CA-303 at last - added nudes

craggd

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
Well it took about two years but I finally tracked down a nice CA-303 pre-amp. I found it just days after a BA-303 that I posted about recently, different seller just good coincidence. They now join my BA-202 as a nice set of the last tube amps Sansui built. The build quality is really very nice, solid well designed units. I am very happy!
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Wow that looks awesome, very slick, I like the pattern for the vent in the top of the pre-amp, very elegant....
Yes, and if you look real close, you can see that they glue all those tiny little curved pieces together to make that.
Awesome preamp man!
 
That case is beautiful. To think they made that vent piece by piece. Quite a find.

- Pete
 
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Almost exactly like the Marantz Imperial 2 grills.

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...HiFi1991 , member of Germany's OldFidelity - Forum , just wrote some lines concerning his CA - 3o3...

That is funny, his CA-303 was posted on Yahoo Japan within days of my purchasing mine. First one's that had been offered for over a year.
 
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...I believe that those Babys must be extremely hard to find - the more astonishing , that both Units were posted within a few Days....;)
 
Wonderful. there was one of these for sale briefly on NZ's version of ebay. But it was a JP 100VAC unit - illegal to sell here so the listing got pulled - before I could write down the sellers' name.

Too bad. I'd never heard of this preamp before.
 
Very nice.

Any reason why the rectifiers are diodes and not valves? Just because they could do this?

I know nothing about valve-gear BTW.
 
I am far (very far) from the expert to answer your question. But I think it was due to the fact these were the last tube amp (designs) that Sansui built as the industry was transitioning to solid state and the thought was to leverage the best of both, Here is something I found from: http://www.tube-amps.net/Sansui_Tube_Era_Products.htm

"After the introduction of the AU-111 in 1965, Sansui engineers knew they were no longer following the leaders, but they were one of the leaders. In 1967, Sansui introduced the Stereophonic Control Amplifier CA-303 that consisted of the high quality tube control amplifier and the solid-state active crossover network with exchangeable crossover cut-off boards. The purposes of the CA-303 introduction were three-holds. 1. To challenge the best of the best control amplifier ever built, Marantz #7 in its sound. 2. To offer the highest quality control amplifier for active crossover systems. 3. To remind the world that tube amplifiers are still the best in sound. By incorporating the face-plate design of the best seller AU-777 Solid-State Integrated Amplifier into the CA-303, Sansui emphasized that the CA-303 is indeed looking for a future."
 
Happy to report both the BA-303 and CA-303 were dropped off with Ken at AEA for assessment, testing and appropriate restoration. Ken has done my AU-111 and BA-202 and his diligence and work quality are top flight. It is truly a passion driven effort on his part. I can't wait to hear the results. Will take some time but will be worth it.

Interestingly (at least to me, but maybe off topic in this forum) I also dropped off a AEA 520 and 515mc, Ken's own design and manufactured pre and phono amp from the 70's. He offers free labor just parts repairs on his units.

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Sansui Tube gear at its best. I remember how happy I was to finally get my CA-303. So I was excited for you on this post. We sometimes have to wait years for some of these pieces
 
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