Sansui CA 2000 preamp

linn9000,

I have no doubt your equipment is still working fine and still sound great, my experience shows otherwise though.  Caps in those older models are getting on in years and will eventually fail, probably already drifted off spec as well. really when your getting into 30+ year old electronics its just a mater of time before something goes and when that cheep cap or resistor goes and takes your transformer with it (been there done that) expensive, hard to find (usually) and rarely new. I've refreshed a few vintage pieces now and everyone sounded way better afterwards. CA 2000. TU717, Treo 100, Dynaco Mk4 Mono's, so far and everyone was much improved.  

Thanks guys looks like I’ll pick it up and have it serviced and updated as needed. Again thanks for the feedback 

glen 

I picked it up and had it recapped, some small transistors replaced and diodes etc.  I'm shocked at how nice this preamp is. It's dead quiet (100db speakers so I'd know), full of life, musical as hell and a huge sound stage. very detailed top to well the 50hz I get out of my speakers lol. not at all muddy and slow as I expected from a vintage piece. I forgot how useful tone controls are in a multi use system ( tv-movies-music). Over all best $1000pre+$500 (parts and labour for recap etc.) I've spent in audio in a long time. Lets not get into how nice it is to look at, well I suppose that user opinion. 

I really like how slow the taper in the volume ramps up at first, for us hi efficiency speaker owners its a blessing to be able to use more then a few deg of rotation.  

I have to say they really did build some nice equipment in the late 70's early 80's. trying out vintage as proven a good move, in this case anyway. 

I'll bet a nice tube amp would be a great combo or maybe a class D amp always wanted to try one. 

well cheers all my friends thanks for the help

Glen 

I've been running it all refreshed for the better part of this year and its quite surprisingly good. I've driven Dynaco Mk4 mono blocks (also moded),  Audio Note Quest's ( borrowed for a month while i was considering buying them), Finale Audio 300b amp and a surprisingly good little  Burson Bang (22wpc) that little guys is quite detailed and extended and drives the horns very well, almost better then some of the tube amps I've tried. 105db speakers mind you.

 I expected the old Sansui to be overly warm and well vintage sounding and its far from that.  I'd say its very neutral  (with the tone bypass engaged) and the volume control is so smooth and responsive. Its really nice having more then a couple inputs and two sets of switchable (1,1+2, 2) outputs.  I really like many of the features these older preamps offer that the newer ones have dumped decades ago. obviously when you use many of them it degrades the sound slightly but fortunately you can bypass it all. 

over all I'm quite happy with the sound. yes there's better but from what I've heard in comparisons you need to spend many $thousands and lose all/most of the features. Only thing I'd like is a remote but I can live without it. 

 I've been pulling back from the supper high end and exploring vintage and obscure gear. As my hearing degrades as I age (55) and from my tinnitus I don't see the need to chase the never ending quest for ultimate sound that in my experience just ends up being too detailed, too in your face and no musicality.

there's a point when a Ferrari is just a car and your paying for a name and bling nothing really more.  Same goes for audio equipment some are willing to pay for the name and bling I've moved passed that in my music quest and just want to enjoy the music with out  evaluating the sound quality all the time.