Sansui?

If that's what he remembers, then get him what he wants. Their old stuff does have a good reputation, but you'll probably overpay for a piece in good condition because he's not the only older guy that's nostalgic for those pieces. 

I bought two Sansui amplifiers ...

The last one is a Sansui alpha 607i i fail to upgrade from it 2 months ago  when buying one of the best tube amplifier for headphone there is and  i returned the tube amp after few minute listenings almost because there was no comparison ...

I paid 300 bucks this Sansui who i use now only for my top Headphone very hard to drive well ...( Akg K340 ) .... I will keep it till my death ...😁

The Vintage modified K340 beat all my other 9 headphones and i will never use any of them for music... Driven by the Sansui they are speaker like ...

Vintage does not means outdated or outclassed ...

Audio is about acoustics science and synergy not about marketing gear design so called new upgrades...

Receiver of any Branded name will not beat their best integrated ...

I stipulated a receiver because I assumed that Sansui didn't offer an integrated in the 80's.  Probably a bad assumption - as I said, I'm clueless about the 80's.  So let's say integrated, just not separates.  Since he doesn't have a big vinyl or CD collection, I'm assuming he'll need a streamer/DAC.

Look at the Sansui alpha integrated ...

I never look back ...

This is the best of Sansui :

https://audio-database.com/SANSUI/amp/index2.html

@mahgister +1! That Alpha 907i from 1987 looks pretty impressive! List price was 260,000 yen, around $2600 dollars. Which one do you have?

@mahgister many thanks.  There's an alpha 907 for sale on USAudiomart!  What period speakers would pair well with this amp?

I own the Au alpha 607i... It is not the top model...

But i did not even succeed to upgrade it with a ZOTL Berning tube amp... Synergy matter too then even if the zotl with his refined linear independant power supply was more silent there is no comparison on all aspects of sound using my K340 which are any way are probably the hardest headphone to drive well ...Not in raw power but with volt swing ...( they had two different cells of 350 Ohms impedance , a dynamic one and an electret one and a complex dual acoustic chamber , there is no other hybrid headphone today by the way in the way they work)

Sansui never even export to America the best of their alpha top models for many reasons one being Us/yen change in these years ...

Those who think Sansui is outdated make me smile ... Their ratio S.Q. /sound quality especially today bought used at 1000 or 2000 bucks beat many modern offerings...I pay my alpha 300 bucks 8 years ago but i used my AU 7700 with my big speakers not the Alpha because i loved the Au 7700 so much...

But my K340 ask for a more clean amp more refined and more detailed then i disconnected the Au 7700 and the Alpha was so good i will die with it....There is better but at 10,000 bucks not at few thousand... Why i bought them ?

Because products that are of mythical status with no negative review after 45 or 35 years and sold good price used, these products reviewed by users decade after decade says more than any reviewers can spell today about a new hyped product which nobody will remember in 10 years ... ...

And when i bought my Sansui alpha and paid it 300 bucks there was no top audiophile amplifier a  so good product under 1000 bucks at all ... It is true today too even if the actual price used of the 607i will be around 1000 bucks now ...For the 907i a notch over it will certainly double the price used ...

@mahgister +1! That Alpha 907i from 1987 looks pretty impressive! List price was 260,000 yen, around $2600 dollars. Which one do you have?

The Sansui alpha will drive well most speakers i guess , it is a synergy question ...

Myself i will buy a Tannoy dual concentric if i would need speakers... They are mythical product too and i owned a pair for 45 years ... 😊

be very careful to order one out of the Us or Canada ... Scammer know that these products are in demand ...

My actual system for the price is so good , low cost yes, but not low-fi at all ... I pity those who own costlier system...I am not far behind them as much as they think ...😁

What matter in audio is synergy first, buying the right components for sure but the price tag dont tell the story here about the acoustic final experience and satisfaction ...Acoustics knowledge rule after synergy and the way we learn how to embed mechanically, electrically and acoustically the system matter more than ANY UPGRADE ... Those who brag about price tag dont impress me now at all ... I learned a lot by experiments for few years because i am retired ... I know what is timbre, crosstalk, and spatial acoustic factors for example by learning how to control them at will in my room ... Buying and plugging costly component is not the hobby, learning acoustic or electronic design is...I learn acoustic but i dont design speakers nor amplifiers , i only learn how to put them rightfully in a room ..

My best to you ...

@mahgister many thanks. There’s an alpha 907 for sale on USAudiomart! What period speakers would pair well with this amp?

