EPISODE 2

In the first episode we came across a big red sony es 5 channel. I liked it very much but the shroud was too damaged for me to use and I had already purchased many zapco products with intent to install. So I sold it for no profit. I regretted selling it because I loved everything about it but the damage and was hoping to refinish it and de-red it.

So recently I was on Craigslist and came across another of these. Except the 4 channel xm-7547. Good price and looked to be in mint condition. Why not I say and go for a lil drive.




























This is a cool amp because you can use it as a 4 channel or a 3/4 channel with a high current or voltage (depending on impedance) option on channels 3/4 down to .5 ohms. Or 1 ohms mono.

So I hooked it up and to some passives for my fronts and my sub in 3 channel mode and love it. Im keeping it. Which is good because Ive come across some money issues and have to get rid of all the zapco stuff Ive been gathering recently. 

Interesting thing to note, aside from the matching dual power supplies, this amp is also fused at 100 amps like the 5 channel and is putting out some serious light dimming current when asked.

This amp will handle my subs and mids. I will use a audiocontrol eqx to bandpass my mids, highpass the tweeters and eq each channel. I have an audio art 70.2 I can hide in some panel to handle the tweets for me. But Im fixin to refinish this in some sort of black and will post results. Love these amps.


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## ReloadedSS (Aug 26, 2008)

Your 7547 looks to be in much better shape than mine. But still, they're beefy and something of a hidden gem. I'm sure you'll enjoy the heck out of it.


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## Vancomycin (Mar 21, 2011)

I have a XM-2252HX Big Red....not being used any more, still perfect, great in its day.


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## pjc (May 3, 2009)

can i ask what you paid for the 4 and 5 channel? they look great.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

pjc said:


> can i ask what you paid for the 4 and 5 channel? they look great.


Close to 300 for the 5 and less for the 4.

Seek these out if space isnt an issue.


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## pjc (May 3, 2009)

space is an issue but i was already looking for some since i saw your post lol. not sure what i would do with it, but it looks badass.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

The 4 channel is a little smaller at 20.75" long


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## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

I had a 2ch, I was told the last mobile ES made in Japan. I sold it for ~125 iirc made good money on it. The thing was a tank and red, I just didn't want to deal with it. It worked great, lots of nice features, high quality build, could go high current like the old SS amps. I'm glad they are durable, you don't want to know how much one of the toshiba outputs in there costs. The 5ch would be nicer then you would only need to fit one of those monsters in your car, then again I don't like huge amps. I am sure the 500rms and 4x50 I run now weigh less than that one 2x75.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Hammered finish. Need it to dry for a few more hours, light sand and do a last coat. That red is hard to cover.


















- Not happy with the hammered finish on this amp. Will sand it down and go with flat or satin black.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

sqshoestring said:


> I had a 2ch, I was told the last mobile ES made in Japan. I sold it for ~125 iirc made good money on it. The thing was a tank and red, I just didn't want to deal with it. It worked great, lots of nice features, high quality build, could go high current like the old SS amps. I'm glad they are durable, you don't want to know how much one of the toshiba outputs in there costs. The 5ch would be nicer then you would only need to fit one of those monsters in your car, then again I don't like huge amps. I am sure the 500rms and 4x50 I run now weigh less than that one 2x75.


I have 4 zapco refs that together dont weigh as much as this one sony. Its big like a tank and built like one using all quality parts and sounds great and has tons of clean power. It will take up no space as I will be hiding it in a recessed area Im building in my trunk. And that amp you sold put out more like 450-500 watts. You cant fit all that dual power supply stuff/high current stuff without ventilation and some small size heatsink in a small chassis although hi-current a/b is not the fad any longer. This amp this way overbuilt for that. This is not a 75x4 amp. Its as powerful as a zapco 1000.4 (not small) so take that in consideration.


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## pjc (May 3, 2009)

That black finish looks nice. Alot better than the red. I might have to look for one of these.


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## ReloadedSS (Aug 26, 2008)

tyroneshoes said:


> Hammered finish. Need it to dry for a few more hours, light sand and do a last coat. That red is hard to cover.


That looks good so far for a work in progress. Will be nice to see when it's all done. I think I'm leaving mine red, although it's pretty scratched up all over, so I might do some re-finishing.

The size and weight is about the only drawback (kicking a dead horse, I know).


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

pjc said:


> That black finish looks nice. Alot better than the red. I might have to look for one of these.


Thanks. Honestly, Im sanding away the top layer of the hammered finish for a satin or flat black. Its a lil too glossy and dimply for my liking and the hammered finish would work as a nice black primer if I can get it nice and even.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

ReloadedSS said:


> That looks good so far for a work in progress. Will be nice to see when it's all done. I think I'm leaving mine red, although it's pretty scratched up all over, so I might do some re-finishing.
> 
> The size and weight is about the only drawback (kicking a dead horse, I know).


