Vintage Sansui receiver, Versus mordern day gear?

SeanSmiller

New Member
I will try to keep this short.

Eight years ago i retired my old faithful G-8700 DB receiver, in favour of a new NAD 216 Power amp (THX and what have you).
And a NAD 114 preamp.
The cost back then: $1000. :tresbon: - Or so i thought........
As i've mentioned in a prevous thread, i never really had any decent speakers connected to my Sansui so when i came home with my new amps and a pair of Dali 606 speakers, exspensive cables etc. And a black hole in my wallet! , i was really, really pleased with it all.
So i packed my old G 8700 safely away in a big suitcase, put it in the attic, and just forgot about it.

Then two months ago, going through some stuff, i stumbled across the suitcase, opened it and thought, maybe i should check and see if everything's still working. I unscrewed the cabinet and front, cleaned it, gave it some Deoxit, hooked it up with my Dali speakers and turned the power on, and everything worked. But man....... it changed my whole perspective on my NAD amp!!!
I have never heard my G-8700 sound like this, ever! :music:
The sound is warm, full, bright and crisp, and the tone controls are like having a small equalizer compared to the ones on the NAD preamp.

Then this afternoon i decided to switch back to my NAD setup, just to make sure that i haven't romanticized things up a bit, but that only emphasized the difference in sound of these two systems.
The NAD lacks in dynamics, brightness and warmth, and it sounds a bit hard compared to the Sansui.
Now of course the NAD doesn't sound bad at all, but something's missing, that's for sure. Man, i'm glad i kept my old Sansui :banana:

I'd like to know if some of you have made similar comparisons with your Sansui receivers/amps?
 
I love the sound of my G series receivers. I used to have Yamaha but that stuff doesn`t even come close.Ever since I bought a G 3000 about 5 years ago I find I listen to music all the time, I even cancelled my cable( 57 channels and nothing on).I have a G 22000 in the living room now ,a G 9000 in the bedroom and my kids now have the G 3000 as well as I have a G 7000 in my family room. I use Mirage,Boston Acoustics,Infinity and Paradigm speakers with the receivers.The FM reception with just a piece of split speaker wire is excellent.
 
About 7 year ago I decided I needed a 'better' A/V setup and purchased a Kenwood system, anchored by a Kenwood VR-309 Audio Video Surround Receiver. I thought I was in heaven the first time it scared the be-jeezes out of me with the rear sound effects in The Termiminator. I was running the set-up through a pair of excellent (and trusty) Braun 3-way speakers at the front - also used for stereo listening.

Well, 6 years passed by and I decided to connect my Kenwood into my speaker switcher along with my Sansui G-8000. I could tell that the Kenwood was sort of a weak-kneed cousin even without a direct A/B comparison on matching source material, but a direct A/B was in order.

Long story short - the Kenwood at 140 watts/channel vs. the Sansui at 125 watts/channel seems like a fair comparison - but it's not.

The Kenwood is fine at a very low volume but sounds strident and harsh at even a modest volume.

The Sansui G-8000 makes the comparison like a side-by-side between a Hummer and a Civic. The Civic will get to 100 Km/h in ten seconds with 4 people on board, but the Hummer will get to 100 Km/h with seven battle-ready soldiers on board in ten seconds and you barely notice the bump as it passes over the Civic :banana: .

Sansui :thmbsp: vs. Kenwood :thumbsdn: - no contest.

Paul
 
Do you ever wonder how many stereo systems are STILL packed away in an attick or suitcase ? I have a similar story as well except I had the G33000 packed away for years not really knowing what I had all these 27 years......I do now thanks to the Internet and this site ! :banana: :music:
 
SansuiSamRI said:
I remember last year when I bought my first Sansui, a 1000X. When I hooked it up I couldn't believe it. I said "Wow! I've got a stereo!" It changed me and my perseptive of music forever. Then I went crazy and bought about 35 more. They're addictive.

So you have 36 1000x's. Geez I guess that receiver did change your perspective of music.
 
I bought it used over 20 plus +++++ years ago when I was a pawn broker (in another life literally......). When I brought it home 3 months later is stopped working, so I packed it up and shipped it to my parents house where it stayed for many years. Then I shipped it to SF. Once it got here I had it repaired or thought it was as it stopped working again months later. Then I moved into my new house. Partner refused to have this monster unit in our new house, so off it went into storage again for 6 years or so. Then last summer cleaning out my storage I brought her out, went on line to suddenly learn I had the G33000 all that time......she has been since repaired and sings daily.....Snitz does happen....... :thmbsp:

P.S. When I bought it in the Pawn shop it was "AS IS" NO RETURNS....if it doesn't work, don't expect to bring it back. That is exactly what happened. I'm just happy I kept it as I was young and stupid back then and had NO clue what I had. I just knew it was the BIGGEST unit I'd ever seen and had to have it.......
 
