Many a returning Viet Nam veteran brought back a Sansui sound system they picked up on their way back during a stop over in Japan. If you owned a Sansui system back in the day you were one of a select few with bragging rights. Even today those Sansui systems are still very much a desired system.
Yep - we were stationed in Guam 68-71, dad came back from Japan with 350 around '70 and it was awesome, a lot of our neighbors on the base had Sansui systems.
As teenagers in the 90's, we used to jam out on my buddies dad's sansui stereo. His dad was a Vietnam vet too. Man those huge boxes with 12" woofers pounded! We used to pack them in their car and drive around blasting Metallica! Great speakers and great times!
I had my amp and SU-400 speakers shipped home from Nam in March of 69.Speakers were beautiful,heavy pieces of furniture with 15” woofer,2-6”midrange,and 2-2” tweeters.They would literally vibrate your bones.The intro to Joplin’s Ball and Chain was almost unbearable.Thanks for taking me back to those memorable times.
Back in the 1970's, my father owned a Sansui Receiver 331 with the green back light. I remember that thing sounded fantastic and all of my friends thought I was so lucky to have a "cool father" for owning a Sansui. Although my father past away many years ago, I still have his Sansui 331 in 2023!
My father bought the 331 back in 1975...like you, people and my school friends came around to listen to it, the Sansui AA-3900 speakers with the FR-1080 turntable...people could not believe their ears; laughing and shaking their heads in disbelief!!! 12 watts per channel but it is SANSUI watts!!! Everything is still working perfectly to this day with normal maintenance. Cheers from sunny Australia!!!
Yes! I'm interested!! I had 2 Akai reel to reels as well as several others from the likes of Teac, Pioneer and Sony. The Akais were always superior IMHO. The glass and crystal heads were bulletproof as well as sounding the best of all of them. Was always curious as to why they never seemed to float to the top of the industry.
I loved my Sansui 5000 which lasted me 22 years of almost constant high power use. It had such a beautiful natural sound. I used it with my Akai GX-230D which, believe it or not I'm still using. I recorded almost 1,500 vinyl albums on it. There's just something about that pure, high end analogue sound that digital remasters can't duplicate. Surprisingly those tapes still sound great. I'm still using my analogue HK receiver I bought in 1991 when my Sansui died, and my top of the line Radio Shack speakers from 1972 and 1979. Five years ago I went to Best Buy to by a Sony TV that was on sale, and the sales rep wanted me to hear this super expensive sound system in their Magnolia Room. We selected a song I have in my collection so I'd know what it's supposed to sound like. I was prepared to be blown away, and I was. I was blown away by how bad it sounded. I could hear the sound of the plastic...yes plastic cabinets resonating, and the annoying boom in the muddy upper bass. I told him I couldn't even listen to the rest of the song, and told him since he lived near me to stop over and hear it on my old analogue system with acoustically sealed heavy wooden speaker cabinets, and he did. Once he heard it he asked how he was ever going to feel good about demoing that ten thousand dollar system again. As they say, they don't make them like they used to.
to flick on a stereo in a car or house +theater , store whatever and make an immediate opinion, and walk away is a bit narrow-minded. Most new 10k audio systems have more then bass treble and partical board cabinets .long story short being a person that there Playlist could go from zeppelin or Fleetwood mack or Gorge Thorogood to hozier,Struggle Jennings/jelly roll to slipknot then to boosie or Kevin gates that being said that 10k audio unit probably/obviously! wasn't turned to listen to your genre of music at that sec. we're not going backwards here,? except these 4 years and this senile administration....
yep, analog warmth…producers originally using studer, otari or mci ‘john henry’ rollers, CURSED the first sony 48 track. sure there was no real setup or qtipping needed, saving session start time, but a whole new set of sonic issues entered. little things like compressing the output, not the input. you wanted to take the whole mix thru a tube amp & mic the speakers. nowdays its tube amp plug-ins, tape sat simulator plug-ins, other helps…they help
i picked up a set of dumped home made spekers from side of the road. didnt think much of them except they were like 50 kg each, kinda riduculous. i dunno who on earth made them but they sound solid as.... lets just say i got rid of my KEF reference series soon after that LOL still, the KEFs sounded infinitely better than the plasic home theater garbage thats filling every living room and dumpster these days.
Our neighbor returned from Viet Nam with what seemed like every Sansui component made. That was the first time I saw the Sansui reverb highlighted in a video earlier this year. As a 15-year-old, his setup was the coolest thing I had ever seen. It was a note of nostalgia seeing the reverb recently in the store. Thank you
i have the same receiver still here, bought new by my mother, together with a pair of Wharfedale Denton speakers and akai tape deck. Brilliant combination.. :)
I had a better deal.I got the Sansui 331 for free. It was totally dark and silent. 3 bulbs to led replacement + 2X 10uF couple caps (elco's) L + R channel. Nice retro look and easy to use, for more than 10 year now..
I’ve been a Pioneer guy my whole life. I have a Pioneer SX-750 that I’ve been using for almost 20 years, and absolutely love everything about it. That being said, I always worried that it would crap out, and I’d be without a vintage 70’s receiver while it was in the shop. Almost two years ago, my cousin passed away. He and I had a great connection through music, and talked about bands, songs, records and stereo equipment all the time. When he passed, his wife asked me to help sell all of his records and equipment, not knowing what to do with them. For helping, she said I could take whatever I wanted. He had a beautiful Sansui G3500 that cosmetically looked prestige, but wasn’t working. $300 in repairs later, I now have it running on a second stereo setup in my listening room. I have to say, for such a small unit, that sucker packs a punch, delivering great sound and plenty of volume. Visually, it’s stunning like most great equipment from the 70’s. I love every time I turn it on, thinking of my cousin as if he’s there listening to me. I can see why there’s such a fan base for Sansui.
I worked in a couple of Hifi stores in the late 70's and I have to say that after hours of comparing the big 4 Japanese receiver lines through that time period I always preferred Yamaha. Looks only being a part of the equation. I recall that Yamaha was consistently the winner as far as musicality and sound. Yamaha was also the clear cut winner as far as reliability. They seldom showed up on the workbench. The company that gave Yamaha a run for the money music wise in our store was Tandberg. Those were fun days to be in Hifi sales.
Totally agree. Sansui was great, but it was the era of GREAT hifi from an entire industry. Yamaha definitely sounded better to my ears as well. But there were so many others too. It was really the absolute golden age.
It was the perfect storm of highly qualified engineers, favorable economics and a booming market. They could produce high-end for the masses at affordable prices.
Bought a new Sansui G6000 receiver in NYC in 1979 for 360 bucks. it still works , and still sounds great. Sansui proved that all good things really do come to an end. I wish they would re-release the old stuff made new. It would be awesome. I just watched the video. running through all that gear was really fantastic. thanks for taking the time to make this. people that like music have no idea what they missed when this gear was out. It was a great time to be alive.
Sansui....the girl I dated. Mid-70;s, I'm stationed in WGermany w/ the USAF. Our "Costco" was the "BX"- base exchange, which was anything but a Costco. VERY limited selections/merch. EXCVEPT for stereo and camera gear- both out the ass. So I followed suit. I bought the Sansui Definition Series, an all component pre-amp, power amp, and tuner. 250RMS. I paired that w/ a TEAC 10" R-R, a DBX unit, a Thorens turntable, and a pair of ESS speakers. I was in heaven. Until stateside, in college- senior year, I HAD to sell it all to pay for tuition. Eighteen years later, via eBay, I re-acquired that complete set-up (copies)....mid-90's. STILL have it. Still ticks on....but I no longer rock out as I did in my 20's. Sansui= GREAT stuff. The 70's were the GOLDEN Age for incredible Japanese audio gear.
While in the Air Force I owed a QRX-9001. In the barracks this receiver would emit enough light to land a C5 in dense fog. While lighting up the room, I could also warm up leftovers. Great sounding machine. Looking at the used prices, wish I would have kept it.
How could you have known that the majority of the population would become brain damaged? I like this old gear but folks are driving up the prices. Why? It can't come close to competing with Modern Gear. What should be $5 is $5,000 now. Nevermind that a dollar is worth 1 cent too thx to low-lifes like the gov and Mr Pawn Shop youtube guy here. I served too btw. Let's pretend to free.
My nearly 50 year old AU517 (and TU717) gets used nearly every day, it sounds fantastic. I've only had it for the last 8 to 10 years and it is one of my favorites.
Same here. I have had various other sansui amps from the 70s - 317, 517, 717 and I think a 919 and many others, but I always came back to the first sui I bought - the 517. That warm sansui sound always gets me.
I too had Au and Tu 517 separates. Picked them up in 1979 or 80 I think Consistently used as primary and secondary systems until 3 years ago. Sold them and they are still working just fine !
