Excellent sound quality in a system is enough for most people with neighbours

[Rodolfo]

Not Sansui XR-Q5 direct drive Turntable?
An absolute beauty.
eBay selling these for around £350 approx.
If only I still had my record collection!

Sansui XR-Q5 Record Player Turntable Electronically Controlled Direct Drive | eBay UK

Our products are 100% authentic. Middle East, AU/NZ.

www.ebay.co.uk

No, a more modest SR-212.
An untested one is going for $99, and a "VG" one for $299 today at eBay.com. Mine's probably close to the latter, though a little cleaner.

 

[record_spot]

What is it about Sansui?
I had an amp and cassette deck when I was a kid, it was the coolest piece of kit I had.
Shame they're not around anymore.

Their 70s and arguably early 90s gear was truly stunning. I had the AU-217 and 717 amps and they were just astoundingly good. The drawback with the 717 amp was the volume pot which was proprietary, sealed (bizarrely) and next to impossible to service. Plug it up with some WD40 and hope for the best.

Would I buy a 717 now? Not a prayer, yet it's one of the best amps from the 1970s.

The other models? 217 / 317, definitely. The 4/5/717 check very carefully. Expensive mistakes await.

 

[Shrek]

I do wish my house was detached maybe 1 day .But it does sit further forward from next door so my lounge is almost detached and it has good sound proofing .Ive never heard anything fron my neighbours house so im hoping they cant here me .

 

[AJM1981]

Their 70s and arguably early 90s gear was truly stunning. I had the AU-217 and 717 amps and they were just astoundingly good. The drawback with the 717 amp was the volume pot which was proprietary, sealed (bizarrely) and next to impossible to service. Plug it up with some WD40 and hope for the best.

Would I buy a 717 now? Not a prayer, yet it's one of the best amps from the 1970s.

The other models? 217 / 317, definitely. The 4/5/717 check very carefully. Expensive mistakes await.

Nice. I think someone can not really go anywhere wrong with Sansui's 70s au line, apart from perhaps the exceptional issue mentioned, which might be a deal breaker for someone starting in vintage audio.

I currently own the Au505 and the au101. It started a few years ago with the entry au101 for a second set a few years ago for a fair price. I have to be honest that I did not know Sansui before. I think I even confused it with Sanyo (which I mainly knew from the cheaper ghettoblaster stuff, but even they seem to have made quality amplifiers). It probably did not help that Sansui went into similar territories eventually.

Their 70s gear looked great and I read about the sound signature ahead of purchasing, but wasnt fully sure about it alone. So that half was a bit of a gamble. The other half of the reason why I purchased it was the furniture match factor.

The au101 did not disappoint . It was my first amplifier that had this "other hi-fi personality" to it of when turning the treble and bass knobs, that it kind of 'filled in', rather than bumped in. Also its loudness switch basically added a bit more more body instead of pulling things in a v-shape for low levels.

So, it also lead to purchasing the heavier, but identical looking au505 for my main system to complete the twin-line (I dont think there are more in this exact casing.. could be wrong though)

If the au101 is a fireplace, the au505 is a bigger fireplace. It has this wider spreading of bass and is as musical. Great for the majority of music. They are not really amps that showcase crystal clear hi-resolution "airyness", which I also like a lot, and that's where my Luxman or Yamaha do a great job. But dont really miss that in general. There is a case for both worlds to defend. 🙂

By the way.. what about the 90s line? I know from recent searches that the alpha series exist(ed) (80s /90s perhaps). Is that the line mentioned?

 

[record_spot]

Yes, so I'm thinking of the AU-a907 which looked the part and I think sounded it too. The 607 wasn't bad either. Now that I've got some passive speakers, I might start shopping around for some Sansui gear again!

#ScratchThatItch

 

[davidf]

The point is at the end of the day, why have a really expensive hi-fi if you can not get full benefit due to volume restrictions because of neighbours, you might has well stay with one much cheaper which will sound excellent (but not outstanding) at volumes which are not too loud for neighbours, as you only really appreciate the difference if an expensive hi fi is turned up really loud, I also think that expensive hi-fi opens up more at really high volumes

To me, that's like saying, 'why buy a Lamborghini when I can only drive it around at 30/40mph?'. Would I? Yes I bloody would. Buying a supercar isn't necessarily about how fast it'll go. It's the acceleration, the handling, the mid speed acceleration, the general feel.

I watch a lot of films at home, and while I can't really turn it up as loud as I used to, I still elect to use Miller & Kreisel speakers and two subs (the old proper American MK, not the recent Danish Chinese one). I wouldn't be able to push them anywhere near their THX limits, but I use them because of their detail retrieval, their dynamic capabilities, and their general film presentation. But 5eyll only sound like that with decent power behind them, so I'm using a Primare SPA25 at the moment. I could get away with a half decent soundbar if I wanted to.

A good system should sound good at normal levels too, although I'll admit some products need to stretch their legs in order to sound as good as they should. It'll certainly show it's worth over a more budget hi-fi system. Hearing £400 floorstanders recently made me realise there is some great sounding hi-fi out there that is attainable - just stay well away from their limits.

 

[davidf]

Yeah i live in a top flat, so i do have to be careful with my downstairs neighbours. I'm sure they cant stand the repetitive nature of electronic music.

While you can't stop airborne vibration, you can address structure vibration making its way through to them, which is what most people tend to hear, especially in solid structure buildings.

