Best vintage Sansui integrated

In 1975, my best friend had a Sansui 1000a 50 wpc tube receiver. My other friend Sansui "super receiver" 9090DB with 125wpc solid state.

We didn't know why, but all of us knew that the tubed receiver sounded better.

Years later, here we are selling tons of tubes amps at Upscale Audio.

But since I have reached the ripe old age of 54, I have gon backwarded to my you. I have a couple mint 9090DB (which sound like ass) and maybe seven 1000A which I have had restored at great expense, along with some vintage JBL Jubals.

Get a 1000A. It will need to be re-capped, but the payback is huge. I sold the AU-919 new when I worked at Cal Stereo, and they are fine, but there is no emotional hook.

I am the original owner of Sansui AU 717. This is a very good sounding amplifier. Over the years I bought a lot of amplfiers and receivers (Pionner,Nad,Denon,Yamaha,Onkyo,Cambridge)but always came back to my Sansui to listen to music. Please don't forget you need to start with a good source after a good turntable or CD player they make all the difference in the world.

In the late '70s I had a situation that forced me to downsize my system. Sansui had a poor reputation among "serious" hobbyists in the US then but a couple of Brit magazines gave very positive reviews. So I ended up buying an AU-717 to drive the used Maggie MG-1s I found. That was a wonderfully musical system. It even impressed one friend who owned a very high end (read expensive) system built around Hill Plasmatronic speakers.

A few years later I took a Sansui 9090 receiver in trade, that had a fair reputation but I found it just average for a Japanese receiver.

More recently another friend told me about owning and liking an AU-717 some years before we met.

I don't have experience with other Sansui amps but I would say a 717 or 919 could be a good choice if in good condition and with old electrolytic caps replaced.

I currently use a Sansui AU 919 and it is a wonderful amp. Very neutral and powerful, no problems driving difficult loads. I owned a Bryston B-60sst integrated before this (great amp), and I prefer the Sansui. Modern DOES NOT mean better... I would highly recommend the 919!!!

"My second system has a Sansui AU D-11 (re-capped and upgraded) feeding EPI 100s (refoamed). Very nice pairing."

Very classic pairing!

My second system has a Sansui AU D-11 (re-capped and upgraded) feeding EPI 100s (refoamed). Very nice pairing.

No doubt that Sansui was one of the better integrateds of its day and in good condition should sound pretty good even by modern standards.

The unique things it might have going for it compared to more modern options are the range of usability features found in it specifically and more typical of integrateds back then, if these are of value to the buyer, and of course potential value buying an older piece in good condition.

If the features are not needed, and depending on the price, you might be able to do better with a more modern amp soundwise. It all depends.

No doubt they do not make'em like that anymore. That alone might be enough to close the deal.

BTW I have never owned any Sansui gear but did sell Sansui along with many other brands of gear working as a sales guy at Tech Hifi back in those days. I'd list these two pieces as among the ones that I would have been quite satisfied owning back then.

That series Sansui would put out much greater power at low impedences; the 919 was well above 300 watts at 2 ohms if I remember. It was quite heavy; usually a sign of a good power supply.

Curious why the Sansuis specifically?

THe thing is that back in the day of these amps, there were few capable of really driving the best more modern design speakers to their max due to limited current delivery and other factors. Amp technology has advanced considerably since making many more modern amps better choices to really get the most out of most modern day speakers.

Personally, I think the Sansui might be a good choice at the right price, but only with the right speakers.

For all ordinary uses the AU-717 is a great amp. Is it the absolutre best ever..., no I have better amps from other manufacturers.

My roommate had the AU-717 when it was a current model and I still think it was an incredible sounding amp. It was 85WPC. Not quite enough for the low impedance load of Double Advents in parallel though as sometimes it would shut down during extended high volume sessions with Michael Jackson or Greg Kihn playing. It always turned back on after a little rest and cool down and still sounded great.

I had the 919; I think the consensus was that it was better than later ones. The high frequencies were fine on the 919. The AU-X1 was even better but hard to find; I had one of those also. I had these at the same time I was a Krell dealer so had good amps to compare them with.