I had a Sansui 60w receiver when I was in college in the mid to late seventies. I didn't know anything about the technical aspects, I just know it sounded great and looked super cool with that blue dial! When I was a freshman, I went into another guys dorm room to listen to music and he had a super cool looking Sansui receiver, I was high as a kite and right then decided I'd get one myself, and I did!
I never realised that Sansui was a well known brand or survived past the '80s until just now. My dad bought a Sansui quadrophonic receiver when I was a baby in the mid-'70s and I grew up with it until it was given away to some guys who were doing some tiling in our house when I was around 13. I just found a picture of it on the web, so now I know it was a QRX-3000.
I was stationed in Okinawa in 1977 - 1978. I bought a Sansui 9090db on the Marine Corp birthday on sale for 305.00. It's still marked on the box. I still use it and sounds great with my Altec Valencia 846b speakers. Thanks for an interesting education on Sansui!
I have a Sansui 6060 receiver/amplifier with a wonderfully dampened analog station dial that my father bought 50 years ago. It works perfectly and looks like new, it still resides in the original, dedicated stereo cabinet with a Pioneer direct drive turntable and an Akai cassette deck. I use it almost daily to listen the radio or to our old records, I love the sound coming from the big speakers with the deep bass.
It's really heartbreaking how such a legendary company went to shit. I"m going to upgrade my stereo next year and the AU series, (7700, 9500) and particularly the professional (9900, 11000) are first in the list with some Pioneer SA as contenders. it's a shame that those things went down after the 717. Fortunately they were built with such perfection that we'll be able to enjoy those pieces for many years to came. Thanks for the great video!
@@Gpray75 As far as I know, if you have a qualified tech and the necessary parts, why not. Fact is that the 717 was a very innovative amp when launched if I'm not wrong. However I'd go for the professional series for sure.
My Dad bought his first Sansui in 1969 to replace The Fisher Model X 100b. Dad bought a very interesting Sansui 600L AM/FM and Short Wave Receiver, this receiver even had a integrated equalizer. In 1976 dad replaced that receiver with the AU5900 with Matching TU5900 tuner. We also purchase a Sansui front loading Tape deck the SC3110, other equipment paired with the AU5900 was a Thorens TD 124 that Dad bought in 1958 upgraded in 1964 with a grado labs wood tonearm, also a Sony Reel to Reel TC 377_2 , a pioneer equializer SG9500, and Sansui and Fisher speakers. To this day I have the AU5900, the TU5900, the Thorens td 124, and the pioneer equilizer in working order. I love the sound of that amplifer, my whole vinatage equipment is my pride and joy.
Had a 9090 as a teenager. Got in a lot of trouble with that. It was very loud let’s say. I even had a funeral home director come over and asked me to turn the music down. They were trying to have a funeral. But I have a 7070 today and it’s going strong I love it. Four Sansui speakers. I bought a 6060 for my son, and another friend. I guess you could say I’m a Sansui guy. Thanks so much for all the information. It’s some stuff I’ve always wondered about.
Still have my 8080!! As a young musician, i did a lot of woodsheding plugging my Bass into the mic input playing along with the radio and all my albums!! It was a real workhorse. Still works but needs work.
Sansui was by far the most amazing stereo system when I was in high school in 1972. I still remember the first time a friend invited me over to experience his new Sansui system. Sitting between two speakers while listening to The Beatles' "I Am the Walrus," it was as if I could hear every instrument distinctly. Even quality headphones couldn't duplicate the stunning fidelity of the Sansui system.
Sansui was the pinnacle of audio equipment of my teens and also very rare, expensive, and almost not obtainable due to international sanctions and embargoes. AKAI was also sought after, as was Kenwood and Pioneer. A history of AKAI would also be interesting.
Depends on the places you audio-shopped. I was in high-end shops in the 70's that wouldn't carry Sansui, Kenwood, Sherwood, Scott and the like. Sansui had the best light show at night and they always seemed to be upping the ante on power/features.
Actually Sansui had alot of issues which kept them from Pioneer, Marantz kind of success and then Yamaha entered and it was a slow death after that. I sold Hi Fi in the late 70's early 80's
@@LennyFlorentine I can understand, especially if it's one of the tape recorders with the glass coated heads (like the GX-635D), aside from modern hard drives I don't think anyone else has done that with magnetic heads.
Correct! The AU-707 was the Japanese domestic market model of the International AU-717, they also released the US Military model AU-710. All were produced 1976-79
I have a bunch of Sansui gear and use it often. Some belonged to my military dad that he bought over seas and other stuff I have acquired. Love the warm full spacious sound. Hope to keep it in the family another generation.
I bought a big heavy Sansui amp and speakers in 1977, if memory serves it was an AU 9500? with all black face. I also bought an Akai auto reverse cassette deck, and an Akai reel to reel as well as a seperate dolby unit. You could plug everything including the kitchen sink, 80Watts continuous per channel if memory serves. It stopped working some years later (mid 80's)and I had great trouble getting it fixed (power transistors). Worked well again for another few years, and when it went again, I could not get it fixed sadly. Wonderful unit, you could hear its output in the next suburb. All I have left now is those wonderful Sansui 100w speakers which still sound beautiful after almost 50 years! Sansui was worth every cent at the time.
Long ago I had a Sansui 1000A Tube Type Receiver, Technically rated at 28 watts per channel, that receiver could pump out sound all day long like much much more powerful receivers. Old but awesome.
I still have my Sansui 1000a that i bought in the early 70s when i was 16. I loved that thing. Parents hated it. But i think it was 60 warrs per channel because it has 4 6L6 output tubes in push pull parallel. With 3 iron core transformers that thing is HEAVY! I plugged it in a couple years ago and when i turned it on it immediately blew the AC fuse :(
@@dreammix9430 Yeah I was quoting the RMS power at 8 ohms, that’s too bad it’s blowing the fuse, i would bet that like old TV’s that it needs the capacitor cans rebuilt. Wish I still had mine.
@@MysticFrequencies yeah those caps are probably dry as a bone. I just cant get rid of it though. Too many memories. Edit: maybe ill rebuild it... when i retire :)
Speaking of the great company, I still have my 1975 direct drive Sansui turntable, it cost me 1/3rd of my initial stereo which was 3 months wages. Things are so cheap these days as well as poorer quality. I used it daily until about 17 years ago when I "got together" with someone who had pretty much NO interest in perfect music reproduction. Shortly after I bought it, well years, the only thing I did to it was replace the head shell and cartridge with a unit that cost more than the entire thing, and then spent 1/3rd the cost again on an audiophile needle. The electronics is good and the drive motor phenomenal lasting so long and with it's precision speed still there. Oh yeah I had to replace one of the speed adjusting pots (as I constantly used it) in the late 90's. Nice to hear the brand Nakamichi mentioned here, wish I had one of their decks, but back then they cost 1.5 times what my entire initial separate component stereo did! A little off topic here but great video man.
The Sansui 9090DB was the receiver that got me into HiFi back in 1976 when I was 12 years old. It belonged to my oldest brother who had it paired up with a pair of Technics SB7000A speakers.
Thank you for this video. I always wondered what became of Sansui. I had an AU-777 for many decades and when it was time to replace it the brand was nowhere to be found. I loved that amp.
As a US Army guy I was stationed at Reese, in Augsburg Germany from 1977 to 1979. The PX had every conceivable thing of stereo gear. Sansui had a place there. I bought by Spec and owned a Sunsui amp and tuner, and several other Sansui pieces. Sansui was best by specs and price. All of my Sansui is gone now. I am now interested in top quality tube amps and tuners at the best price. Somersworth, NH
I was in Ansbach at the same time. Bamberg and Nuremberg were the bases we went for our equipment. We were absolute experts on drugs and stereo equipment.
Love a history lesson. What a shame what eventually happened to Sansui. I have my late fathers 441 receiver he purchased in the mid 70’s I believe. I was a young kid. Sounds good to this day.
I own a Sansui 9090 that I bought for $100 maybe 15 years ago. Sounds incredible and whenever I get the itch to buy a new amp, I put that money into components instead and keep the 9090 as the core of my system. I've had it serviced a few times and one time the tech didn't do the best job. Wish I had some way to get it to Just Audio all the way from Chicago for some of your expert service work!
@@alexw890 No, I lived in NYC at the time and it was a place on Long Island called In House Audio Repair.... or something like that. It didn't help matters any that I was also ignorant about hifi at the time too.
Helped my friend pick out a stereo system at Circuit City in NC circa 1984. He ended up with a Sansui receiver powering some Micro Acoustics speakers (odd brand - not Boston Acoustics - but sounded good) and a Pioneer cassette deck with a Technics turntable and the ubiquitous Discwasher record cleaner. Even his wife liked it and didn't complain too much about his "hobby". Life was good. The AM/FM tuner on that Sansui was every bit the equal to my Pioneer.
