9090 or 9090DB? Which one's best?

Eywadude

Lunatic Member
Hey guys,

I am lucky to own one of the cleanest 7070's you have ever seen which was sold to me by a friend that I don't think I'll ever let go of. However, I have thought about getting either a 9090 or a 9090DB in addition to my 7070, but I don't know which one in the 9090 series is "best"? Do they differ at all in sound quality? Are there any reliability problems with either model? What's the general consensus about each one? Most important is overall quality of sound. Do you like one over the other, or are they the same? What say you? :)
 
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IMO, the 9090DB is better.

From CDFixer:
Here are all the differences that I know of in the two receivers

Tone and filter circuits, Identical on 8080/8080DB and 9090/9090DB, the 9090/9090DB versions have crossover selection switches on the tone board that the 8080/8080DB series do not have.

Dolby circuit only on the 8080/9090DB

Speaker selection 8080/9090 places the speakers in Parallel in A+B and A+C, the 8080/9090DB places them in series.

Tuner the 9090 has a noise canceller/multipath circuit incorporated in the tuner. the 8080 and 8080/9090DB receivers do not.

The 8080/9090 tuner lights are on only when the tuner is selected the 8080/9090DB they are on all the time. (Note the 8080/9090 can be modified to do this)

The 8080/9090 has one phono input, the 8080/9090DB has two.

The Amp section on the 8080/9090DBs is more robust, using a standard NPN/PNP complementary Push/pull amplifier. The 8080/9090 use a quasi complementary NPN only amplifier

The power supply on the 8080/9090DB is larger and has a much higher current capability. The filter caps on the 8080/9090 are 6700UF on the 8080/9090DB they are 12000UF.

The 8080/9090DB have two pre-out jacks, the 8080/9090 only one.
 
Cool, good info, Robisme. Thanks for your input. :) As I understand it, the Dolby circuit only works for the tuner section though, right?
 
The 9090DB has the dolby board issues. They both have the fuse resistor problems. Aside from that though, I think the 9090DB is the better sounding unit overall. Of course, system, speakers, taste, and room will all determine what works best for you. They are more alike than different for sure.

To help, I think the 9090 is a bit hotter on top, where the 9090DB has more body, bass weight, and is more balanced to me.
 
Thanks for that, ManyMoons. I know of the Dolby board issues on the 9090DB. Unfortunately, my knowledge and understanding of electrical circuitry isn't that good, so what exactly is the fuse resistor problem, and is it easily fixed? I'd have to imagine it would be, but again, I am not too knowledgeable on the subject. :oops: Your general description of the sound signature between the 9090 and 9090DB makes me lean more towards the 9090DB in that respect. Good to know.

Keep it coming, guys! :)
 
Just a word of note, I eventually plan on having both my 7070 and 9090/9090DB fully serviced and reconditioned by QRX Restorations in the future. I'm impressed with his reconditioning and modification philosophy.
 
Ah, just reading more on QRX Restoration's website as a bit of a refresher. Here's what I just found in his parts section about the fusible resistors:

"f2624 Fusible Resistors $7.50
This is a set of resistors that will allow you to replace all the fusibles on one f2624 amp driver board. It takes two of these sets to do an 8001/9001. One set will do a 9090 or 8080 stereo receiver. These are metal film resistors, high quality. They can take the heat without drifting up in value over time and ruining your amp. These resistors are the cause of more blown amp channels than anything else. They still work as fuses when overloaded."


Looks like a very easily replaced item indeed. ;) Good to know for a tech dummy like me. :p
 
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If you do get one with bad resistors in the driver board (in the 9090db and probably others) and don't want to fix it yourself it is easy to get to and easy to get out. You can box it up and send it to a tech if you don't have one close.

I have a 9090db that needs these resistors changed and I have the parts but I have some more honey
do's before I can start on it.
 
If you do get one with bad resistors in the driver board (in the 9090db and probably others) and don't want to fix it yourself it is easy to get to and easy to get out. You can box it up and send it to a tech if you don't have one close.

I have a 9090db that needs these resistors changed and I have the parts but I have some more honey
do's before I can start on it.