Yep. I decided I will be refinishing and sanding till all the little hammer indentations are gone. It just doesnt look right to me and I refinished lots of amps before. None needed this many layers of misting to cover the red specs poppin up. Still some in between the heatsink fins. 

Considering I paid only 115 for it was the main reason I got it(kid labeled it "5000 watts sony xplode amp"). I dont mind defacing a classic knowing that I will never be selling it and it can always power a full system in 3 channel as my emergency amp even if I decide to go another route though I doubt I will. But with patience, this will come out fine in time although the red will have to remain under the sheath since its hidden and controls are labeled and theres a bunch of them.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

After hours of sanding and numerous light layers, I believe I am done now.

Flat black looks beautiful on this amp. Now it looks more understated and elegant and not red.


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## rexroadj (Oct 31, 2008)

Absolutely spectacular! That is how they should have been produced! Well done!
I might have to get a couple and do the same  Sorry to copy  it looks to good not to!


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## Brian10962001 (Jul 11, 2009)

Good call, I thought the hammered looked good but that flat black looks SO much better. I remember installing one of these Mobile ES amps for a good friend back in the day when I had no clue what was what. He was running 6 Sony Xplod 12's in a Blazer and it got loud and sounded good as far as I can recall LOL.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Thanks guys.

I actually sanded most of it down to the bare aluminum which I thought would look good as well. 

Too much work to get it to look right with these tall heatsinks so flat black it is. Very happy with results. Now to fit it in the trunk and take up no space..


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## ReloadedSS (Aug 26, 2008)

Great work! Those long fins must have been a chore.


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## tusk (Feb 20, 2008)

tyroneshoes said:


> After hours of sanding and numerous light layers, I believe I am done now.
> 
> Flat black looks beautiful on this amp. Now it looks more understated and elegant and not red.



That looks killer!


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

ReloadedSS said:


> Great work! Those long fins must have been a chore.


Thanks, what I ended up doing is actually painting the inside of the fins first with a small brush and some flat black rusto professional. This took care of all the red specs and covered it completely so I could mist coat the surface appropriately and evenly without worrying about dripping by the heatsinks as I only had to cover the tops with spray black.

Gonna go hook it up buy a mothers day present and then start working on my trunk now.


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## The Dude (Mar 24, 2007)

Sorry to bring this one up from the dead, thought this might be of interest to a few people in this thread though: Sony ES XM-7557 | eBay

Nice job on the refinishing, very clean.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

The Dude said:


> Sorry to bring this one up from the dead, thought this might be of interest to a few people in this thread though: Sony ES XM-7557 | eBay
> 
> Nice job on the refinishing, very clean.


I spoke to that guy. The shroud is pretty banged up if that matters.


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## The Dude (Mar 24, 2007)

tyroneshoes said:


> I spoke to that guy. The shroud is pretty banged up if that matters.


These are his pics:


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Its worth it if you can fit it


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## corcraft (Nov 16, 2010)

Sorry to revive an old thread but that is 1 beautiful amp in black. I have some old red sony's as well that I want to paint. Do you use engine enamel or since it's flat did you use exhauts paint? or will any paint do?


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## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

I had the 2ch version I sold some time ago. Its a really well built amp inside with a lot of features. But it was so huge and heavy I could not see it going in my current car.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

corcraft said:


> Sorry to revive an old thread but that is 1 beautiful amp in black. I have some old red sony's as well that I want to paint. Do you use engine enamel or since it's flat did you use exhauts paint? or will any paint do?


I used rusto flat and hand painted the long fins


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## TrickyRicky (Apr 5, 2009)

I had the pleasure to repair a 7547. Very impressive amp i may say. Nichicon gold tune caps all through out the amp board. I wouldnt mind using the 5ch version, but even the 4ch has lots of clean power.


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## SpecV (Mar 26, 2009)

And once i get it back it may just get the satin black treatment because of These pics right here lol.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

I miss this guy but Im 100% stealth and she aint the one for that.

Some more relevant threads for those trying to refinish and general info on this series.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/car-audio-classifieds/106477-fs-sony-mobile-es-7547-a.html

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...ssovers/104541-amp-gurus-i-have-question.html


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## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

TrickyRicky said:


> I had the pleasure to repair a 7547. Very impressive amp i may say. Nichicon gold tune caps all through out the amp board. I wouldnt mind using the 5ch version, but even the 4ch has lots of clean power.


Nice amp inside, long as you don't have to buy outputs.


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## TrickyRicky (Apr 5, 2009)

Yeah, hard to find & expensive. But worth every penny.

Very nice work tyrone, too bad you had to get rid of it. They are pretty huge but for a very good reason.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Thanks. I moved on to hoarding the G series again.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...rs/119519-sony-es-xm-g-series-comparison.html


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## Sptsmed (Jan 20, 2010)

The flat black looks freaking amazing, major props, that amp needs to be mounted where it can be seen, fantastic job !!!!


