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Post by sandawa on Jan 21, 2005 9:42:21 GMT 7
I've been fascinated by these two Japanese brands for the past 20 years and still own three Sansui integrated amps, one Luxman preamp and will be acquiring more as upscale vintage models appear in used/surplus shops. As this forum expands, I'm sure there'll be members who would like to share experiences with, or inquire about, their vintage Sansui and Luxman units. Both brands, while still available in the market, were really like gems of the past. Sansui experienced problems since late '80s and was eventually sold to a new group in 2001. The original Luxman also fell hard and had to be rescued by Alpine, the company noted for its mobile audio. The golden era for Sansui started after WWII when it produced tube amps and ended in the '90s with its Alpha series, all built solid state. For Luxman's best, that would always be associated with the high-powered solid state and tube amps designed by Tim de Paravicini - now recognized as the high priest of valve (tube) audio. From 1972 to 1976, Tim was Luxman's engineer-designer. The brands' gems, therefore, are the vintage units produced during their best years. For a start here are resource sites you could browse: 1. www.sansui.us/index.shtml - this one tells it all plus links to other Sansui groups 2. page.freett.com/knisi/sansui07.htm - devoted to Sansui's 907 series and part of the classic niji list of best '60s to '80s Japanese audio 3. audiokarma.org/forums/index.php? - the best forum among Sansui websites 4. groups.yahoo.com/group/classicsansui/ - original Sansui enthusiasts thread until some members formed the Audio Karma-based group 5. www.classicsansui.net/default.htm - shos some Sansui projects 6. www.audioinvest.no/luxman/luxamp.htm - basic info on Luxman gears plus lots of links 7. www.ear-yoshino.com/products.htm - if you want to know more about Tim, his past work with Luxman and his new gears, this is his company's website |
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Post by wanderlust on Jan 21, 2005 11:51:36 GMT 7
like sir sandawa i am quite fascinated with this 2 brands, currently i own only to amps, a sansui and a luxman. many a time i have wanted to dispose of the luxman as i no longer use it, nakatago lang, still i cnt get myself in doing so (d pa nga masyadong magandang modelo luxman ko). both sound very different from each other yet you can not say one is better than the other. its like having the best of both worlds.... in the SS world that is. and i maybe going the way of the tubes still i have my eyes set for a good pair of sansui or luxman, and when it do come i wont pass it up.  |
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Post by sandawa on Jan 21, 2005 13:35:09 GMT 7
was reviewing an April 1994 HiFi Choice and an equivalent of your Sansui 907 Decade amp (British model: Sansui X911D) had a price of 900 pounds and was rated "Recommended." Take note that "Best Buy" ratings are given generally to entry-level gears (priced below 500 pounds) and hardly for expensive models. that price is equivalent to Adcom's preamp-power amp package (GFP555 and GFA535II) which is rated "Average" and Rotel's pre-power amp combi (RB/RC 980BX) which again was rated average. your unit costs four times the price of Nad 304 (next to Nad's 302 entry level model), which had a "Best Buy" rating. btw, Sansui's entry level X411 at 280 pounds also got a "Best Buy" rating. this shows British hifi critics' respect to Sansui notwithstanding their biases in favor of domestic and European brands.
also in this directory is Alpha 707 (a model below my Alpha 907) priced at 1,500 pounds, or at par with Audionote's Oto (valve), Quad 66/606 pre- power amp combination, and Sonic Frontiers' SFC 1. Audionote, of course, distributes Japan-made Ongaku and Gaku-on valve amps, the most expensive in the world at prices ranging from $100,000 to $250,000 per unit.