SansuiSamRI said:

But thats what you said right? Read it again.


SansuiSamRI said:
I remember last year when I bought my first Sansui, a 1000X. When I hooked it up I couldn't believe it. I said "Wow! I've got a stereo!" It changed me and my perseptive of music forever. Then I went crazy and bought about 35 more. They're addictive.?

Just playing, dont get to upset now.
 
My 8080DB has been with me since 1976. I still think its one of the best receivers ever. A good friend has a nice G7000 thats been around just as long and it sound good. But the 8080 just sounds clean, full and way sweeter to my ears.
 
SansuiSamRI said:
I remember last year when I bought my first Sansui, a 1000X. When I hooked it up I couldn't believe it. I said "Wow! I've got a stereo!" It changed me and my perseptive of music forever. Then I went crazy and bought about 35 more. They're addictive.

SansuiSam -- I can TOTALLY relate!!! :D
 
Onepixel compared the 8080 he has to a friends G 7000 and I am not sure this is a fair comparison.
I would love to hear from members who can do some real A/B tests thru the same speakers and in the same room.
I have often considered getting a 9090 to go with my G 9000s but wonder what differences I might expect if both units are performing up to spec in the test.

I had various seperates systems all set up, Crown and Yamaha and not slouches and then bought a G 9000 and a G 8000.
The 8000 blew both the seperates systems away and I sold both. The 9000 has more power for sure but I do think I like the sound from the G 8000 best.
Just my opinion and both sound fantastic but I think the 8000 is a bit warmer with my speakers.

Gary
 
SansuiSamRI said:
fabvsix,
How could you possibly have a G33000 and not know what you had? That's like finding a Porsche 956 in your garage and saying "honey, did you leave this here?" You need to give more details about that.

The G33000 is nice, but I will take the 956. Or better yet my dream street car a 959...
 
I did do a comparison of the 8080DB and the G7000 in the same room with the same vintage Infinity RS-9 speakers. Granted they're not the best speakers but they were small enough to move around easily. But where the speakers were lacking the 8080DB stepped right up and filled in. I also tried a Marantz 2238B. To ME the 8080DB came out tops. I'm not putting the G7000 down or anything, its a great receiver. But this is MY personal preference. I also have a number of other Marantz, Pioneer, Kenwood, Nikko receivers from the 70s. I just happen to really like the 8080DB. Although the 2265B is neck to neck.

To be more objective I should've tried them out with my better speakers. Next time.

Cheers!
 
Good to hear, Onepixel!

I am just one who believes A/B tests should be performed thru the same speakers and in the same environment with all things being equal.
It makes no sense to me when any part of any system is judged because that part was heard on "My buddies system".
There was a great thread a while back regarding refrence systems.
They need not be super HQ, IMHO but the system must remain the same in all other aspects to do a legit A/B test.

I would still love to hear from a member who has both G 9000 and 9090 units to hear their opinions on them.

Gary
 
For my early years I was running all higher end modern Harmon Kardon Gear. Then I got my first exposure to vintage audio through a Fisher X100 integrated tube amp and I could not believe the difference. A little 15 WPC tube amp sounded worlds better than my $800HK AV receiver. Ever since then I have been a changed man. BTW my Sansui piece is a G6700 although I may soon be acquiring a G22000 (hopefully).

Later,
 
gamalot said:
Good to hear, Onepixel!

I am just one who believes A/B tests should be performed thru the same speakers and in the same environment with all things being equal.
It makes no sense to me when any part of any system is judged because that part was heard on "My buddies system".
There was a great thread a while back regarding refrence systems.
They need not be super HQ, IMHO but the system must remain the same in all other aspects to do a legit A/B test.

I would still love to hear from a member who has both G 9000 and 9090 units to hear their opinions on them.

Gary

Will a G-8000 and a 7070 do?

I have both and I've A/B compared them on the same speaker setup. The G-8000 won the contest but just barely. Overall frequency response was very close with the G-8000 having a small advantage in the lower bass regions. Mids and highs were virtually identical. Both units were compared on FM (I know, not the very best signal choice but it's easy to get matching signals for an A/B comparison :yes: ) and I switched between the units with a speaker/amp switcher so there was instaneous A/B comparisons.

Where the G-8000 left the 7070 behind was on very strong (loud) passages at high volumes - but one would expect that 125 watts vs 70 watts would yield that result as headroom comes into play.

BTW, the 7070 and the 8080 (not the 8080DB) are far and away the best Sansui receiver values around! At $70-100 for the 7070 and $90-120 for the 8080 they are simply great receiver values. :thmbsp:

On the other hand, if you can lay your hands on an AU-999 for around $100 :banana: you will be in possession of one of the real Sansui sleepers, IMHO.

