Sansui AU-9500 vs. Sansui Seven

stereofun said:
Dave, by the end of the day, you will encounter some very different opinions. Besides individual "ears" it is as much a question of synergy in your system. The descriptors for the 919 ranges from bright and analytic to very musical and engaging. Kevzep for instance, really tried to like the 9500, in which he put great effort into its restoration, but never digged its top end reproduction, Instead he ended up favoring the "generation" older 999. Others, some really hardcore Sui fans, swears by the 9500 (I think one even wanted to buried with it :)

Part of the fun is trying different eras of gear and then see what works with your ears, system and not the least music taste. You may also look at topologies - for instance you have the old cap coupled 555/777 series that excel in vocals and acoustics, rendering a tube like projection while not quite up to par with the 517/717 when it comes to multi-layed faster tracks and so on. Good news is, there uis always a market for the amp you didnt quite fancy :music: Cheers,
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The posts I have read by Kevzep here on AK regarding the AU-9500 are nothing but positive. Raving about it actually. Am I missing something?
 
You must be, dig a little deeper, but even better, shoot him a PM. Keep in mind it is just one opinion and serves to underscore my point that performance is highly subjective. I don't think anyone will say a 9500 is a bad amp. But it was interesting to read Kevin's commentary a few years back that despite great effort, he just didn't like the sound, particular the top end, which, if I remember correctly, lacked resolution. He however is a good guy to ask, as he works professionally with sound engineering.
 
stereofun said:
You must be, dig a little deeper, but even better, shoot him a PM. Keep in mind it is just one opinion and serves to underscore my point that performance is highly subjective. I don't think anyone will say a 9500 is a bad amp. But it was interesting to read Kevin's commentary a few years back that despite great effort, he just didn't like the sound, particular the top end, which, if I remember correctly, lacked resolution. He however is a good guy to ask, as he works professionally with sound engineering.
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I've been in contact with Kevin, he did verify that his opinion on the 9500 had evolved, leaving him somewhat unimpressed with the 9500's sound in the end. Appreciate his opinion, and believe that while subjective, he knows what he is hearing, and talking about. It's cast some doubt over my prospective purchase of the 9500. Is this an amp that is overbuilt and stylin', but not perfectly engineered for amazing sound? I should let my ears be the judge...
 
I think it's apples to oranges type scenario. My friend Dan who got me into Sansui loves his recapped 9500. His favorite now is the 777a. I always thought the 9500 was more "refined" compared to the likes of say the 9090db and the Eight which I now have. It's also synergy, room, etc. I played a lp the other night on the 9500 that had some Tabla and it never ceases to amaze me. Guess it's all up to your ears
 
I think it's just a matter of taste, really.

A Marshall fan saying that he prefers the sound of his jcm800 over a Fender twin reverb, doesn't make the twin less of a formidable amp ;)
 
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I have been using the 9500 for a couple of years now. I dont know its history but it is a superb amp.
It certainly has punch. It drives the Yamaha NS 1000 with authority and remarkably, sounds very good driving the finicky 15 ohm LS3 5A.
I cant believe it was made in 1973 ! It looks gorgeous.
 
I currently own rebuilt 999's, a Seven and Eight And have owned a 9500 Previously. By far my personal preference is the Seven and Eight by a wide margin. I like the 999 but it's a little lacking in bass output/resolution.

All of that gear has been run in the same rooms and on the same assortment of speaker's.

I'm considering selling and or tradeing the au/tu 999's since they just don't get much time in the rotation since I got my 8 rebuilt a year ago and recently had the 7 Snow sold me tuned up and its been in the stack for a while.

The 999 and 9500 are both well built, solid amps imo, I just didn't care for the sound of the 9500.
 
Bullistik892 said:
I currently own rebuilt 999's, a Seven and Eight And have owned a 9500 Previously. By far my personal preference is the Seven and Eight by a wide margin. I like the 999 but it's a little lacking in bass output/resolution.

All of that gear has been run in the same rooms and on the same assortment of speaker's.

I'm considering selling and or tradeing the au/tu 999's since they just don't get much time in the rotation since I got my 8 rebuilt a year ago and recently had the 7 Snow sold me tuned up and its been in the stack for a while.

The 999 and 9500 are both well built, solid amps imo, I just didn't care for the sound of the 9500.
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Did you try the mods on the AU999? They aren't really anything special until those three things are done.
The preamp headroom mod, the Bass EQ mod and removing the sub-sonic filter (if it has one).
Also the differential mod in the driver stage of the power amp is another good one to do as well....

I get why guys like the AU9500, and to be honest it will also have a lot to do with what speakers you're using a and what sound you like....
For example someone in the thread here said they were enjoying their AU9500 with their NS1000's....
I detest the sound of those speakers.....but that doesn't necessarily make them bad speakers.....it's all pretty subjective at the end of the day.....

One thing is fact though, the AU9500 is a very well built amplifier.... Built to the highest standards.....
 
'Really enjoying this discussion. Those older Sansui integrateds can be stunningly beautiful!