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Post by wanderlust on Jan 25, 2005 11:56:02 GMT 7
was reviewing an April 1994 HiFi Choice and an equivalent of your Sansui 907 Decade amp (British model: Sansui X911D) had a price of 900 pounds and was rated "Recommended." Take note that "Best Buy" ratings are given generally to entry-level gears (priced below 500 pounds) and hardly for expensive models. that price is equivalent to Adcom's preamp-power amp package (GFP555 and GFA535II) which is rated "Average" and Rotel's pre-power amp combi (RB/RC 980BX) which again was rated average. your unit costs four times the price of Nad 304 (next to Nad's 302 entry level model), which had a "Best Buy" rating. btw, Sansui's entry level X411 at 280 pounds also got a "Best Buy" rating. this shows British hifi critics' respect to Sansui notwithstanding their biases in favor of domestic and European brands. also in this directory is Alpha 707 (a model below my Alpha 907) priced at 1,500 pounds, or at par with Audionote's Oto (valve), Quad 66/606 pre- power amp combination, and Sonic Frontiers' SFC 1. Audionote, of course, distributes Japan-made Ongaku and Gaku-on valve amps, the most expensive in the world at prices ranging from $100,000 to $250,000 per unit. WOW  ang mahal nga nyan sir! thats about 5.5 M to 14M pesos, magarang bahay na eto sir ah! on the otherhand i didnt expect na oks din pala sansui ko, as i was aiming for an alpha 907, which hardly come to pass here sa pier. with this post sir, i think ill hold on to my sansui a little bit longer or until i find myself an alpha 907, baka meron dyan sir  imagine a lower model alpha series is almost twice as expensive as my decade how much more kung top of the line alpha... i cant help but wish  |
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Post by sandawa on Jan 25, 2005 14:12:27 GMT 7
relaks ka lang diyan. ang kailangan lang niyang 907 mo, katapat na speakers at good placement. ang tingin ko pag nakuha mo yung ideal set-up niyan mahirap nang talunin ng iba. sa dami na kasi ng dumaan sa akin at sa mahal ng equipment ngayon, system matching na lang ang pinaglalaruan ko. kaya bili ako ng bili, kahit luma basta magandang klase.
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Post by wanderlust on Jan 25, 2005 14:59:51 GMT 7
hehehehe....
actually sir was able to partner it perfectly with the 8.3, and the technics.
still the thought of owning an alpha 907 is quite exciting for me. tsaka syo kasi sir dami mong magagandang choices sa surplus at a much lower price thn here.
sana nga makapasyal ako dyn minsan ;D
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Post by kimosabe on Jan 27, 2005 9:25:38 GMT 7
many a time i have wanted to dispose of the luxman as i no longer use it, nakatago lang, still i cnt get myself in doing so (d pa nga masyadong magandang modelo luxman ko). both sound very different from each other yet you can not say one is better than the other. its like having the best of both worlds.... in the SS world that is. Dito lang ako sir.... nag-aabang |
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Post by kimosabe on Jan 27, 2005 10:40:42 GMT 7
wanderlust
natry mo na bang kabitan ng turntable yang Sansui mo? If you do, kamusta sya?
If ever na makabili kasi ako ng surplus amp with phono-in kasi balak kong bumili ng TT.
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Post by punk kid on Jan 27, 2005 10:45:01 GMT 7
[quote ajavascript:adds(" ") javascript:adds(" ")uthor=kimosabe link=board=amps&thread=1106275341&start=7#0 date=1106797242]wanderlust natry mo na bang kabitan ng turntable yang Sansui mo? If you do, kamusta sya? If ever na makabili kasi ako ng surplus amp with phono-in kasi balak kong bumili ng TT.[/quote] pre, mukhang mag TT ka na rin ah ;D |
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Post by kimosabe on Jan 27, 2005 12:25:17 GMT 7
pre, mukhang mag TT ka na rin ah ;D Balak palang sir. tsaka para ma experience ko rin kakasawa na kasi yung CD. |
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Post by wanderlust on Jan 31, 2005 12:52:45 GMT 7
Dito lang ako sir.... nag-aabang oo sir..... if this baby is sold it well be with u |
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Post by wanderlust on Jan 31, 2005 12:59:37 GMT 7
wanderlust natry mo na bang kabitan ng turntable yang Sansui mo? If you do, kamusta sya? If ever na makabili kasi ako ng surplus amp with phono-in kasi balak kong bumili ng TT. havent sir.... but i do have plans, yong kung my mahiraman kung TT  |
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Post by wanderlust on Feb 8, 2005 13:25:04 GMT 7
lately i hd the opportune to try the phono stage of both my sansui and luxman.