I got a '69 5000a a few months ago. Kinda the same thing at my house. In the first couple weeks, three times or so, the wife just stopped for a second, unprompted, and said " That sounds REALLY nice." The guys at the store said Marantz was generally warm and mellow, while the "Sansui sound" is a little more lively. I love it!
Ouch. I followed Sansui's long, sad decline up until about 2000, then sort of forgot about it (and Kenwood, and Denon...it was getting all too depressing). Thanks for bringing me up to speed here, and definitely looking forward to more like this.
I purchased a Samsung 771 receiver in the mid seventies while a Marine stationed in Okinawa. I also had Sansui speakers, I don't remember the model. That setup lasted for at least 15 years. I eventually replaced it with a Pioneer receiver. I sold it at some point in a yard sale. It was a little sad because it had served me well for so many years.
When I was working at an audio store in 1979-81, I used to deal with the Sansui representative all the and went many times to pick up special orders for customers. However, since I was a military dependent, I was able to purchase my own components through the military PX.
Back in the 80’s & 90’s, my grandmother worked for the Hect Co. department stores as a sales person in their electronics department. This was back in the day when most of America purchased their stereos, televisions, appliances, etc. in department stores. Sansui, even back then, was positioned as a top-brand line…above brands like Fisher, Sanyo, Sony, RCA, etc. For many, hi-fi meant a “rack system” of plug-and-play components that included matching speakers. In hindsight, pretty much every system coming out of department stores from this era was probably made by the same Chinese or Taiwan factories…they just had different branding and faceplates. One thing I’d like to mention is that there was a clear brand that was really different that you could find in the department stores back then: Philips/Magnevox. Of course, they had that European difference to them, but beyond that, they were built to a higher state and had better performance. Those first CD players from Magnevox are still considered the best performing and sounding players ever…would’ve been great to see if the rest of Philips/Magnevox gear could have matched the Technics/Kenwood/Pioneer/Onkyo gear of that day. Great history lesson, Lenny!
Awesome share! Everyone should read this! Phillips also made pretty much every cd mech for 90% of the cd players ever made regardless of who made them.
My very first integrated amp was a 301i Sansui. I always liked that it sounded very soothing and musical, although it lacked in the analytical department. Which, on the other hand, made listening to mediocre productions much easier.
Since the mid 1970s, when I was buying my main stereo gear, and coincidentally got my start in radio as a disc jockey then engineer, I repeatedly saw two manufacturers names inside of every piece of equipment I ever opened up.. Toshiba and Matsushita. Unless I’m terribly mistaken, almost all Japanese audio equipment, during the 70s and early 80s, was built from components from those two companies, later including JVC (Japan Victor Corporation). I don’t remember ever needing to open up Sansui products from that era because they just worked so well for so long. This video makes me want to crack open a Sansui amplifier, tape deck or EQ and see who’s inside.
I bought a Sansui receiver from a pawn shop just outside of Fort Hood in 1978. That thing kicked ass and beat anyone’s system in our barracks. Had it for about ten years and it stopped working. Took it to a few repair shops but no one could fix it. Kept the Sansui speakers for another 20 years after that. Great audio
I had a Sansui AUD-33 amplifier which included a Super Feedforward System for distortion reduction, which I bought in 1983. It was a wonderful amp which I kind of regret selling around 1999. I hope it's still in use somewhere.
Great video. My house is full of vintage Sansui from the golden age. Once I learned about the golden age of stereo just before the stereo wars I focused there and went through a bunch of Sansui gear. I grew up on Pioneer in the 70's but love vintage Sansui.
I am not a fan of Sansui speakers by any stretch but, I love their receivers/amps. I just got a Sansui Eight for a good deal and it has been such a joy to listen to for the past few weeks. I have a G-4700 that needs repair soon too.
Thoughts on the Sansui TR-707A ? My dad brought it back from his time in the service, still works but is currently not in use (maybe I should hook it up!)
I have always loved Sansui. They were easy to repair and they had a nice look. You could feel the quality in the sound they produced. Too bad I didn't keep any.
Wow....memories....I bought a Sansui 8080db receiver back in the late 70's from Crazy Eddie's in NY for $400 and that was considered a great deal. Loved that receiver. It could pump out volumes to any speaker at that time. Those were the good ol' days!!
In the late 80s, Sansui had some car audio amplifiers, too. Only they were made by Precision Power, Inc. (aka PPI). PPI was renowned for making some of the best sounding car audio amps, and the line they made for Sansui were excellent as well. It's a shame that some of these brands that were considered high-end back in the day have been whored out by conglomerates.
Never knew that. I had a PPI 2150 and that thing was bulletproof. Some of those 80s and early 90s car amps as well as some head units are going for a pretty penny.
@nickmrt2670 old school PPI amps were awesome. I built a sound system for my car, and I run PPI Power Class amps from the late 90's. Almost 30 years old and still sound amazing. You couldn't beat the USA made amps. And yeah, they're going for a pretty penny. Old school brands like Orion and Linear Power are crazy expensive right now.
Nice name drops coming over all fuzzy. I still have my sansui car amp. Monster!! The heat sink looked like it had been built from a battle ship. I must dust it off. I miss my 7909. My Phoenix gold eq230 is now doing some time in my home cinema.
Back in the day I had an AU-777, it was by far the best sound amp I've ever owned. I got it with two Sansui speakers too, can't remember what model they were, but the sound was just awesome. My neighbor played electric guitar, he loved to plug into my system, he'd have the walls shaking! I also had an Akai X300 10" reel to reel tape recorder, what a heavy beast that was. Man, I miss those days! Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Recently acquired a late 1980's AU X711 integrated, it was not cheap but what a nice unit. Part of the Alpha series which are considered as good as it gets. Also use a Sansui SR 525 turntable, fully manual direct drive.
@@TheKyotoKid they did indeed - the 711/911 are lovely amps. Interestingly, in Japan they made even bigger versions of those amps for the local market, including the big 33kg Alpha x-balanced 907 models. They are truly works of art.
Another terrific video! I bought a Sansui 9090 receiver a few years ago, and the build quality is first-rate. The quality of the switches and the heaviness of the large volume knob gives one the confidence this receiver will be working long after I'm dead. The sound has so much depth and comes on strongly if you let it. I use it all the time and love it. Please keep creating these videos, and Thank You!!
I was in the Army, stationed in Germany in 1978. We were absolute experts on stereo equipment. JBL 100 speakers, Sansui 890db receiver, Teac tape deck and real to real tape.
I bought my first vintage reciever in 2013, a Sansui QRX-5500. I had it serviced and cleaned up, it's been Rocking in my garage ever since, with two sets of era correct Sansui Speakers. I just purchased my Dream Sansui, a G-7500... and it sounds Glorious. You can't go wrong with a Sansui from 1970-1979. Great Videos Sir. Cheers.
They were built like no others electronic product a solid frame my au-9500 must weight around 50-60 pounds and when you look inside you can really see that it was an electronic marvel of its time the perfection is outstanding each circuit were build to work for hundred years, i'm sure that a day someone else will receive my amp and discover the sound quality of the 1960-1970 !
One local audio dealer lamented the fact that many Veterans returning from SE Asia were picking up cheaper hifi gear on their way back to the US upon their separation from Military Obligations and it definitely impacted the US Stereo Market. Sansui was one of the major brands leading the market in the very late 60’s and early 1970s. The rest is audio history.
In 1973 I owned a SANSUI 6500. Bought it in Germany while I was in the Army. Paired with a set of rectilinear floor speakers. The most awesome stereo I ever owned
In 1996 or 97, i happened to listen to a Sansui made CD player. It was for the first time I had listened to the CD sound. It sounded amazing. Even though I have heard systems costing much more, the sound of that Sansui CD player remains afresh in my mind.
We owned a few Sansui receiver amps and speakers when I was growing up. You used to be able to find them cheap at thrift stores. They were huge, heavy, and sounded great. I really took them for granted back then.
When I started getting into hi-fi in the UK in the mid seventies, Sansui were highly respected - even their budget amps! I still have my turntable, a 222 mk2 that still looks classy 44 years later!
I bought my G-7500 new in 1979, and it was incredible. About the 20 year point some solder joints needed re-done, and I got another 10 years out of it. It was incredible sounding, not to mention the memories that went with it. I won't part with it. I could have it gold-plated, but it really doesn't need it. It is beautiful as is.
You guys are remarkably affective at making me want to forage through my spare junk room (similar to a kitchen junk drawer) to get reacquainted with my retired gear. Most appreciated! New old found treasure.
I have two vintage receivers that I don't see me ever parting with. One is a 1969 Sansui 4000. Love the sound. I was fortunate enough to pick it up a few years ago locally.
