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.
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
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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
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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
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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?
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record_spot
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davidf
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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.
RomanticWarrior
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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.
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
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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
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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
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landco
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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
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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
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“How did it sound?”
“It measured well & was cheaper than that other one that also has good measurements”
“It measured well & was cheaper than that other one that also has good measurements”
Rui
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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)
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
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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
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
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Rui
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I think ,the most have not dedicated music rooms the living room is where the hi-fi system is installed but the sound is not bad just not at 100% and notice that new components due to the lack of quality are more sensible to the instalation , i for years had a system in my living room, still have but now kids went to their lifes and there are rooms to spare, now i can have a big music room , the walls are ancient and are built stone upon stone, only three years ago i install there a AC unit with humidity control so not making me dry like i have in my office. Only the people who came to install it had dificulties in finding a place to drill and make a hole, is it good to have very thick walls and made of stone, mostly? As it is a music room and the sound is very good ,only can´t say if i could make it better. Is there anyone who could just point some reasons why isolation panels can improve the listening experience.
AJM1981
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It is not really about age either. People that age only lose bits at the ultra high human frequency hearing range. That is a range in which barely anything interesting happens musically. Unless someone is excited by beeps at frequencies that are used to scare cats away. Maybe some piccolo overtones go there, but in most music around there is barely any to zero activity in that range. There is nothing of "richness" that disappears by age. So it is a bit of a hi-fi myth that the average of older listeners are becoming somehow the slightest bit hi-fi handicapped.
The range of 5 to 8 khz is what is usually softened out by some amps or loudspeakers and you might mention here. That is the range in which human 's' hisses are, as well as some louder tearing and metallic slicing-sounds'.
Both in soundeffects and in musical sense it can be debated if it is an interesting range. I honestly like both sides of the coin of amplifiers, but for longer listening sessions in a living room I prefer a bit of smoothing in those ranges, not receiving bits of the blow dryer treatment when turning up the gain (this is still a bit exaggerated, but just to sketch the point).
Another plus is that smoothing them out is taking bits away from the "recorded experience" (i know it sounds like a paradox to some who prefer it as recorded, but polishing artifacts of recording creates a less recorded and more natural experience) As audio engineers at some point in time started de-essing bits, those amps did it partly for them in the past.
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AJM1981
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I own a Sansui P1000
I grew up with Thorens, but I honestly have to say that with record players I have the idea that soundwise most of them don't make a dent of difference and if there is a nuance difference, my collection is too small and the frequency of playing one is not that high.
Apart from that opinion... it is a decent and good looking model, it is direct drive and would compliment optically with our interior, loudspeakers and amplifier as a set. So I just found an excuse.
* added to wishlist ; )
Rui
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Yes, in part is true ,i have 64 years old and still listen well all music i have ,
the problems with hearing are real but not becoming deaf, also can say that a lot of youngsters before 20 years old, hear a lot less that people around my age,
i see the kids in my family since early age with big headphones in their heads and the sound is very loud, so in the future they or most of them will never have good hearing
Rui
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You might be right as today´s turntables are very bad, we are almost in the 1970 turntables technology, this between 1.000 to 2.000€ value
matthewpianist
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Sorry, but this is rubbish. There are plenty of good options, from Rega, Project, Technics and others.
Rui
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Rega and Project, where? Technics had to decrease a lot the building quality to produce new models,
I own 60´s, 70´s, 80´s , 90´s and two recent turntable models , all from known brands guess which work today with perfection while others are in need of repairs no matter the brand.
The two recent ones and the 60´s and 70´s ones, which are the most advanced in technology , sound quality and no need for pre-amplifier just plugged to the phono input on different types of amplification systems, 60´s and 70´s, and yes Technics even from 1972 and still working, with only mandatory maintenance.
About Rubish, can you give any example? you refer brands that only with a lot of money will sound good and will not last much.
So , i expect an example from what made you say that my comment is rubbish, i only have more than 40 years of experience of working almost daily with turntables so i would like to know in what is you´re opinion based on? i´m always learning, maybe you could tell me something i never noticed,
can add also that some 6 years ago a friend of mine ,deutch he tells me "i´m going to buy a Project turntable", this having already almost all turntables known to men that are known to be good,
i told him that wouldn´t be possible, but when he returned from Germany i went to his home and , there it was a Project turntable with great sound,
he had a tube amplifier built by himself in early 70´s and some 80´s B&W 800 model, between the turntable and cartridge he spent 14.000€ but for how much time will it work,
was the top turntable from this brand and a Hana cartridge, it sounds good, that is true
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