From our friends at Tuner Info site
Sansui TU-919 (1979, $585, photo) - The TU-919 is increasingly being recognized as a top tuner and a worthy rival of Sansui's classic TU-9900 (if a bit short of a TU-X1). The TU-919 has a 5-gang analog tuning capacitor with a digital LED readout like the TU-719 has. Our panelist Bob has details on the TU-919's 4 filters: “The filters are set up a little differently than, say, a KT-7500. The TU-919 uses three 280 kHz GDT flat group delay 3-pin filters for Wide mode, and what appears to be one 150 kHz 3-pin filter for Narrow - all Murata, and well-matched stock. In Narrow it is using all 4 filters, and in Wide just the three 280 GDT's. As a result, the Wide is not super wide, and really almost makes the narrow extraneous, sort of like the Accuphase T-100 or Kenwood KT-8005 or 8007. The TU-919 would probably be great for DXing with a 110 kHz filter in Narrow for getting adjacent channels.” The fifth gang makes the TU-919 more sensitive than the TU-717 and 719, and one of the members of our panel says his 919 is as sensitive as his Kenwood 600T! Our audiophile panelists agree that the TU-919 sounds great. Like the TU-719, the 919 is very good in stock (unmodified) form, with only minor improvement observed after modification. AM radio listeners should note that the TU-919 has a Wide-Narrow AM filter which can eliminate typical AM splatter noise, making it the best-sounding AM section our panelist Bob has ever heard. Bob adds, “Sensitivity is very good, and the TU-919 excels in having probably one of the best stock stereo blend noise filters. It really does a good job killing the noise, keeping the stereo image, without rolling off the highs. The ergonomics are good, but you are wishing you could turn the crystal lock off on occasion. It locks on and hangs on well past the indicated dial marking, then lets go. But it does then simply step to the next frequency (in .1's), no silly games there. It's just odd because you are now well past where the dial says you should be. It does this in both directions, depending on which way you approach the station.” The TU-919's current sale price range on eBay seems to be $330-475, depending heavily upon condition, but one sold for $638 in 4/02. The classicsansui.com site has images of a Sansui brochure on the TU-919.
Dennis