Sansui was big for the military at the PX during Nam. They made a few good pieces back in the day but SS has improved considerably since then. 

You can’t go wrong with the Sansu integrated. I have an AU 5900, I love it. You may want to look into having one recapped, then you know it will be reliable. I’ve had several Sansui. Pull the trigger, don’t look back.

Yes they improved it as headphones were improved too... But why my Sansui alpha was able to  beat the tube  Berning amp for synergy with the K340 then ?

And if they improve so well the headphone too why is my K340 was able to smoke to a bin trash my 9 other headphones ? do you have an answer ?

Synergy matter ; and  top flagship of the past are not trash nowadys.... Acoustic experience dont reduce to electronic design of the separate components ... We must also EMBED  the components then we listen to them not to their price tag ...

Sorry i could not resist to answer to your common place "evidence" ...

Sansui was big for the military at the PX during Nam. They made a few good pieces back in the day but SS has improved considerably since then.

Bought a new AU 717, TU717 & tape deck in 1978. Excellent system.

Might want to check in with the Audiokarma website. Those folks are knowledgeable on the vintage stuff and you're less likely to encounter a flame war.

Get your brother-in-law a pair of original JBL 100's or the 4312's to match the vintage Sansui amp. The Alpha 907i is a formidable piece!

Sansui 9090DB was the be-all end-all back in the day, and one of the sexiest looking receivers ever. I was the proud owner of one. Plenty out there.

I also had an AU717 and TU717. Both were great pieces. The tuner lost a channel and I never looked into getting it fixed.

I would take a look over at TMR. The Sansui pieces show up there once in a while for descent money and they make sure everything they sell works as it should..

An AU-9500 pushing a set of JBL 4311s in a vintage setup is a killer pairing. As mentioned, vintage Sansui & JBL were considered soulmates back in the day - still look and play with all the business!

I bought a Sansui  G-5700 (I think) for my kids. I was very impressed with the sound. Sansui of that era was very good, and to this day bring a very high price. In mainstream low end electronics, I think Sansui was very tough to beat. I would stay from anything that wasn't fully serviced including a recap. Receivers were quite good, but an integrated might bring a higher level of sound quality.

Highly recommend an AU-717 integrated. I have one bought new in 1980 and recently had it restored. A stunning piece that rivals many modern integrateds…and a classic well respected by many. Although not in use currently, having owned it for 40+ years, will never part with it. But they’re out there and not terribly expensive. 
 

My very first receiver was Sansui back in the late 60's. I had that thing for 20 years I would guess. No clue which model but it was a great receiver. 

I sold all these in the golden age from ‘73 to the coming of digital tuning. In receivers, the Eight Deluxe was the cream of the crop. In integrated amps, the AU999 and AU9500 were great. Models below were excellent too. I got my brother a 5050 he used for decades, replacing a stack of Dyna tube gear. The 7070 was the more powerful version. The higher models 8080 and 9090 were sold with Dolby NR onboard, a kind of vestigial organ.  Match any of these with KLH 5 reissues or JBL L100 reissues and your brother will be happy indeed. 

I purchased two Sansui AU-20000 integrated amps to  play 4 channel.  Also bought the matching TU-9900 tuner.  They were all special order units back then (1976 Japan).  

Give your brother as wide a choice of Sansui components as possible and let him choose.  By the way, large Advent speakers matched very well with this gear.

Regards,

barts

One of my friends came home from the Army with a Sansui integrated amp in 1974 along with a pair of Bose 901's.  Neither of us were what we would audiophiles then.  But they filled whatever room they were in, mostly Foghat, Led Zep. Who, Pink Floyd etc.  He still has it and it still works.

@whart +1 ... technology is too good contemporaneously 

Anybody know that technology improved a lot ...

Even me the "tin foil hat" idiot know it...😁

But few people here seems to need to think about the ratio money invested and the resulting final sound quality...

Because many people here seems to dance on a lake of money but not me and some others ...

There is also the minimal acoustic satisfaction threshold when reached which is not so far off the optimal acoustic satisfaction threshold that some "billionnairs" or some financially confortable people  thought anyway,  the same persons  who  without acoustic knowledge bragg about speaking of their costly  gear piece without even a dedicated acoustic room......

Then instead of claims about evidence everybody knows about : "today engineering audio  was an improvement "... We the informed poor dudes group😁 we think about the ratio sound quality versus cost and the minimal acoustic satisfaction threshold ..

Did you catch ?

😁

Sansui amplifier in a well embedded system and room beat most  system in a non well embedded system and room  if not in pure sound quality in cost without being far from almost anything of great sound quality ... The only exception is super costly sound system with no ceiling in cost...

