Next Step Up From 9090db

I’ll give my opinion on this one if I may. When I first started this vintage venture I started with a Sansui 661. After 6 months of use I thought “what can better this” so the chase began. I’ve come to realize it’s not “ better” it’s”different”. Wish I would have held onto that receiver instead of moving it to make room for what I thought could be “better”. IMHO they are ALL good, just different. So now I have 4 pieces I rotate in and out. I would never say one is better than the other, they each have their own attributes and it is a nice luxury to have. I could live with any one of them long term, but glad I don’t have to!

I’m no expert on restore/re-cap, but I did my own units with the awesome intelligent people here on AK. It’s really worth the time and effort.

So my take-away from all this is if you have a nice piece to start with, which you do, I would start with a resto first and then see/hear if it’s what you like. Then of course collect more and enjoy.

Good luck and most of all enjoy!
 
What part/SM package? You can make your own too. 2 diodes, bjt,R's. Your LM317 can be used, you can float it above ground
 
I would also consider the CA-F1 preamp. I've not tried it with the BA-F1 amp but I get the impression it gets you toward the AU-X1 type sound but with fewer problems .... to be fair, I've not compared side by side the CA-F1 to the AU-X1 (well AU-X11, since that is what I own) front end.
 
What part/SM package? You can make your own too. 2 diodes, bjt,R's. Your LM317 can be used, you can float it above ground
Yes, the LM317 is a good idea, I have a draw full of them, or maybe a LM234 or something I have a drawer full of those as well in TO92 package.......hmmm, good stuff Rick thinking outside the box!!
 
Earlier today I bought a Sansui AU-D11ii from AK member Jim. I forgot to ask him what his AK name is.

I listened to it at Jim's house and it seemed like a very clean sound. I haven't hooked it up at my house yet because I want to find a manual and read it first. If I think it doesn't best my 9090db I'll probably pass it on and work on restoring the 9090db.
 
Earlier today I bought a Sansui AU-D11ii from AK member Jim. I forgot to ask him what his AK name is.

I listened to it at Jim's house and it seemed like a very clean sound. I haven't hooked it up at my house yet because I want to find a manual and read it first. If I think it doesn't best my 9090db I'll probably pass it on and work on restoring the 9090db.

Nice choice, floating balanced amplifier design, direct coupled.
Little bit tricky to work on.
Has it had any work done to it?

I have had one of these across my bench and they are a very cool design, but not really the sort of an amplifier a Novice can work on. The negative output with the amplifier being a floating bridge design has a few traps for young players, like hooking up an oscilloscope to the output etc etc...

@Hyperion is an expert on these amplifiers, I was able to get some good information off him to be able to carry out the work I needed to do..

Keen to hear what you think...
 
Jim told me that he had recapped the phono board and I don't know if anything else has been done to it or not. The disc pushbutton doesn't engage all of the time. I don't know if it needs cleaned or another button but either way I should be able to handle that.

I won't be able to hook it up and listen to it until this evening but I'll get back with my thoughts about it.

I read something about it not liking low impedance load. Does that mean it has to have a pair of speakers hooked up to it while it's on? When I check the dc offset do I do it without any speakers hooked up to it? This amp is different from anything I've ever had before so if there are any quirks about them that I need to know I'd appreciate any information.
 
I got to spend some time with the AU-D11ii this evening. First impression is that it's a keeper. I don't have a switcher so I couldn't compare it with the 9090db directly but it has more detail than the 9090db and detail is something that I love. I like listening to softer music for the most part and I think the AU-D11ii makes that sound good. The 9090db hasn't been rebuilt but I don't think the AU-D11ii has either so both of them could probably be better.

Without a direct A/B comparison I think I'll have to give the nod to the AU-D11ii but only time will tell for sure. I'll probably keep both of them.
 
I have had a few Sansui receivers, I like them a lot! The 999 Set was good, The G series are my favorite and I didn’t like the 9090 at all, found it dark and not as detailed as the G series, reminded me a lot of the Pioneer 1250. The 999 Set sounded warm and tube like but just didn’t have enough uuumph. The D7 was ok, the 717 was good, Never had the ba ca seperates.
I have had G3500, G8000, G9000, G22000 and the big daddy G33000 which is the only one I still have.
 

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I got to spend some time with the AU-D11ii this evening. First impression is that it's a keeper. I don't have a switcher so I couldn't compare it with the 9090db directly but it has more detail than the 9090db and detail is something that I love. I like listening to softer music for the most part and I think the AU-D11ii makes that sound good. The 9090db hasn't been rebuilt but I don't think the AU-D11ii has either so both of them could probably be better.

Without a direct A/B comparison I think I'll have to give the nod to the AU-D11ii but only time will tell for sure. I'll probably keep both of them.
You will really want to go through the AU-D11ii and get it restored, trimmers replaced etc, they are a very temperamental amplifier, I wouldn't run one unrestored.
 
I wouldn't run one unrestored.

I know any unrestored old amp can self destruct (I've had it happen) at any time. Is this one more likely to do so than most or are you referring to the sound quality. I like listening to it but don't want to risk any expensive damage.
 
I had the au-d9 for about a year and a half. It was very picky about the speakers I connected to it. The best match I found for it was the Genesis Physics 2 Speakers. A very attractive pair of speakers that sound great! Any speaker more power hungry suffered with it. I did try them briefly with a pair of ESS amt 1 speakers, which are 4 ohm. Don’t do this! It won’t sound good number 1 and could do or suffer from some damage as you turn the volume up.

I see you got your new amp. Congratulations!

For others that might be interested, I had a fully restored 9090, and I would say without any hesitation, that my fully stock au-9900 sounds much better! I like the controls better too! I also like it better than the au-d9. In the end, it all comes down to what Speakers you match to the amplifier.
 
I know any unrestored old amp can self destruct (I've had it happen) at any time. Is this one more likely to do so than most or are you referring to the sound quality. I like listening to it but don't want to risk any expensive damage.
No more than any other amp, but its the resulting damage when it does though. High speed Direct Coupled floating bridge design.....Sound is excellent, but can be prone to a lot of damage when they do have a problem..
 
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