Sansui BA-5000 within my grasp. Should i buy it?

bigcaddy64

Super Member
I've only recently started to post frequently on AK, i've been exploring the forum, and figured i'd ask the experts about the situation i'm currently facing.

A few months ago i ended up going to a garage/moving sale not far from my house. The gentleman was clearing out his home so it could be listed in the future. I ended up buying lots of items from him but nothing in the audio spectrum but i did see a few things that caught my eye and said to me "stick around and more goodies will appear"

Fast forward a few weeks and i see the same address listing another yard sale. I made my way over about an hour past the start time and i walk right up to find 2 pairs of Acoustic Research AR2-ax speakers sitting on roll away stands. I also bought a Cerwin Vega 12" studio monitor. sitting in the corner of the garage is a huge pile of HAM radio gear, TEAC mixing boards adn other stuff but something else caught my eye.

It happened to be a Sansui BA-5000 amp he had drug out sometime between sales!! I asked him for a price and mumbled something about them selling for 3000.00 online

I have no idea if it works. He claims it does and i believe him, (he's a great guy and is honest about what he's sold me in the past but speakers are a bit different then a power amp) but i don't know how much i should attempt to offer. Its a bit dirty and would need a intense cleaning/once over to ensure its good to go.

I'd hate to fry it due to an errant rat turd or dust bunny.

Are these things really worth the money? The 3000.00 price was for a mint condition version, with boxes/paperwork, which his is definitely NOT.

What the hell could i do with such a huge amp? Make my neighbors deaf? Are these for home use or studio equipment? What speakers can handle that sort of power? Do any members use these at home and with what types of components?

I've got lots of questions and not many answers.
 
All value discussions should be done in Dollars and Sense forum.
Please ask mod to move or delete and open new thread
I'll try to answer some unrelated questions .
They're highly regarded (especially in the Sansui community)
They were made for home use.
Just because you have hundreds of watts, it doesn't mean you have to use them.
They're very nice and properly functioning are worth getting if you need an amp and the price is right
 
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In good working condition, they are wonderful amps. One in original condition will take some work...I would pay special attention to the power supply section.

In any case, what people ask for them on ebay is not relevant. What they actually sell for is useful information (simply add "sold" to the search terms in the advanced settings), but keep in mind that the seller gets around 12-15% less than that after fees, and also keep in mind that ebay sold prices = the very top of the price spectrum.

If you get it, or want to test it, turn it up on a DBT (dim bulb tester) first. You can build one for a few $ and 30 minutes of work.

As for its power output....I'm in the camp of "more is better". Not so much for loudness but for headroom and its benefit to good sound quality. Keep in mind that a big amp amp like this one will put out no more power than, for example, a 20 watt amp (except perhaps on transients) at equivalent voltage (that is, at the same voltage position on the volume knobs).

Therefore, any speakers can "handle" this amp...assuming you don't apply more power than the speakers are capable of. Actually, the issue is really more of "what amp can properly drive a given set of speakers". And this amp can handle just about any speakers, regardless of their impedance.

Hope this is helpful.
 
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Oops, i didn't know it had to post there. I'm not looking for a value, just a performance review. I wanted to ask the members, possibly the ones that own this particular amp, if its worth pursuing. I asked him and 3000.00 was the number he threw out on the table. I'm simply wondering if i should make the effort to counter. It seems like a hefty price of admission for an amp. I've never heard or owned anything Sansui before so i'm in the dark on this deal. I want to know if this is a "offer your first born if thats what it takes to get the amp home" or its just a nice piece of equipment that i can live without.
In good working condition, they are wonderful amps. One in original condition will take some work...I would pay special attention to the power supply section.

In any case, what people ask for them on ebay is not relevant. What they actually sell for is useful information (simply add "sold" to the search terms in the advanced settings), but keep in mind that the seller gets around 12-15% less than that after fees, and also keep in mind that ebay sold prices = the very top of the price spectrum.


when you say work, do you mean it needs to be upgraded or just make sure the power supply components aren't shot? This is why i'm asking here first and not just going for the amp. When i was looking at the speakers, he had a number in mind but i took off the grille and showed him the completely rotten surrounds. With that info, he lowered his price because he knew they needed lots of work.
 
Personally, given the quality and rarity of this amp, I would do (or have done) a pretty extensive restoration on it so as to minimize the likelihood of small failures becoming big ones.

As for price, all I can do is reiterate my earlier suggestion and see what they are actually selling for...not what people are asking for them.

Alternatively, you can just tell me the seller's address and I will put the issue to rest.:)
 
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Note taken on the restoration. I've done a bit of looking but like you said, the rarity makes that difficult to find a FMV for such an item

As for the asking vs. getting, nothing makes me cringe more then going to an estate sale and seeing items with ebay printouts showing what things are "listed" for and a note saying the slightly reduced price is a great deal. The people putting on the sale don't take into account actual best offers/sold prices, ebay/paypal fees, shipping/packing, insurance, returns and all the other fun stuff that comes with selling online

I think the guy is just a bit attached to his stuff and is having a hard time letting it all go, hence the high price. The good news is that there is lots more in storage. He did mention multiple Thorens turntables, Sony turntables and other audio gear. I spotted some Bose 301 speakers in the house with the boxes in the garage. Who knows what else will turn up with him.
 