In 1974 I was in the Navy and had a WestPac friend get me a Sansui Eight Deluxe and I chose the Acoustic Research AR 3a speakers, which supposedly haven’t aged well.

I recall looking at a range of speakers including KLH, JBL, Advent, Bose, Klipsch, etc. Japanese speakers weren’t an option I considered.

At the time the large Advents were the best bang for the buck and I listened to a pair of friend’s small Advents many enjoyable hours.

I think Sansui was also the importer for JBL to Japan starting 1968/69. 😎

Mike 

@whart +2

I had a Sansui integrated in the late 70s/early 80s. I wish I could recall the model. Anyway, it was fine. I did eventually move to an Onkyo A10, which seemed to be a clear upgrade. I ocassionally get the urge to fine another A10, but then common sense prevails.

I’ve got a g-9000 receiver and I love it. I also love the people that tell you that you’ll overpay for vintage equipment. Check out the prices for the new equipment.

the sky’s the limit. My sansui receiver, dahlquist 20 speakers, pioneer pl 518 turntable is just fine, thank you.

Steve Girko

I sold Sansui in 1970. The 5000 was the top receiver - 55 wpc; good FM section and we had very, very few returns/failures. In the Army, I bought a Sansui 7000 receiver (Sansui 7000 on the Mainland). Liked it a great deal. Used it with AR-2ax speakers. 

I still have my first piece of high end gear from 1973, a Sansui AU 9500.  I had it re-capped quite a few years back but only listened to it once.  It's been sitting there ever since.  It was top of the Sansui line coming in at 75 WPC, 20 to 20000, 4 to 16 ohm.  A good 50 lbs.  I'm gonna pull that thing out of storage tomorrow and take a listen.

My first receiver was a Sansui bought from my friend’s dad. I owned and played it for 15 years and passed it onto a new home. Loved the sound of it! 
 

- Steve

Back in the day I had a Sansui AU 9500 and I loved it. Everything about it was beautiful right down to the feel of the switches.

That being said, I have no idea what it would sound like to me today, but the memories are glorious.

Some of the love for vintage receivers is in the look as well, including the lights and meters.  You might not get the full "nostalgia" vibe with an integrated.  I have the 8080 (non DB) in my office system and like was mentioned before about a 9090, it is a real beauty and to my old ears, sounds great driving some ADS speakers.  A lot of Sansui owners talk about the synergy between Sansui and ADS.   It also sounded great with my Bozaks as well.  As for speakers, what kind of music does he like?  That will drive recommendations. I am currently an "all vintage" guy with gear from the 60's and 70's primarily, with a few pieces from the 80's.  It's a lot of fun!!

I sold and heard all the popular lines of the day back in the late 70s at Tech Hifi.  The Sansui 9090db was my 2nd favorite receiver.  Favorite was Tandberg tr2080 that I owned for many years. 
 

The asking prices for vintage Sansui and Marantz gear in good working order is off the charts these days.   Nice collector items.  

@johnnotkathi - my brother-in-law likes 70's rock, country, Jimmy Buffett and current blues (eg, Keb Mo).  Reverb has two alphas for sale at reasonable prices ($750 and $850) by a seller in Japan.  Paired with JBL 100's and I think he'd be a happy camper.

That would an awesome set-up!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa2Y95eQjNA

Thanks for this video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa2Y95eQjNA

I own the more affordable Sansui alpha 607i with the same basic technology and i used it as i said for his headphone out exclusively ...

And i miserably failed when i want to upgrade it to one of the best tube headphone amplifier in the world by all reviews account ...Think about it ...

This is testimony of this S.S. Sansui design quality even for the headphone out ...

Dont try to buy a top alpha they dont go on sale here very often ... they are sold in hours ... And at high price for vintage ... And this model is so rare good luck to buy one ...

Now ask yourself this question : Save for those crazy japanese audiophile company, who sold at high price today the same quality of components with on par sound quality at least ?

Answer : not many are crazy enough to discard  profit margin  to use so costly basic parts ...

is there better amplifier today ? Yes for sure but what are their cost ? Not peanuts ...

There is also a three part 1h thirty minute restoration video :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk8KXkT0ZuY

An upgraded Sansui TU-X1 tuner was the best sounding tuner of any I have ever owned, and I have owned many high end tuners. The upgraded Kenwood KT-917 i have is close. Better resolution but not quite as lush and with not quite as big a soundstage. Perhaps the only modern one close might be a later model Accuphase.