i am quite impressed, but ill reserve for the moment my observations as i am using 2 seperate speakers for both amps. i think mas maganda pa nga phono nito kaysa cd for the sansui and aux sa luxman naman. ;D
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Post by akyatbundok on Feb 8, 2005 16:07:04 GMT 7
ako din atty, reference phonostage ko yung sansui dati..... mas nagustuhan ko phonostage ng sansui kaysa dun sa accuphase at contodo (with stock tubes)..... di ko lang sure kung kaya na talunin ng contodo after ko mag-upgrade ng driver tubes to Telefunken & RCA...... pero mas mura pa yun buong sansui amp kaysa tubes ng contodo kaya best buy pa din hehehe.
ang gastos ko nga sa kuryente noon kasi kahit naka tube amp ako or hybrid setup, ginagamit ko pa din yun sansui amp para lang sa phono niya.
malas lang lumuwag na masyado yun terminals ngayon kaya wala nang tunog sa left channel..... kung pwede nga ipapakahoy yun circuit board ng phonostage at pagawan ng power supply & housing.
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Post by sandawa on Feb 9, 2005 8:21:32 GMT 7
just got price quotes from US Orion Bluebook for used audio. Americans still grab Sansui Alpha 607 in the used market at an average of $600 and Alpha 907 at $1,700. pretty cool for surplus items sold here at a range of $100 to $150.
i guess that's the result of demand-supply quirk since the Japs didn't sell the Alpha series in the US. Alphas' used price quotes are at least two times higher compared with high-powered vintage amp series (AU-X1 to 4 - described as tube-sounding SS amps) that Sansui released in the US during the '80s.
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Post by wanderlust on Feb 10, 2005 14:43:27 GMT 7
ako din atty, reference phonostage ko yung sansui dati..... mas nagustuhan ko phonostage ng sansui kaysa dun sa accuphase at contodo (with stock tubes)..... di ko lang sure kung kaya na talunin ng contodo after ko mag-upgrade ng driver tubes to Telefunken & RCA...... pero mas mura pa yun buong sansui amp kaysa tubes ng contodo kaya best buy pa din hehehe. ang gastos ko nga sa kuryente noon kasi kahit naka tube amp ako or hybrid setup, ginagamit ko pa din yun sansui amp para lang sa phono niya. malas lang lumuwag na masyado yun terminals ngayon kaya wala nang tunog sa left channel..... kung pwede nga ipapakahoy yun circuit board ng phonostage at pagawan ng power supply & housing. tlga sir? nako eto pa din naman palno ko din that i will use the sansui for phono so long as ala pa kong tube phono stage... and if mas maganda pa pala sya sa contodo mo sir before, then there is no need for me pa palang magmadali mgpagawa ng phono stage na tube best buy nga sir......... intergrated, pwede power amp, ganda pa phono................ |
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Post by Timn8ter on Feb 21, 2005 21:44:31 GMT 7
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Post by sandawa on Feb 22, 2005 10:35:47 GMT 7
uy, ganda yan ha! i think it was a replacement to AU-D7 bago nagsara ang original Sansui plant. hold on to it. i think it's value would appreciate more in coming years.
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Post by wanderlust on Feb 23, 2005 13:32:58 GMT 7
congrats sir, nice looking amp. complte pa! |
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Post by Timn8ter on Feb 24, 2005 0:07:40 GMT 7
uy, ganda yan ha! i think it was a replacement to AU-D7 bago nagsara ang original Sansui plant. hold on to it. i think it's value would appreciate more in coming years. Maraming salamat. I understand it's exactly the same as the AU-717 but for some reason Sansui chose to change the name to AU-710 for models sold on military bases. |
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ang mahal nga nyan sir! thats about 5.5 M to 14M pesos, magarang bahay na eto sir ah!
