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Sansui... the best japanese made !

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I often equate a unique sweet sound to leaky caps. I enjoy that on many things like Joe Walsh guitar, etc..
 
Well I will weigh in I have a Sansui 7070 and love it. I have had a Sansui Seven, 800, G5700, also my Son has an AU505 and TU505. I now only have the 7070 and my Son's stuff. The others didn't float my boat. The 7070 is my bedroon system hooked to sp1000's. My main rig is a Pioneer SX-1010 to me it blows all the Sansui's I have had away. I absolutely love it, my man cave/work shop/Family Room did have the 7070 in it. It now has a Pioneer SA-8500 integrated, I think it sounds much better than the 7070. I fell in love with Sansui when I first heard them, still love them but it will take a lot to dethrown my 1010. I do want a 9090 or a AU717 down the road, but I see them in the man cave not in the main rotation. So I guess it comes down to I love my Sansui's but I am In Love with my Pio 1010.
 
Amcrebelfan said:
Well I will weigh in I have a Sansui 7070 and love it. I have had a Sansui Seven, 800, G5700, also my Son has an AU505 and TU505. I now only have the 7070 and my Son's stuff. The others didn't float my boat. The 7070 is my bedroon system hooked to sp1000's. My main rig is a Pioneer SX-1010 to me it blows all the Sansui's I have had away. I absolutely love it, my man cave/work shop/Family Room did have the 7070 in it. It now has a Pioneer SA-8500 integrated, I think it sounds much better than the 7070. I fell in love with Sansui when I first heard them, still love them but it will take a lot to dethrown my 1010. I do want a 9090 or a AU717 down the road, but I see them in the man cave not in the main rotation. So I guess it comes down to I love my Sansui's but I am In Love with my Pio 1010.
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Things change when you go up to the 8080's and 9090's.
 
There have been more than a few big 'SUIs go through here and yes they did sound very nice. The engineer who designed the 12V regulator in the 9090 should have his license lifted as an aside. All that said I am not about to trade my CR-2040 or NS-690 Mk1s.
 
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I have a (self recapped) AU-919. It ain't for sale! There is a place in my heart for the new Luxman stuff though.:yes:
 
I have done side by side between the AU-517 and Pioneer SA-9500 MKII and 9900, both lost the battle against the AU-517. So, let no say the AU-919.
Jorge
 
Jorge it is still a matter of what your ears hear and what mine hear. I cannot tell you that you are wrong about liking the Sansui's nor can you tell me about my Pioneer. To make a blanket statement that Sansui's reign supreme is a bit pious. We are all here because we love audio, we all love different things. If it were true that Sansui was the only dog in the fight what a boring hobby this would be. I think we all can agree Sansui has some amazing gear but so do other brands as well. It is all in the EAR of the listener and THEIR tastes. Your argument is going to fall on a lot of deaf ears and just brew up trouble where none needs to be. I am glad you love your stuff but don't try and say ours is junk. Thanks and have an amazing day.
 
Well, sound is certainly subjective. The thread ; "Sansui... the best japanese made ! " I would think is about execution of a engineering philosophy. Like that new Lux transformer. Or, what is wood and what is colored vinyl wood? I'm sure there is a best made Japenese colored vinyl wood. So, what is best made ? things on a stamped chassis ?
 
I like my Sansui sound, as you can see in the signature........
But Im not into "battling" with other brands and the likes.....
Everyone hears things differently, and has different tastes.. I dont think there is one "all time best brand".
I would actually like to say, in my own opinion, that my pick of Sansui came out in 1973 with the AU-9500......it was all down hill and cost cutting after that......
The original CEO of Sansui also retired after the AU-9500 came out, so in some ways anything Sansui released after that wasnt even a real Sansui anyway.......:thmbsp:
 
No, I don't want to say that people that own other stuff don't enjoy them. I also have more stuff beside Sansui. I am talking about amplification. For example, Sansui wasn't the best making cassette decks and speakers. It wasn't the best making turntable either in spite of having very good ones. Sansui was probably the best making amplifiers and tuners, and even better making receivers. It is the same like when we say Nakamichi was the best cassette deck the world has known. Yes, there was AKAI, Teac, Technics, etc but nothing compare to a Nakamichi. Making amplifiers that sound what we call today Hi-End sound, Sansui was at the top level, and that was what made that company great and famous. It is thought Sansui had an unique sound. Many audiophiles have compared Sansui to the sound of Musical Fidelity and BAT. So, we need to accept that Sansui was better making amplifiers than Sony, Pioneer, Kenwood, Marantz, etc. It is a reality that I could accept even if I don't own any Sansui. I have owned many but many other units and had the opportunity to compare. There are many well built units from that time, most of them were well built but sound is another matter. Quality sound doesn't mean the unit was well bulit or not. The best sounding cassette deck ever was Nakamichi and nobody can say not. For those who never have had the opportunity to compare, do it when you get the first chance, you probably be impressed in the same way you may be when changing you cassette deck for a Nakamichi Dragon.
 