Oops, i didn't know it had to post there. I'm not looking for a value, just a performance review. I wanted to ask the members, possibly the ones that own this particular amp, if its worth pursuing. I asked him and 3000.00 was the number he threw out on the table. I'm simply wondering if i should make the effort to counter. It seems like a hefty price of admission for an amp. I've never heard or owned anything Sansui before so i'm in the dark on this deal. I want to know if this is a "offer your first born if thats what it takes to get the amp home" or its just a nice piece of equipment that i can live without.



when you say work, do you mean it needs to be upgraded or just make sure the power supply components aren't shot? This is why i'm asking here first and not just going for the amp. When i was looking at the speakers, he had a number in mind but i took off the grille and showed him the completely rotten surrounds. With that info, he lowered his price because he knew they needed lots of work.


"Are these things really worth the money? The 3000.00 price was for a mint condition version, with boxes/paperwork, which his is definitely NOT. "


That made it a question of value.
 
Okay so, you are about to spend quite a significant chunk of change on a single piece of equipment.

First of all he has to let you test it. It seems completely unreasonable to me that you would willingly hand over that much money without even testing it out. If he's not going to let you do that, walk away.

As far as an offer, I'd say $2000 because of the fact it's an in-person sale and it's dirty and going to need work. Yeah it might work but there's no doubt that anything of this age needs some level of work done to it.

Regarding the amplifier itself, well, it's not a common amplifier. They were expensive in the day so not a lot of them were sold. They use a similar topology to McIntosh amplifiers that have autoformers, if that tells you anything. For some collectors this is the ultimate Sansui amplifier (though, there really are many in that category when it comes to Sansui) so there's that. And also consider what might happen if you decide to sell it - these things weigh a LOT and so if you are going to sell it, local might be your only option.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
 
Thank you, canuck. I'm sure he has no problem letting me test it, (we're on good terms and have become friends over the past months) and if I ever decide to sell it, local would be my plan.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, my girlfriends dad is very much an audiophile with great equipment and a frequent customer of high end shops. One in particular does consignment and would love to have that beast on display for customers.

I'm going to swing by his house today and I'll see if I can take some photographs for members here to evaluate. Supposedly he has my AR speaker badge that went missing during the shuffle.
 
Well I ran by the guys house today and wasn't able to get any pics. The amp was buried in the garage but I did get the missing brass badge for my AR speaker!

I was also informed that the storage unit he rents is filled with lots or other audio goodies that will have to be sold. I did hear him mention Macintosh and linear turntables so there might be some good stuff in there. I'll post more when I come across it
 
OP - I think you are aware of this, but just wanted to point out that while it is a very good amplifier, capable of driving any speakers and doing it very well, prices on them - as is the case with most good "vintage" gear - are inflated by their rarity/collectability. In other words, you are paying for more than just performance.
 
Well I ran by the guys house today and wasn't able to get any pics. The amp was buried in the garage but I did get the missing brass badge for my AR speaker!

I was also informed that the storage unit he rents is filled with lots or other audio goodies that will have to be sold. I did hear him mention Macintosh and linear turntables so there might be some good stuff in there. I'll post more when I come across it

You might want to suggest to this guy to join forum and subscribe.
It'd give him an opportunity to sell gear to the ak community with the hassle of CL or Epray.
 
You might want to suggest to this guy to join forum and subscribe.
It'd give him an opportunity to sell gear to the ak community with the hassle of CL or Epray.
I second on Joining AK...Just checked out Fleebay....A Pair is going for 10,500.
 
Unless your a collector I would just go buy a far more current McIntosh amp that will not need anything for the price. Something like a Mc402, will be a far better amp, in far cleaner condition and need nothing but some AC power.
 
I second on Joining AK...Just checked out Fleebay....A Pair is going for 10,500.

Yeah, they are asking $10,500.00 for a perfect pair. The one i saw was a far cry from those two.

I don't think he really wants to bother with joining up on AK to sell his stuff. Hes been liquidating most via garage sales and CL.

As for the gear in the storage unit, i'll get in there sooner or later and make a list of what is inside. Since i am only looking to upgrade a few items in my house, the rest will be fair game for members. I deal with ebay often and dread shipping any sort of delicate yet heavy as lead audio component.

As soon as i get more info, ill happily share it here. His mention of a McIntosh Quad receiver really perked up my ears. I've got a feeling this guy has no idea what is really in that unit. There was so much packed away in his garage/house that i doubt he can recall off hand whats actually in there. He just knows there is stuff in there.
 
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