In the mid 1980's I worked at Sansui in Lyndhurst NJ. I was the receiving manager/bench tech during this time. To this day I still own my AU-G90x spl800 d590 cassette players an a few others. I resigned and left just a few months before the east coast office closed. In a nutshell seeing our returns I would truly believe that venturing low end was one of our downfalls. We also had issues with somewhat questionable retailers such as crazy eddy. as a receiving manager I would inspect the returns and direct them to the proper technicians for repair. There were many occasions where our units were adulterated by our partners and sold under the guise of our name. As hard as we could try to stop them it just seemed a losing battle. Adding to that fact was internal US employment issues within the company. Even so with these issue I was and still am honored to have worked with a great group of people, Including but not limited to Mister Omikawa San, Mister Ito, Mister Soda, and Mister Matsumoto. I have always believed that Sansui like the Phoenix will once again rise from the ashes. You just can't match the level and commitment they put into their products.
@@LennyFlorentine Sure I'd love to answer any questions just looking for a new home now but thanks for that memory even now I fondly remember my times there.
I bought my Sansui 5000A receiver along with an Akai D355 reel to reel and a pair of Pioneer A30 speakers in 1973. I was in college at Oregon state. I found them on the buy sell board at the campus commons. A USAF person had purchased them shortly before while stationed in Japan. He was selling the system for tuition money. The best $250 purchase I have ever made! Still using to this day!
@@LennyFlorentine Yeah, it was a beautiful receiver, I was running though a fantastic pair of Scott speakers, a matched pair with book-matched walnut veneers. Wish I still had that setup today.
I've still got Dad's Sansui 4000 that he bought at the PX in Vietnam back in 1970. I did have to get some capacitors replaced last year but, hey, what other equipment lasts 50+ years and can still be fixed?! I still love the sound in the man cave, superior to my more modern receiver in the living room. I grew up with this unit and it just seems like an old familiar friend. :-)
I worked in the A/V retail industry from 1984 to 2008, and a bit here and there until 2014. No place I worked at ever sold Sansui, but I always heard great things about the brand. Mostly from ex-GI's, who told me they bought their Sansui products from their base PX's. Those early 70's receivers looked awesome, especially those massive 9000 series.
My family has had a Sansui QR-1500 since I was a child. My family raised me in SoCal listening to KMET and later KLOS. I remember when John Lennon passed and my mom, shocked by the news coming through that unit. My dad would listen to Chick Hearn on AM. Dad passed many years ago but Mom is still cruisin at 75 and every time I turn the power dial, I think of them both. I'm 52 now and that same 'ol receiver is now in my home with our same 'ol Audio Lab loudspeakers. Those 15 measly watts still sound so good.
I had a Sansui 5500 that was a real monster. It had inputs for everything imaginable. Including a mic input on the front panel. It had the smoothest knobs and switches of any piece of equipment I’ve ever known. It finally started crapping out about 1994 or so and, regrettably, I had to let it go.
My father was a real fan of the brand and he had a complete Sansui hifi system with big amp, a weird cassette deck with no door, a real-to-real tape deck, DSP and everything. Before that, he had a great integrated amp/tuner a bit like the one on the thumbnail. I remember I was amazed by the number of inputs and outputs, tape monitor switches and routing features. Left and right channels had their own tone controls on coaxial knobs and I remember that the potentiometers were super smooth and felt like there was some damping. It was also super heavy. You bring back good memories 🙂
I bought a Sausui S-X1200 in July 1989. I still have it and it still works. It had a processor switch and a Tape Mon 2 - so it could accommodate 2 equalizers using 2 separate inputs.
Although not readily available at first glance, I have purchased and have currently installed, a set of Sansui 5.25" Splits in my car. They sound pretty decent IMO at least. 🤷🏻
Bought my first stereo when I was 18, an AU-D9 amp togheter with the TU-S9 Tuner. Year later a SE-9 eq. I'm almost 60 now and still have the set............still working fine. The only thing that was done, was recapping the amp in 2022 due to a lack of punch. My dad has a AU-7700/ TU7700 set, amp is also reccapped and is playing every day. Build like a tank.
My Sansui AU 7900 integrated amplifer I purchased in 1975 was completely rebuilt last year with all new capcitors and it powers my black laquer JBL 100T's. The system will never be sold. Thanks for the video. I enjoyed it.
I have the QRX-9001. It is in need of competent repair. You do have a company that repairs your equipment so I am a wondering if you could let me know their contact information so that I can get this formerly beautiful amp repaired. I have the United States Postal Service to thank for the treatment of my property when I sent it back from overseas.
In the early 90s, I picked up a used Sansui unit meant for home video editing. It provided a couple of effects and transitions, which was interesting, but the bit I actually used, was some audio noise reduction. I used to use it in the process of digitizing records and tapes. It's still somewhere in my house, but no idea where. Until this video popped up, I'd pretty close to forgotten about it. I really liked it a lot...and I think I may have had something else they made, but I can't really recall for sure.
In 1974, I was a sophomore in High School. I worked a summer job to but a Pioneer Turntable and a Sansui receiver. I played the crap out of it! When I went into the Air Force, I gave to my father, who a.so loved music and played the crap out of it . Dad passed away in 2016, and I got my receiver back. It is now in my music room next to my Marshall amp and it still continues to kick butt!
I bought my first hifi in 1982. Sansui. Knew every model, studied them. Complete fan boy. Then in 1985, they released the blue stripe collection. That was the end right there. Thanks for the heads up on the older gear. I'd love to get one of those older Receivers
About 74 I was in the Philippines.. got lost at 3am at there was a Sansui sign at the base and walked towards it and got back to base ..Been a fan ever since.
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@LennyFlorentine what is your take on the Sansui 5000A?
Many a returning Viet Nam veteran brought back a Sansui sound system they picked up on their way back during a stop over in Japan. If you owned a Sansui system back in the day you were one of a select few with bragging rights. Even today those Sansui systems are still very much a desired system.
Yep - we were stationed in Guam 68-71, dad came back from Japan with 350 around '70 and it was awesome, a lot of our neighbors on the base had Sansui systems.
Copy that. Still have a set of SP3500 speakers
As teenagers in the 90's, we used to jam out on my buddies dad's sansui stereo. His dad was a Vietnam vet too. Man those huge boxes with 12" woofers pounded! We used to pack them in their car and drive around blasting Metallica! Great speakers and great times!
I had my amp and SU-400 speakers shipped home from Nam in March of 69.Speakers were beautiful,heavy pieces of furniture with 15” woofer,2-6”midrange,and 2-2” tweeters.They would literally vibrate your bones.The intro to Joplin’s Ball and Chain was almost unbearable.Thanks for taking me back to those memorable times.
What about my Sansui 9090db..any thoughts??😂
Back in the 1970's, my father owned a Sansui Receiver 331 with the green back light. I remember that thing sounded fantastic and all of my friends thought I was so lucky to have a "cool father" for owning a Sansui. Although my father past away many years ago, I still have his Sansui 331 in 2023!
My father bought the 331 back in 1975...like you, people and my school friends came around to listen to it, the Sansui AA-3900 speakers with the FR-1080 turntable...people could not believe their ears; laughing and shaking their heads in disbelief!!! 12 watts per channel but it is SANSUI watts!!! Everything is still working perfectly to this day with normal maintenance. Cheers from sunny Australia!!!
@@Warpedsmac Nice!
A video on Akai History would be very interesting and I cast a vote for a future video on Akai. Anyone else interested?
Perhaps Aiwa as well👍🏼
Absolutely!
be nice to see a vid on Akai
I sure am! 👍
Yes! I'm interested!! I had 2 Akai reel to reels as well as several others from the likes of Teac, Pioneer and Sony. The Akais were always superior IMHO. The glass and crystal heads were bulletproof as well as sounding the best of all of them. Was always curious as to why they never seemed to float to the top of the industry.
