Au-919
- Thread starter phatster
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turbid
Active Member
The Au 919 is a superb amp, as others have said, it reproduces what is being fed, i think it follows the natural sound philosophy of Yamaha (never heard a Yamaha so im only speculating) it enhances nothing, bass is soft compared to earlier sansui, highs and mids are clear and crisp, it will blow you away the first time you hear it.You will hear nuances and sighs in songs that you never heard before in older amps. there is no warmth to speak of, some say it sounds clincal.
it has known issues especially about the black flag capacitors, but it is still a more stable amp than the later au x1.
for a resto, i would first bother to try and find a knowledgable tech first, rather than worrying about costs, this is no amp to attempt half arsed jobs on.
be aware tho that it must be matched with correct speakers, or it will sound too bright/shrilly and it will lose all its bass.
it has known issues especially about the black flag capacitors, but it is still a more stable amp than the later au x1.
for a resto, i would first bother to try and find a knowledgable tech first, rather than worrying about costs, this is no amp to attempt half arsed jobs on.
be aware tho that it must be matched with correct speakers, or it will sound too bright/shrilly and it will lose all its bass.
IMO, fully restoring/recapping an AU-919 is about as involved as restoration projects get, and the particular choice of components can make the difference between a great job and a hack. Not fast, not cheap. The black flag caps have to go, and I'd hesitate to turn one on at all before this is done, because that can cost you the irreplaceable output transistors. The amp can function just fine with On-semi output devices, but it won't be original. Does it matter sonically? Not a clue.
There are a couple quirks that should be pointed out. The banana jacks appear to be normal, but are not spaced at the standard 0.75 inches. That means dual banana plug connectors won't fit. Probably minor, but my world is based on dual banana plugs whenever possible. Next, the input jacks are held by just a couple tiny screws into fragile plastic ears. It's very easy to plug heavy ICs into the input panel and break it. The tone control design wasn't well implemented. There is no flat setting possible with the knobs, so if you want flat, use the defeat switch. Finally, be very careful of extra grounding, say through a turntable or other obscure path. Ground loops can cause oscillation and output destruction. The service manual addresses this, so they knew they were on the edge of trouble with an amp having this extended bandwidth. With a good antenna you could actually use it as a low power AM radio transmitter!
Regardless of my nitpicking, it's a heck of an amplifier.
There are a couple quirks that should be pointed out. The banana jacks appear to be normal, but are not spaced at the standard 0.75 inches. That means dual banana plug connectors won't fit. Probably minor, but my world is based on dual banana plugs whenever possible. Next, the input jacks are held by just a couple tiny screws into fragile plastic ears. It's very easy to plug heavy ICs into the input panel and break it. The tone control design wasn't well implemented. There is no flat setting possible with the knobs, so if you want flat, use the defeat switch. Finally, be very careful of extra grounding, say through a turntable or other obscure path. Ground loops can cause oscillation and output destruction. The service manual addresses this, so they knew they were on the edge of trouble with an amp having this extended bandwidth. With a good antenna you could actually use it as a low power AM radio transmitter!
Regardless of my nitpicking, it's a heck of an amplifier.
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I also have an AU 919 (and an AU 7700). The 919 is certainly superior but it is very flat and has little color, it reproduces sound pretty exactly and, to be honest, with classic rock it is isn't the best sounding amp. For classical music, orchestras etc., it is great. Mine is unrestored and all the caps are in fine shape, checked with my ESR meter. For those that think they need to go in and recap, buy an ESR meter and test them first. You could save yourself a lot of headaches. And, my 919 is not for sale.
For a few years I've been patiently waiting for the right 919 to cross my path. I've passed on many because of the poor condition they were in. I want a well cared for unit. Once I find it, I will send it off for a complete restoration. I already have mint condition faceplate waiting for it, just in case.
It's just one of those amps I want. Sooner or later I'll find one that meets my standards.
It's just one of those amps I want. Sooner or later I'll find one that meets my standards.
That's the other Sansui "holy grail" I'd love to get my hands on. :drool:
There is another one on sale at the moment, but is in the US. (shipping charges )
the shipping charges I could live with; it's the ~35% import taxes that hurt most... Let's hope that much talked about trade deal between the EU and US comes off.
the shipping charges I could live with; it's the ~35% import taxes that hurt most... Let's hope that much talked about trade deal between the EU and US comes off.
bluesky
Addicted Member
_mano
Well-Known Member
Import Tax, should only apply to new not for Subsequent sales.
_mano
Well-Known Member
John, You are not helping me....my eyes are peeled againThere is another one on sale at the moment, but is in the US. (shipping charges :tears
caesar56
Active Member
"Import Tax, should only apply to new not for Subsequent sales."
You're right mano it should, but it doesn't..
You're right mano it should, but it doesn't..
When did the later "corrected" versions come out? Were the units OK by 1980?
caesar56
Active Member
Hard to tell, the 1979 one was too sophisticated for its own good, it liked to blow up a lot of components including the outputs due oscillation. The super feed forward circuit used in the AU-919 was implemented again here, but engineers tried to push it to its limits, something went wrong and it ended up smoking the output transistors. Sansui did correct the issue I the later models. When it worked fine tho, X1 was regarded as one of the best if not the best transistor based amp to ever come from Japan.
Closest amp to it was he AU-919 in bypass mode.
I might be wrong tho, so I'm open to correction, discussion.
You can find like 3 versions of the X1 innards floating in the internets, for reference.
Ps: I've heard the issue had something to do with NFB loop.
