That doesn't really make sense, if the later 80's and early 90's models are considered the best why do I keep hearing so much about the 9090 and G series amplifiers? I also hear that they've been going downhill since the late 70's? Is it that they're technically better but less liked?
Anyway thanks for the opinions.
We use 240v in Australia which makes most imported Sansui's usable as there's often a voltage switch in the back.
The following was 'just part' of Sansui's problems but it may help you understand what when on:
The Sansui company started it's downward trend since about 1972, post Vietnam sales. It was 'company decisions', not the quality of the amplifiers and equipment designs, that caused Sansui's decline. Sansui mostly sold to the US Military personnel. After Vietnam, sales dropped dramatically and they had no other outlet for sales. Sony, Pioneer, Hitachi, etc., they had the domestic Japan and worldwide sales. They were not dependent on US Military Sales and had a domestic sales base. Then there was Quad, great idea, much money spent, but it just didn't take off. Then in the early 80s their equipment really took a the bad hit in the quality department due to cost cutting decisions. International folks didn't like Sansui very much after that. It was over.
Then in 1986 the company decided to regain their 'good name' in quality audio, hense the new logo and new 'top quality' amps again. But it was too late internationally.
Starting in 1986, that was like basically the beginning of the alpha series that just kept getting better and better and more refined, circuits and design. The alpha series is super quality, but as mentioned above, very much more 'refined' and it had a slightly different sound than the pre-1980 amps.
Alphas ARE top quality amps and very much 'liked', and acknowledged, in the stereo world. How could they not be! But Sansui's sales were down because of the early 80s reliablity and quality problems. Also Sansui continually lost money every year, even with the alphas, starting in 1986 even with their top quality amps. It's a big long sad story of a great stereo company that made some really big bad company decisions. Also the USD devaluation, it hurt them really bad. They sold amps much cheaper than they should have just to compete in the basically Japanese domestic marketplace (with a few international models sold in USA, Germany, England, etc. Also the yen was like 100 yen or so to a USD, which made Sansui's amps, as well as all other Japanese products, extremely expensive to purchase internationally, the amps were too expensive for most international folks to buy, plus: computers were in - stereos were out, times changed. So Sansui basically sold to Japanese domestic market, hence all the gear Sansui made and sold that no one even knows about, all 'very top quality' equipment. They also fell behind in patent rights. Other companies had the patents on CD players, etc. In the old days Sansui had devoluped the patients. but no more. Sansui declined. It was just a magnitute of major problems for Sansui.
The 90s gear is modern day, 'top quality', audiophile type equipment with the 'audiophile' type new sound, if that makes any sense. Wonderful equipment!!
Guys love the G series, B/C, BA/CA, AU-TU everything up until 1981 basically. They absolutely love the G series! 9090 (XXXX series), super fine receivers. They are 'all' good.
Except the quality from 1981 to 1985 just wasn't there. Still nice sounding amps, 'some of them', great transformers, but they took shortcuts putting them together, plastic parts, cabinets, knobs, etc. Sansui was just trying to make maximum profit in the early 80s to stay alive. It didn't work. So in 1986...alpha!
Hope this helps.