Heard Them Again For The First TIme

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Last fall I bought a pair of Sansui SP 70s. At the time I had never heard or seen them before and almost a year later I still have never seen another pair for sale. I used them for a month or two and ended up liking them but I bought a few other sets of speakers and they ended up in the closet. A few days ago I was cleaning out the closet and found them and decided to use them again for one of the bedroom systems. I have a Kenwood KA 3500 integrated that I really like so I decided to use that one.

And just like the title says, I heard them again for the first time. With 40 watts of power they sound great. The 8in woofer with a decent size cabinet means tight clean bass that blows away the SP 2000s I had for a short time. The 70s are the only Sansui speaker I have ever heard that I have liked. I had just replaced my recapped CS88s with the 70s and that kind of bass is hard to compete with, but after getting them adjusted and listening to them for an hour I really like them. Stacked on top of them are a pair of KLH 17s hooked to a Sony STR 5800 and the Sansuis take it to them bass wise and compete in all other areas about the same, which was a big surprise.

I like having a few pairs of speakers in the closet just for things like this.......change is a great thing, especially when it is free and easy to do. My front Marantz system pretty much stays the same but the bedroom systems change all of the time.

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Change is nice...

I have the same amp and tuner. Did you service yours or is it all original?

I bought the amp first about a month ago from eBay. The seller claimed it was in superb condition inside and out......and he was right. Hardly a mark on it. It sounds under-rated at 40 wpc. I would say closer to 45+. I really, really like it. Right next to is is a Sony STR 5800SD with 55 wpc and the Kenwood goes toe to toe with it. The tuner I also bought off of eBay two weeks ago. When it arrived the bulbs were out when the listing said they worked. So the seller gave me $10 off and I put LEDs in it. The old bulbs just crumbled when I touched them. Like any Kenwood tuner I have ever dealt with, it is super sensitive and pulls in stations like crazy. I think I got lucky with both listings; I paid good prices and got what was described. I was using the KR 4600 on the bottom of the stack for the tuner for a while before I decided I wanted the matching tuner. The really tired 4600 still has an awesome tuner section.

The speakers are about16 feet apart and toed in quite a bit....the sweet spot is laying on the bed. The Kenwood just is perfect for the room and the Sansui speakers.....or any speakers I have used so far.

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CS88's are lovely speakers. I miss mine though had to thin the herd. Got to get rid of two more wonderful sounding pairs of speakers yet. No one wants vintage speakers here in Brisbane though. Just about have to give them away :(
 
CS88's are lovely speakers. I miss mine though had to thin the herd. Got to get rid of two more wonderful sounding pairs of speakers yet. No one wants vintage speakers here in Brisbane though. Just about have to give them away :(

I have come to really like them. After I had them recapped they really began to shine. Unlike the CS77s the 88s have a big enough cabinet for the 12in woofer.
 
I have come to really like them. After I had them recapped they really began to shine. Unlike the CS77s the 88s have a big enough cabinet for the 12in woofer.

Frankly I think they're a better speaker than the Bowers & Wilkins DM16 speakers with most amps. They're beautifully relaxed sounding with fantastic bass response and work well with most amplifiers being very easy to drive. The B&W's seem happiest with old British designed amps like the Quad 405. Nothing else seems to bring them alive. I need to hang on to the B&W's though as they're dad's and feature in my earliest memories.
 
Frankly I think they're a better speaker than the Bowers & Wilkins DM16 speakers with most amps. They're beautifully relaxed sounding with fantastic bass response and work well with most amplifiers being very easy to drive. The B&W's seem happiest with old British designed amps like the Quad 405. Nothing else seems to bring them alive. I need to hang on to the B&W's though as they're dad's and feature in my earliest memories.


The 88's bass is simply crushing with certain music and volume levels. I generally prefer my Marantz Imperial 6s to the 88s, but people's eyes fly open when I play Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" for them. Add to the fact that they are simply as beautiful to look at as to listen to, is a huge plus. The quality of the cabinet is incredible and the detail on the grills is truly beautiful.

The Sansui cabinets are the same.....the wood grills must of cost a fortune to manufacture.

A speaker, for me to keep it, must attractive to the eyes as well as the ears. A great example of that are Small Advents; sound awesome, look shitty and built only a bit better. I know they were built to a price but so little effort was put into the vinyl wrap on the cabs that I sold re foamed and recapped pair after six months. Sansui speakers from the early 70s look great with the grills on, no sweat. But except for the SP70s, I have never heard a Sansui speaker I liked the sound of.

It is all about balance, Grasshopper!
 
That is an impressive closet!

LOL well my wife is not as impressed!. I rotate Rectilinear Mini llls, KLH 17s, Marantz Imperial 5s, the Sansuis above and the CS 88s. I recently sold my Nova 6s (which I regret) and Small Advent. I like to have 5 or 5 different pairs to switch out, just to hear the difference. There are some members that have one system that they love and that is cool, but I find that boring. I love my main Marantz system in the front room, but the two systems in the bedroom are where I move things around all the time.
 
The 88's bass is simply crushing with certain music and volume levels. I generally prefer my Marantz Imperial 6s to the 88s, but people's eyes fly open when I play Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" for them. Add to the fact that they are simply as beautiful to look at as to listen to, is a huge plus. The quality of the cabinet is incredible and the detail on the grills is truly beautiful.

The Sansui cabinets are the same.....the wood grills must of cost a fortune to manufacture.

A speaker, for me to keep it, must attractive to the eyes as well as the ears. A great example of that are Small Advents; sound awesome, look shitty and built only a bit better. I know they were built to a price but so little effort was put into the vinyl wrap on the cabs that I sold re foamed and recapped pair after six months. Sansui speakers from the early 70s look great with the grills on, no sweat. But except for the SP70s, I have never heard a Sansui speaker I liked the sound of.

It is all about balance, Grasshopper!

Aye, my two favourite speakers are funnily enough both Chinese brands. Aurum Cantus F620 (89db 4ohm) and Oatlon W2-1000F (97db 4ohm) speakers. I do really like the Boston Accoustics A100's as well though to date the best I've owned are modern Chinese. The best I've heard on the other hand are made by Mike Lenehan here in Australia :)
 
I have a ka-3500 and I understand why you like it! It's my second favorite integrated!
I would love to hear it with those speakers
 
I have a ka-3500 and I understand why you like it! It's my second favorite integrated!
I would love to hear it with those speakers

I was expecting a quality piece of equipment since it is a Kenwood, but I am still a bit surprised at just how good it really sounds. The synergy with the Sansuis is really nice.
 
Kenwood integrated amps of that time sound very good with the Sansui speakers I’ve had. I found that most of the Sansui speakers I’ve had sound good with the right amp. Normally not a Sansui amp for some funny reason.
 
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