I loved my Sansui 5000 which lasted me 22 years of almost constant high power use. It had such a beautiful natural sound. I used it with my Akai GX-230D which, believe it or not I'm still using. I recorded almost 1,500 vinyl albums on it. There's just something about that pure, high end analogue sound that digital remasters can't duplicate. Surprisingly those tapes still sound great. I'm still using my analogue HK receiver I bought in 1991 when my Sansui died, and my top of the line Radio Shack speakers from 1972 and 1979. Five years ago I went to Best Buy to by a Sony TV that was on sale, and the sales rep wanted me to hear this super expensive sound system in their Magnolia Room. We selected a song I have in my collection so I'd know what it's supposed to sound like. I was prepared to be blown away, and I was. I was blown away by how bad it sounded. I could hear the sound of the plastic...yes plastic cabinets resonating, and the annoying boom in the muddy upper bass. I told him I couldn't even listen to the rest of the song, and told him since he lived near me to stop over and hear it on my old analogue system with acoustically sealed heavy wooden speaker cabinets, and he did. Once he heard it he asked how he was ever going to feel good about demoing that ten thousand dollar system again. As they say, they don't make them like they used to.
to flick on a stereo in a car or house +theater , store whatever and make an immediate opinion, and walk away is a bit narrow-minded. Most new 10k audio systems have more then bass treble and partical board cabinets .long story short being a person that there Playlist could go from zeppelin or Fleetwood mack or Gorge Thorogood to hozier,Struggle Jennings/jelly roll to slipknot then to boosie or Kevin gates that being said that 10k audio unit probably/obviously! wasn't turned to listen to your genre of music at that sec. we're not going backwards here,? except these 4 years and this senile administration....
yep, analog warmth…producers originally using studer, otari or mci ‘john henry’ rollers, CURSED the first sony 48 track. sure there was no real setup or qtipping needed, saving session start time, but a whole new set of sonic issues entered. little things like compressing the output, not the input. you wanted to take the whole mix thru a tube amp & mic the speakers. nowdays its tube amp plug-ins, tape sat simulator plug-ins, other helps…they help
i picked up a set of dumped home made spekers from side of the road.
didnt think much of them except they were like 50 kg each, kinda riduculous.
i dunno who on earth made them but they sound solid as....
lets just say i got rid of my KEF reference series soon after that LOL
still, the KEFs sounded infinitely better than the plasic home theater garbage thats filling every living room and dumpster these days.
Never happrened
>>There's just something about that pure, high end analogue sound that digital remasters can't duplicate.
Which, vinyl surface noise or tape hiss?
Our neighbor returned from Viet Nam with what seemed like every Sansui component made. That was the first time I saw the Sansui reverb highlighted in a video earlier this year. As a 15-year-old, his setup was the coolest thing I had ever seen. It was a note of nostalgia seeing the reverb recently in the store. Thank you
We got that right or Subic......
Yeah, I saw that reverb, I had one of those too. Not that I ever went acid-trippin' with surround sound, no siree!
I purchased a 331 Sansui receiver along with speakers in 1975. I’m still using that system to this day. Best decision I’ve ever made
The 1 series was great! When you turn it off FM the tuner dial goes off so you could hide listening to music at night from your parents. Haha
i have the same receiver still here, bought new by my mother, together with a pair of Wharfedale Denton speakers and akai tape deck. Brilliant combination.. :)
I traded up to McIntosh! Best decision I've ever made.
I had a better deal.I got the Sansui 331 for free. It was totally dark and silent.
3 bulbs to led replacement + 2X 10uF couple caps (elco's) L + R channel.
Nice retro look and easy to use, for more than 10 year now..
Hi from Australia Did you match it with Sansui speakers and turntable? If so which models?
I’ve been a Pioneer guy my whole life. I have a Pioneer SX-750 that I’ve been using for almost 20 years, and absolutely love everything about it. That being said, I always worried that it would crap out, and I’d be without a vintage 70’s receiver while it was in the shop.
Almost two years ago, my cousin passed away. He and I had a great connection through music, and talked about bands, songs, records and stereo equipment all the time. When he passed, his wife asked me to help sell all of his records and equipment, not knowing what to do with them. For helping, she said I could take whatever I wanted. He had a beautiful Sansui G3500 that cosmetically looked prestige, but wasn’t working. $300 in repairs later, I now have it running on a second stereo setup in my listening room.
I have to say, for such a small unit, that sucker packs a punch, delivering great sound and plenty of volume. Visually, it’s stunning like most great equipment from the 70’s. I love every time I turn it on, thinking of my cousin as if he’s there listening to me. I can see why there’s such a fan base for Sansui.
Needle Drop! Thanks for sharing that great story about you and your cousin!
@@LennyFlorentine thanks! Keep these great videos coming!
I worked in a couple of Hifi stores in the late 70's and I have to say that after hours of comparing the big 4 Japanese receiver lines through that time period I always preferred Yamaha. Looks only being a part of the equation. I recall that Yamaha was consistently the winner as far as musicality and sound. Yamaha was also the clear cut winner as far as reliability. They seldom showed up on the workbench. The company that gave Yamaha a run for the money music wise in our store was Tandberg. Those were fun days to be in Hifi sales.
I bet they were, someone had got to have some pictures of those days!
Totally agree. Sansui was great, but it was the era of GREAT hifi from an entire industry. Yamaha definitely sounded better to my ears as well. But there were so many others too. It was really the absolute golden age.
Yamaha has always had a warmness to their sound that I love, almost a tube like sound IMO.
It was the perfect storm of highly qualified engineers, favorable economics and a booming market.
They could produce high-end for the masses at affordable prices.
I like Yamaha also, but several of their products, we sold, had output transistor and/or power output problems.
Bought a new Sansui G6000 receiver in NYC in 1979 for 360 bucks. it still works , and still sounds great. Sansui proved that all good things really do come to an end. I wish they would re-release the old stuff made new. It would be awesome. I just watched the video. running through all that gear was really fantastic. thanks for taking the time to make this. people that like music have no idea what they missed when this gear was out. It was a great time to be alive.
Such a nice receiver! Thanks for sharing!
Rerelease silver faced stereo component systems. They looked the best, better than black, that is a fact.
Sansui....the girl I dated. Mid-70;s, I'm stationed in WGermany w/ the USAF. Our "Costco" was the "BX"- base exchange, which was anything but a Costco. VERY limited selections/merch. EXCVEPT for stereo and camera gear- both out the ass. So I followed suit. I bought the Sansui Definition Series, an all component pre-amp, power amp, and tuner. 250RMS. I paired that w/ a TEAC 10" R-R, a DBX unit, a Thorens turntable, and a pair of ESS speakers. I was in heaven. Until stateside, in college- senior year, I HAD to sell it all to pay for tuition. Eighteen years later, via eBay, I re-acquired that complete set-up (copies)....mid-90's. STILL have it. Still ticks on....but I no longer rock out as I did in my 20's. Sansui= GREAT stuff. The 70's were the GOLDEN Age for incredible Japanese audio gear.
While in the Air Force I owed a QRX-9001. In the barracks this receiver would emit enough light to land a C5 in dense fog. While lighting up the room, I could also warm up leftovers. Great sounding machine. Looking at the used prices, wish I would have kept it.
How could you have known that the majority of the population would become brain damaged? I like this old gear but folks are driving up the prices. Why? It can't come close to competing with Modern Gear. What should be $5 is $5,000 now. Nevermind that a dollar is worth 1 cent too thx to low-lifes like the gov and Mr Pawn Shop youtube guy here.
I served too btw. Let's pretend to free.
My nearly 50 year old AU517 (and TU717) gets used nearly every day, it sounds fantastic. I've only had it for the last 8 to 10 years and it is one of my favorites.
Same here. I have had various other sansui amps from the 70s - 317, 517, 717 and I think a 919 and many others, but I always came back to the first sui I bought - the 517. That warm sansui sound always gets me.
I too had Au and Tu 517 separates.
Picked them up in 1979 or 80 I think
Consistently used as primary and secondary systems until 3 years ago.
Sold them and they are still working just fine !
Had a 9090b with a pair of SP-x9000 speakers. It was amazing.
I had a Sansui 60w receiver when I was in college in the mid to late seventies. I didn't know anything about the technical aspects, I just know it sounded great and looked super cool with that blue dial! When I was a freshman, I went into another guys dorm room to listen to music and he had a super cool looking Sansui receiver, I was high as a kite and right then decided I'd get one myself, and I did!
I never realised that Sansui was a well known brand or survived past the '80s until just now. My dad bought a Sansui quadrophonic receiver when I was a baby in the mid-'70s and I grew up with it until it was given away to some guys who were doing some tiling in our house when I was around 13. I just found a picture of it on the web, so now I know it was a QRX-3000.
I was stationed in Okinawa in 1977 - 1978. I bought a Sansui 9090db on the Marine Corp birthday on sale for 305.00. It's still marked on the box. I still use it and sounds great with my Altec Valencia 846b speakers.
Thanks for an interesting education on Sansui!
I still have an old receiver in the basement..love it
I have a Sansui 6060 receiver/amplifier with a wonderfully dampened analog station dial that my father bought 50 years ago. It works perfectly and looks like new, it still resides in the original, dedicated stereo cabinet with a Pioneer direct drive turntable and an Akai cassette deck. I use it almost daily to listen the radio or to our old records, I love the sound coming from the big speakers with the deep bass.
It's really heartbreaking how such a legendary company went to shit. I"m going to upgrade my stereo next year and the AU series, (7700, 9500) and particularly the professional (9900, 11000) are first in the list with some Pioneer SA as contenders. it's a shame that those things went down after the 717. Fortunately they were built with such perfection that we'll be able to enjoy those pieces for many years to came. Thanks for the great video!