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## TrueProtege (Aug 16, 2012)

I still run my 7557 to this day on Focal poly 165v3(bridged) and two JL 10's. The SQ is the reason i dont move on. I love this amp!
Although you should see the looks I get when people see a sony amp in my setup lol.


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## Libertyguy20 (Jun 6, 2012)

I still own one of the light blue colored Sony XM amps. it was rated 50x4 and had all the gains, bass boost, and crossover options mounted on the front behind a small piece of plexiglass. I think they sold around the same time as Big Red. 

Been sitting in a box for 10 years as I needed something more powerful. If anyone is interested in seeing a pic of it or interested in it, let me know. Your amp brought back a lot of blasts from the pasts memories, and i thought I'd share. Mine definately is not the diamond in the rough, but still was a solid amp and way under rated.


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## adrenalinejunkie (Oct 17, 2010)

Hate to bump an old thread, but what is the going price on these XM7557 amplifiers?


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## pjc (May 3, 2009)

I just picked up a bnib 5ch and paid $350 shipped. It arrived yesterday actually. The box is huge and it's heavy so I know shipping wasn't cheap. So excited to try it out.


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

Any pictures of it ?


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## adrenalinejunkie (Oct 17, 2010)

Has good specs and it's regulated as far as I know.


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## pjc (May 3, 2009)

Pics are in my build log. It's beautiful. By far my favorite looking amp I've ever owned. Will be a while before it sees power. I started the amp rack today.


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## TrueProtege (Aug 16, 2012)

I just scored another one last week for $200, near mint with box. There is a 4 ch one for sale around me for $90 as well......can't justify it.........yet!


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## pjc (May 3, 2009)

TrueProtege said:


> I just scored another one last week for $200, near mint with box. There is a 4 ch one for sale around me for $90 as well......can't justify it.........yet!


For that price how can u not justify it lol? Good find.


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## Blazemore (Dec 1, 2006)

I can't seem to find these amps any where near mint


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## SpecV (Mar 26, 2009)

Mine isn't the best shape on the outside but after getting it repaired by Ricky and getting it installed and listened to, I am very impressed. Even if I do not use it again I will probably never sell it. Amazing power and great SQ.


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## TrickyRicky (Apr 5, 2009)

Glad to hear that you finally got to power it up after all that waiting. Am currently. Working on another member's Big red.


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## adrenalinejunkie (Oct 17, 2010)

Check out what one of our forum members just uploaded.
Sony Big Red Mobile ES XM-7547 4 Channel Big Power Xplod Part 2 Demo - YouTube
part 1 video is on the description. Enjoy.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

adrenalinejunkie said:


> Check out what one of our forum members just uploaded.
> Sony Big Red Mobile ES XM-7547 4 Channel Big Power Xplod Part 2 Demo - YouTube
> part 1 video is on the description. Enjoy.


Nice. Im curious at what it puts out a channel 2 ohm or 4 ohm as well on a and b and with a 4 ohm load in high voltage on the sub channel. Supposedly if you provided a 1 ohm load the in high voltage, power should be around 500 watts.


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## TrickyRicky (Apr 5, 2009)

tyroneshoes said:


> Nice. Im curious at what it puts out a channel 2 ohm or 4 ohm as well on a and b and with a 4 ohm load in high voltage on the sub channel. Supposedly if you provided a 1 ohm load the in high voltage, power should be around 500 watts.


The amp will sense the 1 ohm load (not to mention the high current) and will go into protect as bigwiz stated in the vid. You have to set the switch to high current in order for a 2 ohm or lower loads.

That said, the amp will produce the same wattage at 4 ohm mono (with switch set at high voltage) and 1 ohm mono (with switch set to high current). Which is better? Duh the 4 ohm load, but the switch makes it more flexible.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

TrickyRicky said:


> The amp will sense the 1 ohm load (not to mention the high current) and will go into protect as bigwiz stated in the vid. You have to set the switch to high current in order for a 2 ohm or lower loads.
> 
> That said, the amp will produce the same wattage at 4 ohm mono (with switch set at high voltage) and 1 ohm mono (with switch set to high current). Which is better? Duh the 4 ohm load, but the switch makes it more flexible.


I know, I used this amp for a year or two. Im just saying if he has 2 ohm load on the sub channel in high current, hes not seeing the max power which is at a1 ohm load.

Would just be nice to see what each channel does at 4 and 2 ohms in high voltage.

With his rating it seems each channel would be providing around 175 watts a channel at 4 ohm


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## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

Its rated at 360w bridged and he tested it at 363w bridged, assuming his test rig was setup correctly. I had a 2ch and it was a nice and very well built amp, capable with the options on it....but its huge and heavy. Seemed comparable to my SS 302s but much larger. Its a nice amp but that does not mean it puts out more power than rated, or more power than someone actually tested it at on a video. Most amps do not just double power when you lower ohms, many amps only have enough current capacity to handle 2 ohms then they smoke or limit power. It is what it is.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Pic broke

flat black


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