So Matt....ever get a chance to compare?
I didn't have a chance to do it that weekend, but I did today!
So, for the songs, I picked a fairly eclectic mix, covering a wide range of genres.
Randy Johnston: Wonder Why. Awesome jazz track with a killer Hammond B-3 solo by Joey Defrancesco
Shelby Lynn: Just A Little Lovin'. Very intimate track, excellent detail and transparency
Bo Steif Dream Machine: Heart. A very dynamic track, dobro solo leads it off into a massive drum, you can shake the house with the beats. Good for testing dynamics.
London Grammar: Rooting For You. Beautiful and very well recorded indie vocal with minimal instruments, lots of reverb.
Infected Mushroom: Demons of Pain. Well recorded electronic track, very precise sounding and good dynamics
Nils Lofgren: Keith Don't Go. One of the best live acoustic recordings I've ever heard. The detail and imaging are incredible, one of my go to tracks for testing any system.
Both receivers were allowed a half hour to warm up and settle in. Source is a Raspberry Pi with a heavily modded Hifiberry DAC+ Pro. Speakers are my recapped Polk SDA-1C. Speaker cables are Audioquest Type 4 and the RCA cables are a limited custom cable that was made by a local electronics wizard near me. Both receivers are completely flat, all tone and loudness controls disabled and both receiver were volume matched with a 1KHz tone.
We'll start off with the SX-1980. It has been fully recapped and restored, no special mods other than the current source mods on the power supply.
Wonder Why: Very warm sounding on this track, strong mid-bass, almost bloated. Clear highs though they sound slightly smeared
Just A Little Lovin': Very nice imaging, excellent detail, strong, almost bloated mid-bass again noted.
Heart: Excellent timbre and good reverb tails, gives a good sense of being in a large space. Powerful drum hits, noted that they seem slightly slow.
Rooting For You: Excellent imaging and reverb tails, good detail. Noted that it becomes slightly congested/smeared in some spots
Demons of Pain: Good imaging and excellent vocal, electronic bass beat and highs seem to lack a little snap, but do not sound bad. Mid-bass comes through very strong again
Keith Don't Go: Awesome imaging, very transparent vocal. Highs are good, but do seem to lack a little snap especially in the strings, almost like they have a slight glaze to them
Overall notes: Very powerful sounding, though the mid-bass seems a little exaggerated. The highs also seem to have a slight glaze to them and lack the snap I'm used to hearing with some of the tracks. Not a bad sounding receiver at all however.
Now for the Sansui G-22000, keep in mind this has not been recapped or touched other than to clean the controls and replace the transistors.
Wonder Why: Again, warm sounding with a strong mid-bass, however the mid-bass has a little more definition with this receiver. Highs are about the same, though there is a little more "tizz" in the cymbals
Just A Little Lovin': A large difference compared to the 1980. The mid-bass is much more tight and defined, the soundstage presentation makes the speakers almost disappear. Everything has a natural flow that is hard to describe, but it feels much closer to how it would sound if you were there in the studio. Highs have a little more snap and perceived detail. Much more enjoyable to listen to.
Heart: Very similar to the 1980, but the reverb tails trail off faster and do not ring out as much. Gives a more intimate feel to this track. Bass drum hits have a little more precision and speed, but lack some of the reverb effect the 1980 gives to them.
Rooting For You: Excellent imaging, detail and separation of her voice and the instruments/reverb are much better than the 1980, a lot less smearing/congestion noted. Reverb is similar, though the tails seem to trail off a little faster.
Demons of Pain: Good imaging, bass and highs are more snappy with better perceived detail. Mid-bass is a little less prominent. The vocal is a little recessed compared to the 1980, but is very well imaged.
Keith Don't Go: Similar to the 1980, but with a little more snap and detail to the strings. Nils's vocal is slight recessed, but imaging is amazing, very precise and everything has a clarity that draws you into the music.
Overall notes: Very quick amp with excellent detail, even unrestored. The highs have a pleasing speed and clarity and it sounds faster overall than the 1980. For me, it is more pleasing to listen to as I like a lot of detail and clarity along with good soundstaging. It seems that the better the recording, the more the 22000 pulls away from the 1980. That said, you would likely not notice the differences unless you compared them head to head.
For me, the winner is the 22000, and as good as it sounds now, I can only imagine what it will sound like once recapped. However, if you prefer a warmer sound, the 1980 would be the better choice.