SP-2500 Speakers thrift store find with pictures

I always read posts where people said they found Sansui speakers at a thrift store, and how they got them for $5 dollars! Well I didn't get that lucky but I did find some. I paid $65 dollars for my pair. I was walking around the whole thrift store and I saw them in the front next to a bunch of old TV's. The funny part was before I left I asked where their restroom was? After I was directed to the back of the store in the warehouse, right next to the bathroom were the boxes for the speakers! I asked if I could have them and they said yes.

The speakers cleaned up well and sound great but I was hoping that maybe changing the caps in the crossover may improve the sound even more? Does anyone have any recommendations? I was thinking of Jantzen Standard Series capacitors.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?PartNumber=027-266&DID=7
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?PartNumber=027-282&DID=7
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?PartNumber=027-274&DID=7

Here are some pictures of the cleaned up speakers. I also found some solid monkey pod wood speaker stands from Marshall's. They are regularly over $100 dollars each but got them clearance for $39 each. I wanted something solid since the speakers are so heavy. They are really stools but I call them speaker stands.

How do you interpret the production date on Sansui speakers using the serial number? I don't think it is the same as the receivers.


Why do some speakers cry?




Again just cleaned with 100% pure white vinegar.

And polished using a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and organic olive oil.





Should I change the caps?

Monkey pod wood speaker stand. (Left)

Monkey pod wood speaker stands. (Right)

What?

Gotta love that wood! It's always a good feeling when you can bring an old wood surface back.

Wow, those are nice speakers.

Don't think you will go wrong recapping them if you don't expect too much out of them. Their strengths are in the mids and the build quality. I had a pair of these.

Now, tell me about this white vinegar and oil mix, is that your idea? It seems to work better than Pledge and the like. We normally use it on salads, but with results like that, it may be advisable.

Yes, they are pretty to look at. You don't need to have your stereo on to appreciate these speakers.

Whaleman, I got the white vinegar and olive oil mix from a natural cleaning article. I clean 99.9% of my house with white vinegar alone. You can't go wrong and the price is right. The olive oil costs more then the vinegar but it lasts a while. You don't have to buy organic, it is just what I had. But the proof is in the pudding as they say. The results are good and you don't need to worry about long term side effects of using the chemical products. Remember to shake well before each use.

Nice!! good for you!!:thmbsp:

Regarding What ?
Absolutely correct. A speaker box with the rear lid removed can't handle same power. No resistance for the speaker movement.

Thanks Stene, that makes sense now.

I can vouch for the Jantzen Z-Superior capacitors.Man, those really escalated my little Polks to another level.That and changing out the resistors to wirewound clearly made quite the difference !

Beautiful Sansui's..good for you.I'm sure using the standard Jantzens will be a major inprovement in sound vs. the stock electrolytics.

Also,your use of white vinegar/olive oil is an interesting concoction and I can see from your photos it does wonders to the wood.

twc594, thanks for the feedback. I didn't think about the resistors. Do you think this one might work for my application?

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?Partnumber=005-15

It is 1 ohm less then the original and a lot larger but I am sure I can find a way to make them fit.

Update: I just noticed that there is a k to the right of the ohm sign in my picture. Mine might be 15,000 ohms? I think I will need measure it to be sure.

Yes, the Mills are fine.Much larger as they are 12 watts. I've used them also.Agreed on checking the resistors with your dmm but i'm pretty sure they are 5 watt 15,000 ohms.

Also, keep in mind the new caps will be HUGE compared to the original electrolytics.May take some improvising to mount them on the crossover board.The Jantzens I used were small values as bypass caps on the Solens i installed.

Let me tell ya-the .22uf 1200 volt are unbelievably gigantic( with the Z-Superior-not sure on the Standard series).Thats the disadvantage.My crossover boards are very small so I had to stack them on the back side and used a glue gun to hold them in place.

They are secure and I be a rockin' and hopefully those new to you speakers will afford you the same pleasure :yes:

Those Sansui's really are beautiful looking speakers.

I am glad to hear that the new caps made such a big improvement in your speakers. I hope to have the same success. But it does not look like Part Express sells the Mill resistors rated that high. That is what is making me wonder if it is really 15,000 ohms? Because most of what they sale for crossovers that are Mills are under 20 ohms. But I will take the crossover out tomorrow and check. Maybe I can find another supplier online for good audio quality resistors and caps.

Michael Percy Audio.I've ordered from him a lot.Download the catalog.Look on page 12 for Mills Resistors-he has 15k ohm or 15,000 ohm.Pages 5,6,and 22 for polypropylene caps. Everything a diy audio enthusiast could ever want under one roof for supplies and parts.

http://www.percyaudio.com/Catalog.pdf

Wow thanks for the catalog, they have a lot of cool stuff. They don't sell the Jantzen caps. Any other brands that are good but affordable like the Jantzen standards you can recommend?

If the caps are too big, you could make a small board to hold the caps and piggyback it to the orignal XO with stand offs and run leads to the original connection points.

By the way, absolutely beautiful speakers !!! The only set I have that's in that good of shape are my SP-50s

Solens are decent enough and very affordable but I prefer them as the main caps then bypassed with something much better.Using just the Solens they can sound slightly grainy but will suffice and would be an improvement over the stock caps due to their age.

Or you could go the route with better caps all together using Multicaps.

Also, you could e-mail him for his opinion.When you do this be sure to give the caps time to burn in as they may sound a little harsh at first.Good luck to ya with those killer speakers !

Ditto, Jantzen and Mills, I feel Dayton and Solens caps are also options. Well you have the back baffle off, you can think about adding some bracing? I own a pair of DIY, inside Sansui cabs, because I love that lattice look. Nice find!

Bracing

jn229 said:

Ditto, Jantzen and Mills, I feel Dayton and Solens caps are also options. Well you have the back baffle off, you can think about adding some bracing? I own a pair of DIY, inside Sansui cabs, because I love that lattice look. Nice find!

Click to expand...

From my experience I doubt internal bracing will be necessary. You could use those things for jack stands under your car.
You might consider good binding posts as opposed to those clip on speaker connections as long as you have them disassembled.
They do look nice! You have a knack for cleaning up and detailing old equipment, those will look nice driven by the 9090 you fixed up.
Casey

If you really want the Jantzens you might have to bite the bullet and order the parts from 2 different places and pay 2 different shipping charges of course.I've done this many times.

Another option: check the resistors to see if they are in spec and not drifting. If so, let them be for now and just order the Jantzens from Parts Express.The resistors if good can always be replaced at a later date.

Those are BEAUTIFUL speakers. Wow. If they sound as good as they look, you've got alot of good listening ahead!