Thanks Frankie!
Yes, its indeed heartbreaking to see such a legendary audio manufacturing company like Sansui of Japan went to bankruptcy in this manner.
@@LennyFlorentine always a pleasure 😁
Sooo, in your opinion, is the au-717 worth getting a full restoration these days?🙏
@@Gpray75 As far as I know, if you have a qualified tech and the necessary parts, why not. Fact is that the 717 was a very innovative amp when launched if I'm not wrong. However I'd go for the professional series for sure.
My Dad bought his first Sansui in 1969 to replace The Fisher Model X 100b. Dad bought a very interesting Sansui 600L AM/FM and Short Wave Receiver, this receiver even had a integrated equalizer. In 1976 dad replaced that receiver with the AU5900 with Matching TU5900 tuner. We also purchase a Sansui front loading Tape deck the SC3110, other equipment paired with the AU5900 was a Thorens TD 124 that Dad bought in 1958 upgraded in 1964 with a grado labs wood tonearm, also a Sony Reel to Reel TC 377_2 , a pioneer equializer SG9500, and Sansui and Fisher speakers. To this day I have the AU5900, the TU5900, the Thorens td 124, and the pioneer equilizer in working order. I love the sound of that amplifer, my whole vinatage equipment is my pride and joy.
My 1982 Sansui PL-51 programmable, direct drive, linear tracking turntable still has pride of place atop my component system.
Had a 9090 as a teenager. Got in a lot of trouble with that. It was very loud let’s say. I even had a funeral home director come over and asked me to turn the music down. They were trying to have a funeral. But I have a 7070 today and it’s going strong I love it. Four Sansui speakers. I bought a 6060 for my son, and another friend. I guess you could say I’m a Sansui guy. Thanks so much for all the information. It’s some stuff I’ve always wondered about.
Those Sansui's were so good they were worried they'd wake the dead... haha
Still have my 8080!! As a young musician, i did a lot of woodsheding plugging my Bass into the mic input playing along with the radio and all my albums!! It was a real workhorse. Still works but needs work.
Sansui was by far the most amazing stereo system when I was in high school in 1972. I still remember the first time a friend invited me over to experience his new Sansui system. Sitting between two speakers while listening to The Beatles' "I Am the Walrus," it was as if I could hear every instrument distinctly. Even quality headphones couldn't duplicate the stunning fidelity of the Sansui system.
Sansui was the pinnacle of audio equipment of my teens and also very rare, expensive, and almost not obtainable due to international sanctions and embargoes. AKAI was also sought after, as was Kenwood and Pioneer. A history of AKAI would also be interesting.
Thanks, lots of requests coming for that one!
Depends on the places you audio-shopped. I was in high-end shops in the 70's that wouldn't carry Sansui, Kenwood, Sherwood, Scott and the like. Sansui had the best light show at night and they always seemed to be upping the ante on power/features.
Yamaha
Actually Sansui had alot of issues which kept them from Pioneer, Marantz kind of success and then Yamaha entered and it was a slow death after that. I sold Hi Fi in the late 70's early 80's
@@LennyFlorentine I can understand, especially if it's one of the tape recorders with the glass coated heads (like the GX-635D), aside from modern hard drives I don't think anyone else has done that with magnetic heads.
11:44 - the 707 and 607 you showed are the ones from the 70s. The mid-90s versions look similar to the au a907 you showed.
Correct! The AU-707 was the Japanese domestic market model of the International AU-717, they also released the US Military model AU-710. All were produced 1976-79
I have a bunch of Sansui gear and use it often. Some belonged to my military dad that he bought over seas and other stuff I have acquired. Love the warm full spacious sound. Hope to keep it in the family another generation.
The stories those systems could tell...
I bought a big heavy Sansui amp and speakers in 1977, if memory serves it was an AU 9500? with all black face. I also bought an Akai auto reverse cassette deck, and an Akai reel to reel as well as a seperate dolby unit. You could plug everything including the kitchen sink, 80Watts continuous per channel if memory serves. It stopped working some years later (mid 80's)and I had great trouble getting it fixed (power transistors). Worked well again for another few years, and when it went again, I could not get it fixed sadly. Wonderful unit, you could hear its output in the next suburb. All I have left now is those wonderful Sansui 100w speakers which still sound beautiful after almost 50 years! Sansui was worth every cent at the time.
My AU9500 needs a power transistor, and probably new caps as well...
Long ago I had a Sansui 1000A Tube Type Receiver, Technically rated at 28 watts per channel, that receiver could pump out sound all day long like much much more powerful receivers. Old but awesome.
Those were great!
I still have my Sansui 1000a that i bought in the early 70s when i was 16. I loved that thing. Parents hated it. But i think it was 60 warrs per channel because it has 4 6L6 output tubes in push pull parallel. With 3 iron core transformers that thing is HEAVY! I plugged it in a couple years ago and when i turned it on it immediately blew the AC fuse :(
@@dreammix9430 Yeah I was quoting the RMS power at 8 ohms, that’s too bad it’s blowing the fuse, i would bet that like old TV’s that it needs the capacitor cans rebuilt. Wish I still had mine.
@@MysticFrequencies yeah those caps are probably dry as a bone. I just cant get rid of it though. Too many memories.
Edit: maybe ill rebuild it... when i retire :)
Speaking of the great company, I still have my 1975 direct drive Sansui turntable, it cost me 1/3rd of my initial stereo which was 3 months wages. Things are so cheap these days as well as poorer quality. I used it daily until about 17 years ago when I "got together" with someone who had pretty much NO interest in perfect music reproduction. Shortly after I bought it, well years, the only thing I did to it was replace the head shell and cartridge with a unit that cost more than the entire thing, and then spent 1/3rd the cost again on an audiophile needle. The electronics is good and the drive motor phenomenal lasting so long and with it's precision speed still there. Oh yeah I had to replace one of the speed adjusting pots (as I constantly used it) in the late 90's. Nice to hear the brand Nakamichi mentioned here, wish I had one of their decks, but back then they cost 1.5 times what my entire initial separate component stereo did! A little off topic here but great video man.
The Sansui 9090DB was the receiver that got me into HiFi back in 1976 when I was 12 years old. It belonged to my oldest brother who had it paired up with a pair of Technics SB7000A speakers.
About same age too!
Thank you for this video. I always wondered what became of Sansui. I had an AU-777 for many decades and when it was time to replace it the brand was nowhere to be found. I loved that amp.
As a US Army guy I was stationed at Reese, in Augsburg Germany from 1977 to 1979. The PX had every conceivable thing of stereo gear. Sansui had a place there. I bought by Spec and owned a Sunsui amp and tuner, and several other Sansui pieces. Sansui was best by specs and price. All of my Sansui is gone now. I am now interested in top quality tube amps and tuners at the best price. Somersworth, NH
I was in Ansbach at the same time. Bamberg and Nuremberg were the bases we went for our equipment. We were absolute experts on drugs and stereo equipment.
Love a history lesson. What a shame what eventually happened to Sansui. I have my late fathers 441 receiver he purchased in the mid 70’s I believe. I was a young kid. Sounds good to this day.
I own a Sansui AU-G99X, purchased back in 1986 and it still sounds beautifully, paired with Bode 901 V6
I just bought an AU-G77X on eBay for $192 + $60 shipping at an auction. I was the second bidder.
I own a Sansui 9090 that I bought for $100 maybe 15 years ago. Sounds incredible and whenever I get the itch to buy a new amp, I put that money into components instead and keep the 9090 as the core of my system. I've had it serviced a few times and one time the tech didn't do the best job. Wish I had some way to get it to Just Audio all the way from Chicago for some of your expert service work!
We can arrange a freight pickup and delivery at an additional cost.
Was it Deltronics by chance that did the bad work?
@@alexw890 No, I lived in NYC at the time and it was a place on Long Island called In House Audio Repair.... or something like that. It didn't help matters any that I was also ignorant about hifi at the time too.
Helped my friend pick out a stereo system at Circuit City in NC circa 1984. He ended up with a Sansui receiver powering some Micro Acoustics speakers (odd brand - not Boston Acoustics - but sounded good) and a Pioneer cassette deck with a Technics turntable and the ubiquitous Discwasher record cleaner. Even his wife liked it and didn't complain too much about his "hobby". Life was good. The AM/FM tuner on that Sansui was every bit the equal to my Pioneer.
😮
I got a '69 5000a a few months ago. Kinda the same thing at my house. In the first couple weeks, three times or so, the wife just stopped for a second, unprompted, and said " That sounds REALLY nice."
The guys at the store said Marantz was generally warm and mellow, while the "Sansui sound" is a little more lively. I love it!