I'll be having mine restored by QRX Restorations when the time comes, and all of those things will be serviced. Cheers. :)
 
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While I have the G-801 My experience is the best one is what ever you can get at a reasonable price regardless of which model it is. unless your going to pop for market value on ebay that is then get the G9000
 
While I have the G-801 My experience is the best one is what ever you can get at a reasonable price regardless of which model it is. unless your going to pop for market value on ebay that is then get the G9000

Well, for me, the most important thing is sound quality. Being that I don't have the funds to buy both, I figured I'd ask the fine people here to see what they thought about the sound signature of both of them in an effort to help me form an opinion on one or the other that could lead me to a decision. That, plus G9000's generally are going for a little more money than 9090's right now too. Also, while sonics are always most important, I also happen to like the look of the 9090 series more than the G-series, but that's just personal taste. :)
 
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I have a 9090 and 9090db. They both sound great. I replaced the main caps on both, I think 15000mfd. Whatever was recommended here on AK by a few individuals. The 9090db does tend to have the Dolby issue, but it's fixable with a lot of soldering. I wouldn't hesitate to get either, if it's a good deal and cosmetics are nice.
 
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As I understand it, the Dolby circuit only works for the tuner section though, right?

Most receivers with "Dolby" only decode Dolby FM broadcasts. This is true for other manufactures and even Sansui "Dolby" receivers such as the G-9000DB and G-8700DB.

The Dolby system on the 8080DB and 9090DB is unique unique in the industry. It was introduced at a time that most tape decks did not have Dolby on board. These models will both encode and decode an audio signal. They can take a non Dolby encoded audio signal and add Dolby encoding. I'm not aware of any other receiver that has this feature. They will also decode any audio input signal, Aux, Tape, Phono, FM.

Sansui was on the cutting edge of Dolby technology with the 8080DB and 9090DB but the rest of the world caught up quickly. Dolby quickly became standard in all tape decks and then it wasn't necessary to have an external Dolby encoder. Dolby FM never caught on and died quietly.

So, if you have an older tape deck that does not have on-board Dolby encoding, a 8080DB or 9090DB is a great receiver to have.

- Pete
 
Most receivers with "Dolby" only decode Dolby FM broadcasts. This is true for other manufactures and even Sansui "Dolby" receivers such as the G-9000DB and G-8700DB.

The Dolby system on the 8080DB and 9090DB is unique unique in the industry. It was introduced at a time that most tape decks did not have Dolby on board. These models will both encode and decode an audio signal. They can take a non Dolby encoded audio signal and add Dolby encoding. I'm not aware of any other receiver that has this feature. They will also decode any audio input signal, Aux, Tape, Phono, FM.

Sansui was on the cutting edge of Dolby technology with the 8080DB and 9090DB but the rest of the world caught up quickly. Dolby quickly became standard in all tape decks and then it wasn't necessary to have an external Dolby encoder. Dolby FM never caught on and died quietly.

So, if you have an older tape deck that does not have on-board Dolby encoding, a 8080DB or 9090DB is a great receiver to have.

- Pete

Good info. Thanks for that. Seems like the engineers at Sansui were putting truly cutting-edge technology into their gear at the time. That's pretty commendable for them to implement a Dolby circuit like that to not only offer something that could be usable for 8080DB/9090DB users, but also to make a statement in the industry. It just goes to show that they were not afraid to push the envelope. I am only 36, so all this "old" gear that I love is older than me (I grew up around all of it though), but in addition to Sony, I have heard that Sansui was trying to outdo McIntosh at the time. By the build quality alone, I can see that being the case. Sansui was owned and operated by true audio enthusiasts, and it shows.

Do you have any opinion on the 9090/9090DB? Do you like one or the other for sound quality? Keep in mind that I'll eventually have it serviced by QRX Restorations, and he typically bypasses the Dolby circuitry during the restoration. Do you feel that the Dolby circuit is a plus or a minus for normal everyday listening?
 
A 9090DB will sound a lot like your 7070. It has the same amplifier just with more power. I prefer the 9090DB. It's a great receiver.

- Pete
 
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