DVjorge said:
No, I don't want to say that people that own other stuff don't enjoy them. I also have more stuff beside Sansui. I am talking about amplification. For example, Sansui wasn't the best making cassette decks and speakers. It wasn't the best making turntable either in spite of having very good ones. Sansui was probably the best making amplifiers and tuners, and even better making receivers. It is the same like when we say Nakamichi was the best cassette deck the world has known. Yes, there was AKAI, Teac, Technics, etc but nothing compare to a Nakamichi. Making amplifiers that sound what we call today Hi-End sound, Sansui was at the top level, and that was what made that company great and famous. It is thought Sansui had an unique sound. Many audiophiles have compared Sansui to the sound of Musical Fidelity and BAT. So, we need to accept that Sansui was better making amplifiers than Sony, Pioneer, Kenwood, Marantz, etc. It is a reality that I could accept even if I don't own any Sansui. I have owned many but many other units and had the opportunity to compare. There are many well built units from that time, most of them were well built but sound is another matter. Quality sound doesn't mean the unit was well bulit or not. The best sounding cassette deck ever was Nakamichi and nobody can say not. For those who never have had the opportunity to compare, do it when you get the first chance, you probably be impressed in the same way you may be when changing you cassette deck for a Nakamichi Dragon.
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Thats all well and good, thank you for the time to write the post.......
Unfortunately the world is not black and white.......You are entitled to your opinion of course, and it would be best left as such, rather than trying to force your opinions as fact.......
I feel you are trying to force your black and white world on our "all audio no attitude" forum, this will only attract negativity, trolls and unwanted forum activity......
Sooner or later on of the moderators will close the thread, and thats not what Audio Karma is about.........

By all means tell us about why you think Sansui, in your opinion make the best Japanese amplifier, but keep it as an opinion rather than fact.......
Its too easy for people to misunderstand your intentions and then people get offended.......
Just saying.....:thmbsp:
 
DVjorge said:
Hi guys,
I don't know what was the Sansui's secret but is true they were the best japanese amplifiers and receivers ever made before 1985. There was nothing that compare to a Sansui at that time. In fact, rich japaneses only wanted Lexus and Sansui systems. It was the Hi-end audio from those times without doubt, better than Luxman, Marantz, Pioneer, and all the competitors. But , why if an amplifier doesn't have any hidden thing, the Sansui were sweetest than any other ?? I have read many threads about Sansui against McIntosch where many people prefer the Sansui sound. I mean people that have owned both brands and several units of each one.
Jorge.
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I couldn't disagree more with such a blanket statement. Basing opinion on what is written and said by others does little to support such statements of fact.
 
Generally speaking, I think they won the war. There are lot's of very sweet sounding Sansui models through that era. I have some Luxman SS that performs better, and I have a soft spot for Pioneers 50 series. But there is a certain sweetness to the Sansui sound that is undeniable.
 
Some of the sansui amps and receivers were mass market stuff that were no better than kenwood or sony or onkyo and other brands. However, there were a few amps by sansui that some folks (like myself) just fell in love with such as the AU-919 or AU-X1. I hate to admit it, but, there were some other brands that made some special high-end stuff as well. For example, the kenwood L-07m mono amps. Or the L-05m mono amps. Have you ever had a chance to take these home and live with them for a while? I have. There is other good stuff out there besides sansui. I once had a Luxman R-1120 receiver. Did you ever have a chance to live with one of these? I have.
I love my 919, but there IS some other good (very special) stuff out there.:yes:
 
Welcome Jorge :) Now, if you have some proof to back up your claims of Sansui is the best, this would be the time to bring them out. By selling the gear for 30 years, gives you some background, but hardly the authority to make such blanket statements. I, like many others, enjoy the sound Sansui receivers and amps can make. But, I would never state, that it, or any other brand, is the best that ever was. I think were you really got derailed was with the statement that even the lower end Sansui gear sounds better than most higher end brands.
 
I Never like get into the sound business. Because that is a can of worms. I prefer to say an amp or receiver is well built, reliable and the sound with a number of speakers is fatigue free.
Overtime I have come to certain conclusions re my preferences.
Receivers in general I prefer the old Sonys to Sansuis. However I have a soft spot for Sansui 4000 and the 8080 without the DB.
The Sansui amps are on the whole more appealing to me than the other brands. There is a consistency of winners re amps....9500, 9900, 999, 717, 919 etc.
 
Sweet Sui

Gents,

I have heard a lot of "classic " audio gear, own a few too, HK, Pioneer, Sherwood, Technics, Kenwood etc, but for my money, the Sansui AU-7700 is by far the nicest sounding I can recall, that was affordable. The 7700 makes gobs of power, has an excellent tone contol suite, and is dead quiet with no signal.
Everyone has their own ear, mine is like anybody else's, tainted by my own musical tastes and what it has to compare with. If there is any other amp that is reasonably priced that can stand up to the Sansui I'd like to know and then get one to audition, always trying to up the ante in sound.

Enjoy the music.

Bob S.
 
Funny how some people get all butthurt over topics like this. Its ALL subjective. Like why I like brunettes over blondes.

My buddy has a vintage Marantz system, receiver, TT and speakers. HE thinks it is God's Audio System, while I think it sounds like somebody put a blanket over the speakers. He likes it, so who cares?

It is not possible to say what it best for everyone.
 
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