Ouch. I followed Sansui's long, sad decline up until about 2000, then sort of forgot about it (and Kenwood, and Denon...it was getting all too depressing). Thanks for bringing me up to speed here, and definitely looking forward to more like this.
Yeah, everything gets kinda foggy around 90s and 00s, glad you enjoyed!
I purchased a Samsung 771 receiver in the mid seventies while a Marine stationed in Okinawa. I also had Sansui speakers, I don't remember the model. That setup lasted for at least 15 years. I eventually replaced it with a Pioneer receiver. I sold it at some point in a yard sale. It was a little sad because it had served me well for so many years.
When I was working at an audio store in 1979-81, I used to deal with the Sansui representative all the and went many times to pick up special orders for customers. However, since I was a military dependent, I was able to purchase my own components through the military PX.
When my uncle, a Viet Nam vet, passed away over 30 years ago, my family got his belongings. Included was his Sansui G-8000, that I still have.
Back in the 80’s & 90’s, my grandmother worked for the Hect Co. department stores as a sales person in their electronics department. This was back in the day when most of America purchased their stereos, televisions, appliances, etc. in department stores. Sansui, even back then, was positioned as a top-brand line…above brands like Fisher, Sanyo, Sony, RCA, etc. For many, hi-fi meant a “rack system” of plug-and-play components that included matching speakers. In hindsight, pretty much every system coming out of department stores from this era was probably made by the same Chinese or Taiwan factories…they just had different branding and faceplates. One thing I’d like to mention is that there was a clear brand that was really different that you could find in the department stores back then: Philips/Magnevox. Of course, they had that European difference to them, but beyond that, they were built to a higher state and had better performance. Those first CD players from Magnevox are still considered the best performing and sounding players ever…would’ve been great to see if the rest of Philips/Magnevox gear could have matched the Technics/Kenwood/Pioneer/Onkyo gear of that day. Great history lesson, Lenny!
Awesome share! Everyone should read this! Phillips also made pretty much every cd mech for 90% of the cd players ever made regardless of who made them.
I bought the Sansui G-4700 in about 1981...still have it and it sounds and looks awesome. Still has the emblems attached to the front.
My very first integrated amp was a 301i Sansui. I always liked that it sounded very soothing and musical, although it lacked in the analytical department. Which, on the other hand, made listening to mediocre productions much easier.
Since the mid 1970s, when I was buying my main stereo gear, and coincidentally got my start in radio as a disc jockey then engineer, I repeatedly saw two manufacturers names inside of every piece of equipment I ever opened up.. Toshiba and Matsushita. Unless I’m terribly mistaken, almost all Japanese audio equipment, during the 70s and early 80s, was built from components from those two companies, later including JVC (Japan Victor Corporation). I don’t remember ever needing to open up Sansui products from that era because they just worked so well for so long. This video makes me want to crack open a Sansui amplifier, tape deck or EQ and see who’s inside.
Its a shame, I always thought it was some of the best equipment on the market, however a lot of the good companies have disappeared.
But the crappy companies are still around? 😮
I bought a Sansui receiver from a pawn shop just outside of Fort Hood in 1978. That thing kicked ass and beat anyone’s system in our barracks. Had it for about ten years and it stopped working. Took it to a few repair shops but no one could fix it. Kept the Sansui speakers for another 20 years after that. Great audio
I had a Sansui AUD-33 amplifier which included a Super Feedforward System for distortion reduction, which I bought in 1983. It was a wonderful amp which I kind of regret selling around 1999. I hope it's still in use somewhere.
Great video. My house is full of vintage Sansui from the golden age. Once I learned about the golden age of stereo just before the stereo wars I focused there and went through a bunch of Sansui gear. I grew up on Pioneer in the 70's but love vintage Sansui.
I am not a fan of Sansui speakers by any stretch but, I love their receivers/amps. I just got a Sansui Eight for a good deal and it has been such a joy to listen to for the past few weeks. I have a G-4700 that needs repair soon too.
The eight is great! Ship it in to us for restoration!
Thoughts on the Sansui TR-707A ? My dad brought it back from his time in the service, still works but is currently not in use (maybe I should hook it up!)
I have always loved Sansui. They were easy to repair and they had a nice look. You could feel the quality in the sound they produced. Too bad I didn't keep any.
Totally agree!
Wow....memories....I bought a Sansui 8080db receiver back in the late 70's from Crazy Eddie's in NY for $400 and that was considered a great deal. Loved that receiver. It could pump out volumes to any speaker at that time. Those were the good ol' days!!
In the late 80s, Sansui had some car audio amplifiers, too. Only they were made by Precision Power, Inc. (aka PPI). PPI was renowned for making some of the best sounding car audio amps, and the line they made for Sansui were excellent as well. It's a shame that some of these brands that were considered high-end back in the day have been whored out by conglomerates.
Yeah a shame!
@JustAudioHiFi correction, I meant late 80's. Lol
Never knew that.
I had a PPI 2150 and that thing was bulletproof.
Some of those 80s and early 90s car amps as well as some head units are going for a pretty penny.
@nickmrt2670 old school PPI amps were awesome. I built a sound system for my car, and I run PPI Power Class amps from the late 90's. Almost 30 years old and still sound amazing. You couldn't beat the USA made amps. And yeah, they're going for a pretty penny. Old school brands like Orion and Linear Power are crazy expensive right now.
Nice name drops coming over all fuzzy. I still have my sansui car amp. Monster!! The heat sink looked like it had been built from a battle ship. I must dust it off. I miss my 7909. My Phoenix gold eq230 is now doing some time in my home cinema.
When I first got to Germany, everybody had killer stereo's. I had a QRX-1500 and then got the QRX-5500 and I still have my 4 Sansui SP-2500(?)
As an owner 3 9090DB's , I agree with the greatness of Sansui!!
Now you need some G Series just because. Thanks Dan!
@@LennyFlorentine Well......maybe, not really my style.....but about that 1980!!! Take a Monster Kenwood on partial trade???
Back in the day I had an AU-777, it was by far the best sound amp I've ever owned. I got it with two Sansui speakers too, can't remember what model they were, but the sound was just awesome. My neighbor played electric guitar, he loved to plug into my system, he'd have the walls shaking! I also had an Akai X300 10" reel to reel tape recorder, what a heavy beast that was. Man, I miss those days! Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Thanks for sharing!
Recently acquired a late 1980's AU X711 integrated, it was not cheap but what a nice unit. Part of the Alpha series which are considered as good as it gets. Also use a Sansui SR 525 turntable, fully manual direct drive.
Too bad you skipped that time frame, there were a few highly regarded models produced such as the X711 and X911 culminating into those final years.
@@TheKyotoKid they did indeed - the 711/911 are lovely amps. Interestingly, in Japan they made even bigger versions of those amps for the local market, including the big 33kg Alpha x-balanced 907 models. They are truly works of art.
In the late 70's I had an 8080DB... Loved it!!!
Another terrific video! I bought a Sansui 9090 receiver a few years ago, and the build quality is first-rate. The quality of the switches and the heaviness of the large volume knob gives one the confidence this receiver will be working long after I'm dead. The sound has so much depth and comes on strongly if you let it. I use it all the time and love it. Please keep creating these videos, and Thank You!!
I was in the Army, stationed in Germany in 1978. We were absolute experts on stereo equipment. JBL 100 speakers, Sansui 890db receiver, Teac tape deck and real to real tape.
That is really sad, A Tragic ending of a great company.
Bought an AU-417 in 1971, still going strong today. Listening to this utube channel with it and a pair of Sansui speakers.
Sansui until end of 70s made music machine, which were build lile tank, reliable... Wish to have Sansui Quadraphonic receiver 😊
Yeah their QRX quads rocked! Thanks for sharing.
I bought my first vintage reciever in 2013, a Sansui QRX-5500. I had it serviced and cleaned up, it's been Rocking in my garage ever since, with two sets of era correct Sansui Speakers.
I just purchased my Dream Sansui, a G-7500... and it sounds Glorious.
You can't go wrong with a Sansui from 1970-1979.
Great Videos Sir.
Cheers.
They were built like no others electronic product a solid frame my au-9500 must weight around 50-60 pounds and when you look inside you can really see that it was an electronic marvel of its time the perfection is outstanding each circuit were build to work for hundred years, i'm sure that a day someone else will receive my amp and discover the sound quality of the 1960-1970 !
One local audio dealer lamented the fact that many Veterans returning from SE Asia were picking up cheaper hifi gear on their way back to the US upon their separation from Military Obligations and it definitely impacted the US Stereo Market. Sansui was one of the major brands leading the market in the very late 60’s and early 1970s. The rest is audio history.