 

[RomanticWarrior]

I live in a detached house and can play my hi-fi as loud as I want (if the wife is out). But I choose not to play it very loud for two reasons:

1. My older ears have become quite intolerant of 'strident' sounds, and even more so if they're loud. I want to enjoy the music not be irritated by the sound.

2. Many houses simply do not lend themselves particularly well to sound reproduction, and ours is one of them. We have suspended floors (with a crawl space beneath the boards) and many big windows/patio doors. My ProAc Tablette speakers are on stands which are sitting on top of the old slate fireplace but other than that I have to fit my listening aspirations around the room's shortcomings.

I used to know a chap who worked full-time for British Aerospace but in his spare time used to offer a 'room acoustics' service. I recall him showing me some of the results from his analyses and the totally impractical listening solutions that he'd left his clients with! Alas we all strive for perfection in our systems and yet something mundane (and often insurmountable) is the one thing that prevents us achieving it.

 

[landco]

you can buy a Naim Atom with some Kef LS50 speakers

This bundle of amplifier + speakers has a very poor price-to-quality ratio. For a third of this price, you can build a better system.

 

[abacus]

This bundle of amplifier + speakers has a very poor price-to-quality ratio. For a third of this price, you can build a better system.

Do tell, although remember that everybody's ears and preferences are different, which means that while something may sound good to you, to others it could sound poor, so don't be offended if a lot of people don't agree with you.

Bill

 

[davidf]

This bundle of amplifier + speakers has a very poor price-to-quality ratio. For a third of this price, you can build a better system.

System isn't good enough for the speakers.

 

[landco]

Do tell, although remember that everybody's ears and preferences are different, which means that while something may sound good to you, to others it could sound poor, so don't be offended if a lot of people don't agree with you.

Bill

What is the point of buying this NAIM for $ 3500, if for $ 1000 you can buy an Onkyo RZ30 receiver, which has Dirac and is a more versatile device that allows you to organize not only a stereo system, but also a home theater? The same applies to the speakers, which are no better than the cheaper Klipsch, for example. For those who do not believe, look at the measurements on ASR forum

 

[davidf]

What is the point of buying this NAIM for $ 3500, if for $ 1000 you can buy an Onkyo RZ30 receiver, which has Dirac and is a more versatile device that allows you to organize not only a stereo system, but also a home theater? The same applies to the speakers, which are no better than the cheaper Klipsch, for example. For those who do not believe, look at the measurements on ASR forum

People tend to choose their hi-fi either by price, or, more sensibly, by how it sounds to their ears. Also, choosing the right speakers for a room can help produce a more even in-room response rather than relying on digital correction to turd polish for a single listening position - not everyone sits in a specific spot when listening to their music.

 

[Revolutions]

“How did it sound?”

“It measured well & was cheaper than that other one that also has good measurements”

 

[Rui]

Buy second hand, superior quality ,even more if from the 70´s it´s not that easy to find a perfect complete component system but i already bought very cheap,

a 1979 pioneer component system, (PL-400, SX-700L, CT-200, CS speakers 12" woofers),
a philips 1979 component system with a technics good turntable(SL-1310mk II with 205 X cartridge) and SB-F3 Technics speakers,
from the 80´s ,
a technics complete system,
a Dual audiophile concept ,not the cheapest components,
a Rotel complete system ,150€ .Only the integrated amplifier was sold on Ebay for 400€,
when i say complete, a amplifier integrated one or receiver, turntable with cartridge, cassette deck, speakers, in some 80´s systems includes cd player , on local advertising or OLX.
Neighboors?
To be or not to be a good one, there is the question as it is more expensive than the system to isolate a room,
i´ve done it with cork to isolate from my family as my neighboors are a bit far,

but it´s incredible we close the door and almost you can´t listen to sound this a less than half volume in a real 150 watts each channel integrated amplifier, i had to install a bulb that when the door bell ringued the bulb would be lighted in my room, or i wouldn´t listen if at home alone, my friends used to phone me.

To buy new?
Buy whatever you want and inside your budget,
and as speakers some litle Tannoy or JBL ,
and headphones to listen loud ,
Senheiser or whatever you prefer , i´ve heard some new JBL´s and were really good but the Senheiser i have, releases a lot more bass (still to find why one needs headphones pre-amplifier)

 

[Rui]

Their 70s and arguably early 90s gear was truly stunning. I had the AU-217 and 717 amps and they were just astoundingly good. The drawback with the 717 amp was the volume pot which was proprietary, sealed (bizarrely) and next to impossible to service. Plug it up with some WD40 and hope for the best.

Would I buy a 717 now? Not a prayer, yet it's one of the best amps from the 1970s.

The other models? 217 / 317, definitely. The 4/5/717 check very carefully. Expensive mistakes await.

I think in the 70´s all were better but one had to choose a favorite design, i do love 76 , Sansui, Pioneer, Accuphase, Technics and Revox B series(maybe only in 77) the A was a good series too

 

[Rodolfo]

Yes, so I'm thinking of the AU-a907 which looked the part and I think sounded it too. The 607 wasn't bad either. Now that I've got some passive speakers, I might start shopping around for some Sansui gear again!

#ScratchThatItch

As a fun reference, tripped up with this far-away $1600 one today: https://grandrapids.craigslist.org/ele/d/grand-rapids-sansui-au-919/7906136187.html

 

[record_spot]

As a fun reference, tripped up with this far-away $1600 one today: https://grandrapids.craigslist.org/ele/d/grand-rapids-sansui-au-919/7906136187.html

Excellent score! Fantastic amp. 👍