I'm late to the Sansui party but now have a Six that I think highly of. Have any of you more experienced Sansui owners compared a Six to some of the other models? I'm wondering what I might be giving up to some of the models higher up the ladder.
 
kevzep said:
Did you try the mods on the AU999? They aren't really anything special until those three things are done.
The preamp headroom mod, the Bass EQ mod and removing the sub-sonic filter (if it has one).
Also the differential mod in the driver stage of the power amp is another good one to do as well....

I get why guys like the AU9500, and to be honest it will also have a lot to do with what speakers you're using a and what sound you like....
For example someone in the thread here said they were enjoying their AU9500 with their NS1000's....
I detest the sound of those speakers.....but that doesn't necessarily make them bad speakers.....it's all pretty subjective at the end of the day.....

One thing is fact though, the AU9500 is a very well built amplifier.... Built to the highest standards.....
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No I didn't mod the 999. It was recappped/serviced, etc but not mod'd. Same for the 9500. I have thought about trying the mods as I have the tu999 to go with the amp and I did actually like the 999, in there current stock conditions I just prefer the 7 and 8. I may have to try the mods before I sell the 999's and give them a fair chance.

All the speakers I've used on the abovementioned gear are nothing super special but I do like to try a variety when I get new gear.
 
Might the 9500 be one of the more divisive pieces of gear out there? A real love/hate thing going on regarding its sound. It must be speaker dependent.

Tomorrow I will be going to look at this AU-9500, probably end up coming home with it, and decide for myself. I am really interested to hear it with my tannoy 12" golds, which are fairly controlled in the bass. I just hope I am not too disappointed. Could even be a great combo. We'll see what side of the fence I am on. But after so many mediocre reviews, I am keeping my expectations low, only to be pleasantly surprised if it sounds blissy. If I am disappointed, I resell.

I will post my impressions after the a good listen.
 
I have an unrestored Six. I still remember the first time I hooked it up, especially the nagging feeling of disbelief, that It gave my restored (and far more costly) Eight a serious run for the money. Only power separated them - and then only a tad. The Six may have the punchiest 29W in the business :)
 
David, to your point. You may dig the 9500 on your rig. If Not, it is one of the amps that there is always a market for. No worry.
 
stereofun said:
I have an unrestored Six. I still remember the first time I hooked it up, especially the nagging feeling of disbelief, that It gave my restored (and far more costly) Eight a serious run for the money. Only power separated them - and then only a tad. The Six may have the punchiest 29W in the business :)
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I have a Seven and love it.

Am I a fool? Will the 9500 be an improvement on my Seven whatsoever, or am i throwing my dollars away for build quality and looks?

People rave about the six/seven/eight.

Yet way less consensus on the 9500...
 
I fell in love with Marc's 9500 when I heard it, but there are a couple subtleties that need to be done right if it's to sound its best. There are two unusual coupling caps on the FET buffers from the volume control that may be bad and have to be low leakage. They need to be replaced with small films. Can't remember the rest, maybe some small signal transistors that can go funky, but this is an amp that needs to be fully checked out to be sure everything is right, not just shotgunned with some new caps. When it is right, I can't imagine anybody not liking it, regardless of the speakers.
 
ConradH said:
I fell in love with Marc's 9500 when I heard it, but there are a couple subtleties that need to be done right if it's to sound its best. There are two unusual coupling caps on the FET buffers from the volume control that may be bad and have to be low leakage. They need to be replaced with small films. Can't remember the rest, maybe some small signal transistors that can go funky, but this is an amp that needs to be fully checked out to be sure everything is right, not just shotgunned with some new caps. When it is right, I can't imagine anybody not liking it, regardless of the speakers.
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Thanks for the tip. If your claim is true, I will do what it takes. I've done lots of recapping of amps in past. Are there any threads on the particular topic that you mention here?
 
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There are a few notes on the weird Elna CS series caps in the big cap thread, but not much else. The amp has extremely low THD at low power levels and this should be confirmed along with the signature of the noise to identify any transistor issues. Like many amps, the bias pots should be replaced if you want reliability. Clean the relay too.
 
ConradH said:
I fell in love with Marc's 9500 when I heard it, but there are a couple subtleties that need to be done right if it's to sound its best. There are two unusual coupling caps on the FET buffers from the volume control that may be bad and have to be low leakage. They need to be replaced with small films. Can't remember the rest, maybe some small signal transistors that can go funky, but this is an amp that needs to be fully checked out to be sure everything is right, not just shotgunned with some new caps. When it is right, I can't imagine anybody not liking it, regardless of the speakers.
Click to expand...

I did everything in steps.....
Caps, transistors, differential mod..... Everything was as good as it could be...

The sound didn't really change much if at all after re capping, there was a significant improvement in SNR after I got rid of a lot of the transistors in the preamp, the constant current mod on the differential circuit in the front end of the power amp did not yield as much improvent as it it did on the AU999...
Over the course of working with the AU9500 the sound of it never really changed or improved that much.
My example was mint and I don't think it needed recapping.
They have a signature sound, and I just don't care for it....
Pity because they are a very solid build and I like the look of them....
 
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