Very true
In 1973 I owned a SANSUI 6500. Bought it in Germany while I was in the Army. Paired with a set of rectilinear floor speakers. The most awesome stereo I ever owned
I still have a qrx 6500 from 1973 had it gone over a couple of times since then. Still runs good!
In 1996 or 97, i happened to listen to a Sansui made CD player. It was for the first time I had listened to the CD sound. It sounded amazing. Even though I have heard systems costing much more, the sound of that Sansui CD player remains afresh in my mind.
I bought a Sansui integrated amp in Japan in 1978. It was AWESOME
We owned a few Sansui receiver amps and speakers when I was growing up. You used to be able to find them cheap at thrift stores. They were huge, heavy, and sounded great. I really took them for granted back then.
When I started getting into hi-fi in the UK in the mid seventies, Sansui were highly respected - even their budget amps! I still have my turntable, a 222 mk2 that still looks classy 44 years later!
I bought my G-7500 new in 1979, and it was incredible. About the 20 year point some solder joints needed re-done, and I got another 10 years out of it. It was incredible sounding, not to mention the memories that went with it. I won't part with it. I could have it gold-plated, but it really doesn't need it. It is beautiful as is.
You guys are remarkably affective at making me want to forage through my spare junk room (similar to a kitchen junk drawer) to get reacquainted with my retired gear. Most appreciated! New old found treasure.
Haha! That's great
I have two vintage receivers that I don't see me ever parting with. One is a 1969 Sansui 4000. Love the sound. I was fortunate enough to pick it up a few years ago locally.
In the mid 1980's I worked at Sansui in Lyndhurst NJ. I was the receiving manager/bench tech during this time. To this day I still own my AU-G90x spl800 d590 cassette players an a few others. I resigned and left just a few months before the east coast office closed. In a nutshell seeing our returns I would truly believe that venturing low end was one of our downfalls. We also had issues with somewhat questionable retailers such as crazy eddy. as a receiving manager I would inspect the returns and direct them to the proper technicians for repair. There were many occasions where our units were adulterated by our partners and sold under the guise of our name. As hard as we could try to stop them it just seemed a losing battle. Adding to that fact was internal US employment issues within the company. Even so with these issue I was and still am honored to have worked with a great group of people, Including but not limited to Mister Omikawa San, Mister Ito, Mister Soda, and Mister Matsumoto. I have always believed that Sansui like the Phoenix will once again rise from the ashes. You just can't match the level and commitment they put into their products.
That’s amazing, I’d love to hear more!!
@@LennyFlorentine Sure I'd love to answer any questions just looking for a new home now but thanks for that memory even now I fondly remember my times there.
Great stuff, thanks. I was a speaker rep in the 80's, military bases in Europe. Sansui rep was making bank.....
Nice! I need to find pictures from those bases!
They would be Polaroids, hahaha
I bought my Sansui 5000A receiver along with an Akai D355 reel to reel and a pair of Pioneer A30 speakers in 1973. I was in college at Oregon state. I found them on the buy sell board at the campus commons. A USAF person had purchased them shortly before while stationed in Japan. He was selling the system for tuition money. The best $250 purchase I have ever made! Still using to this day!
I bought a Sansui 661 receiver at a tag sale about 20 years ago for a dollar. It's what I'm listening to this video with. A dollar well spent.
In 1979 I purchased a Sansui G-8000 Stereo Receiver as my High School Graduation Gift, it was awesome.
I used it until the early 1990s.
Wow!
@@LennyFlorentine Yeah, it was a beautiful receiver, I was running though a fantastic pair of Scott speakers, a matched pair with book-matched walnut veneers.
Wish I still had that setup today.
I've still got Dad's Sansui 4000 that he bought at the PX in Vietnam back in 1970. I did have to get some capacitors replaced last year but, hey, what other equipment lasts 50+ years and can still be fixed?! I still love the sound in the man cave, superior to my more modern receiver in the living room. I grew up with this unit and it just seems like an old familiar friend. :-)
Nice tutorial. I bought an 881 in 1976 and it's still with me, working perfectly.
I worked in the A/V retail industry from 1984 to 2008, and a bit here and there until 2014. No place I worked at ever sold Sansui, but I always heard great things about the brand. Mostly from ex-GI's, who told me they bought their Sansui products from their base PX's. Those early 70's receivers looked awesome, especially those massive 9000 series.
Thanks for sharing!
My family has had a Sansui QR-1500 since I was a child. My family raised me in SoCal listening to KMET and later KLOS. I remember when John Lennon passed and my mom, shocked by the news coming through that unit. My dad would listen to Chick Hearn on AM. Dad passed many years ago but Mom is still cruisin at 75 and every time I turn the power dial, I think of them both. I'm 52 now and that same 'ol receiver is now in my home with our same 'ol Audio Lab loudspeakers. Those 15 measly watts still sound so good.
I had a Sansui 5500 that was a real monster. It had inputs for everything imaginable. Including a mic input on the front panel. It had the smoothest knobs and switches of any piece of equipment I’ve ever known. It finally started crapping out about 1994 or so and, regrettably, I had to let it go.
My father was a real fan of the brand and he had a complete Sansui hifi system with big amp, a weird cassette deck with no door, a real-to-real tape deck, DSP and everything. Before that, he had a great integrated amp/tuner a bit like the one on the thumbnail. I remember I was amazed by the number of inputs and outputs, tape monitor switches and routing features. Left and right channels had their own tone controls on coaxial knobs and I remember that the potentiometers were super smooth and felt like there was some damping. It was also super heavy. You bring back good memories 🙂
I have an 881 for more than 50 trouble free years and still love it. I enjoyed you sharing your knowledge. Thank You.
Great to hear!
I bought a Sausui S-X1200 in July 1989. I still have it and it still works. It had a processor switch and a Tape Mon 2 - so it could accommodate 2 equalizers using 2 separate inputs.
Although not readily available at first glance, I have purchased and have currently installed, a set of Sansui 5.25" Splits in my car.
They sound pretty decent IMO at least.
🤷🏻
Very cool!
Sansui my all time favourite audio brand. Love my never-selling AU-d11/TU-s9, AU-8500 & G-8000. Looking for some 8080/9090, AU-9900.
Great video!
I still use my Sansui Amp, Tuner and speakers bought in Japan I the early 70's . Love the quality of the blackface.
In 1978 I drove from NW PA to Crazy Eddies in NYC to buy my Sansui receiver. Fantastic piece of equipment. Worked flawlessly and sounded great.
1972 while in the navy i purchased a sansui 5000x along with a pair of 80 watt speakers..... still sounds fabulous!!!
Bought my first stereo when I was 18, an AU-D9 amp togheter with the TU-S9 Tuner.
Year later a SE-9 eq.
I'm almost 60 now and still have the set............still working fine.
The only thing that was done, was recapping the amp in 2022 due to a lack of punch.
My dad has a AU-7700/ TU7700 set, amp is also reccapped and is playing every day.
Build like a tank.
My Sansui AU 7900 integrated amplifer I purchased in 1975 was completely rebuilt last year with all new capcitors and it powers my black laquer JBL 100T's. The system will never be sold. Thanks for the video. I enjoyed it.
I have the QRX-9001. It is in need of competent repair. You do have a company that repairs your equipment so I am a wondering if you could let me know their contact information so that I can get this formerly beautiful amp repaired. I have the United States Postal Service to thank for the treatment of my property when I sent it back from overseas.
I think Pink Floyd released a quad version of Dark Side of the Moon. I bet they had a couple of those early quad receivers at home.
In the early 90s, I picked up a used Sansui unit meant for home video editing. It provided a couple of effects and transitions, which was interesting, but the bit I actually used, was some audio noise reduction. I used to use it in the process of digitizing records and tapes. It's still somewhere in my house, but no idea where. Until this video popped up, I'd pretty close to forgotten about it. I really liked it a lot...and I think I may have had something else they made, but I can't really recall for sure.
Bought a Sansui AU-G77X integrated amp in the 80's and still use it today in my analog listening room. 110 watts / channel still sounding good.
In 1974, I was a sophomore in High School. I worked a summer job to but a Pioneer Turntable and a Sansui receiver. I played the crap out of it! When I went into the Air Force, I gave to my father, who a.so loved music and played the crap out of it . Dad passed away in 2016, and I got my receiver back. It is now in my music room next to my Marshall amp and it still continues to kick butt!
I bought a Sansui 8080db in 1977 while stationed in Korea. Brought it back to Fort Ord. Rocked the Casba for real
I bought my first hifi in 1982. Sansui. Knew every model, studied them. Complete fan boy.
Then in 1985, they released the blue stripe collection. That was the end right there.
Thanks for the heads up on the older gear. I'd love to get one of those older Receivers
About 74 I was in the Philippines.. got lost at 3am at there was a Sansui sign at the base and walked towards it and got back to base ..Been a fan ever since.