Paul
 
Alot has been written in these threads regarding the musical virtues of many of the Sansui offerings.
I am able to correctly A/B test the G 8000, G 9000 and G 9000DB units.
I like them all but just have a tendency to think the G 8000 is a bit warmer sounding at normal listening levels.
I have never heard a 8080 or 9090 but have read many posts from those who own them and love the sound.
On the flip side, I have also read many posts by member owners of the G 22000 and G 33000 units where they state the sound is not as warm as lower numbered units.
I have only ever heard a G 33000 once and it sounded fine back then but I really don't remember the experience from 25 years ago.
For purely financial reasons I am not interested in a 22 or 33 but given the price range of the 9090 units I could be interested in one of these when the right circumstances are presented. It is hard to imagine a 9090 would sound better then say a G 8 or G 9 but all things are possible.
My personal opinion is to leave the DB designation of all models out of the mix as it is a rather moot issue in most cases. I seriously doubt there is any difference in sound from a 9090 to a 9090DB when the DB function is not in play.
Possibly a better question here might be to just ask, What is the best sounding of the Sansui line from 8080 thru the G 9000 and seek answers from members who have A/B tested them.

Gary
 
Excellent observation Paul and glad to hear it.
Durring that period of the 1970s all the major companies took advantage of new technologies and cranked out one better unit after another.
Many concentrated on power while others went for features. A few did both and I think Sansui was one of them.

Compareing apples to apples is always better so similarly powered units would be my goal.
Based on what you have said regarding the 7070 Vs the G 8 I would think you might have a tough time deciding if the G 8 was matched against a 8080 or 9090 that are closer in power.

Gary
 
gamalot said:
My personal opinion is to leave the DB designation of all models out of the mix as it is a rather moot issue in most cases. I seriously doubt there is any difference in sound from a 9090 to a 9090DB when the DB function is not in play.
Possibly a better question here might be to just ask, What is the best sounding of the Sansui line from 8080 thru the G 9000 and seek answers from members who have A/B tested them.

Gary
From what I've read here the 9090DB build quality is much better than a 9090. The DB functionality is pretty much useless as it has been since it's inception. But it's the build quality of the DB's that makes them more attractive, to me at least. Do they sound different I don't know. I have a 9090DB and it sounds wonderful. Not necessarily better but different sounding than my Pioneer SX-1250. But I'd like to add a G8/9 and wonder if there will be much gain in audio quality over my 9090DB. :scratch2:

And a better comparison would be a 9090DB and a G8000 since the wattage is very similar.
 
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gamalot said:
Excellent observation Paul and glad to hear it.
Durring that period of the 1970s all the major companies took advantage of new technologies and cranked out one better unit after another.
Many concentrated on power while others went for features. A few did both and I think Sansui was one of them.

Compareing apples to apples is always better so similarly powered units would be my goal.
Based on what you have said regarding the 7070 Vs the G 8 I would think you might have a tough time deciding if the G 8 was matched against a 8080 or 9090 that are closer in power.

Gary

Power output isn't the be-all and end-all of matching units for side-by-side comparisons. The difference between 70 watts and 125 watts is, for the most part, negligible. What does matter is the design of the power supply and the amp section (DC coupled vs. cap coupled, for example) and, finally, the features.

In the case of the 7070/8080 compared to a G-8000, this is a good match. Both have good tuners and both have triple tone controls, for example. All three units have strong power supplies that can deliver great transient power. In fact, I would stick my neck out a bit here :sigh: and say that those memorable low powered amps we have all heard are probably driven by exceptional power supplies. As a corollary, those high powered amps we've all heard that sounded flat and lifeless (like my Kenwood A/V receiver - 150 watts/channel!! - ya, sure :thumbsdn: ) probably have poor power supplies and current limited output stages.

Paul
 
Duffinator said:
From what I've read here the 9090DB build quality is much better than a 9090. The DB functionality is pretty much useless as it has been since it's inception. But it's the build quality of the DB's that makes them more attractive, to me at least. Do they sound different I don't know. I have a 9090DB and it sounds wonderful. Not necessarily better but different sounding than my Pioneer SX-1250. But I'd like to add a G8/9 and wonder if there will be much gain in audio quality over my 9090DB. :scratch2:

And a better comparison would be a 9090DB and a G8000 since the wattage is very similar.

I agree completely with this: the 9090 and the 9090DB are different animals. The 9090DB has, as an example, a superior output section. I expect that the power supply is, likewise, more capable.

That said, however, I still think that the 8080 and the 9090 are fine sounding receivers with exceptional power supplies and stand up well in serious A/B comparisons with larger units.

As for the gain in audio quality between your 9090DB and a G-8000/9000, I doubt seriously that you would hear any difference on program material played at normal levels provided that all units are operating up to spec.

In my experience, any differences I heard between closely-matched units was almost always 'in my head'. I found this out one day when I had a friend do the blind switching. Suddenly, all the percieved differences disappeared. :yes: So much for the 'finely tuned audiophile'! :thumbsdn:

Paul
 
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