pete_mac
Super Member
I've had an AU-517 for a little while now. It's in very very nice condition and has been fully recapped (apart from the PSU filter caps) and has had the usual diodes and diodes replaced.
I acquired a troublesome AU-719 about 6 months ago and skippy124 (Dad) sorted out the issues for me. The amp fought us all the way - we even went to far as buying a NOS driver board, only to find that some of the resistors were incorrectly fitted and knocked the gain down noticeably! Dad may choose to share some details of this later.
Thankfully, she's singing beautifully now, and has been recapped just like the AU-517 (no PSU filter caps yet). Both amps have had Panasonic FC or FM caps in most places, with a few Elna Silmic IIs and either Panasonic or Epcos stacked film caps in the 1uf 50v locations. So, both of the amps are very similar in terms of electrical condition.
A few thoughts:
BUILD QUALITY
The 517 clearly prevails here - black chassis, black cover panels, nicer switches, cleaner-looking transformers. Obviously, you don't see the amp with the cover off very often, but the 517 still is a thing of beauty when naked.
517:
719:
Both amps were partly or wholly converted to new 5 way binding posts on the rear panel to facilitate the use of speaker cables with banana plugs. The 719 was easier to do as it came with binding posts (basic ones) as standard. However, the 517 is also very presentable.
517:
719:
The 719 in its natural habitat (only a TU-417 tuner, but one day we'll find a 717 or 719):
LISTENING THOUGHTS
Both amps were set up in my main system, comprising a Squeezebox Touch, an audio-gd digital interface as a digital signal reclocker (running a Tentlabs XO and revised hex inverter) and an audio-gd NFB-3 DAC. My speakers are Dynaudio DM 2/7s. It's a good quality source and speaker setup that shows the differences in amps quite well in my experience.
I've been listening for the 719 for the past week or so, and have become accustomed to its sound. Going back to the 517, it sounded fantastic but a little bit coloured - perhaps a bit warmer and not as accurate as the 719. Switching back to the 719, there was a noticeable improvement in clarity and definition, and it just sounds natural with no 'additives'. I'm really impressed with this amp. IMHO, the evolution of Sansui's circuitry to the Diamond Differential circuitry pays clear dividends for the listener who values sound quality and accuracy. I'd expect the difference between the 717 and 719 to be similar to this comparison, as the 517 and 717 feature the same general circuit design.
I can, however, see how the 719 (and 819/919) and later generations of Sansui amps might be 'a step too far' for some listeners, as they lose the warm vintage sound and become more 'hifi'. The 719 is right up my alley and it complements the rest of my system perfectly. I'm very very happy that I can use a 30 year old Sansui amp in my system which is not that disimilar in terms of sound when compared to modern hifi amps.
Whilst I still lust after the 517's beautiful innards and warmth, the clarity of the 719 comes up trumps! It's my new reference amp. Even though she's not as beautiful as the 517, I can appreciate her superior singing voice!
I'm now tossing up whether to use some Pansonic 15000uf 63V caps that I've got lying around to replace the filter caps in the 719, or to splurge and spend $80 on some Nichicon Gold Tunes from Partsconnexion during their 20% off sale. I think the 719 will be a keeper, so I may just end up going the Gold Tune option (or some 15000uf 80V Panasonics which are 40mm x 80mm vs the 40mm x 50mm 15000uf 63 Panasonics which will be dwarfed once installed. Time will tell.
I'm also aiming to go through both of these amps and replace a lot of the small transistors, certain diodes etc to get the amps into tip-top shape for the next 30 years.
The AU-517 and 719 ready for the listening comparison:
Lastly, just for giggles, I hauled out my recapped/modded Realistic Mach Ones for comparison against the Dynaudios. Unsurprisingly, the Dyns sounded more coherent and accurate (and went deeper and had more control than the Machs). However, the Machs have a BIG sound... great party speakers for sure. They weren't totally embarrased by the Dynaudios which I was very happy about.
I acquired a troublesome AU-719 about 6 months ago and skippy124 (Dad) sorted out the issues for me. The amp fought us all the way - we even went to far as buying a NOS driver board, only to find that some of the resistors were incorrectly fitted and knocked the gain down noticeably! Dad may choose to share some details of this later.
Thankfully, she's singing beautifully now, and has been recapped just like the AU-517 (no PSU filter caps yet). Both amps have had Panasonic FC or FM caps in most places, with a few Elna Silmic IIs and either Panasonic or Epcos stacked film caps in the 1uf 50v locations. So, both of the amps are very similar in terms of electrical condition.
A few thoughts:
BUILD QUALITY
The 517 clearly prevails here - black chassis, black cover panels, nicer switches, cleaner-looking transformers. Obviously, you don't see the amp with the cover off very often, but the 517 still is a thing of beauty when naked.
517:
719:
Both amps were partly or wholly converted to new 5 way binding posts on the rear panel to facilitate the use of speaker cables with banana plugs. The 719 was easier to do as it came with binding posts (basic ones) as standard. However, the 517 is also very presentable.
517:
719:
The 719 in its natural habitat (only a TU-417 tuner, but one day we'll find a 717 or 719):
LISTENING THOUGHTS
Both amps were set up in my main system, comprising a Squeezebox Touch, an audio-gd digital interface as a digital signal reclocker (running a Tentlabs XO and revised hex inverter) and an audio-gd NFB-3 DAC. My speakers are Dynaudio DM 2/7s. It's a good quality source and speaker setup that shows the differences in amps quite well in my experience.
I've been listening for the 719 for the past week or so, and have become accustomed to its sound. Going back to the 517, it sounded fantastic but a little bit coloured - perhaps a bit warmer and not as accurate as the 719. Switching back to the 719, there was a noticeable improvement in clarity and definition, and it just sounds natural with no 'additives'. I'm really impressed with this amp. IMHO, the evolution of Sansui's circuitry to the Diamond Differential circuitry pays clear dividends for the listener who values sound quality and accuracy. I'd expect the difference between the 717 and 719 to be similar to this comparison, as the 517 and 717 feature the same general circuit design.
I can, however, see how the 719 (and 819/919) and later generations of Sansui amps might be 'a step too far' for some listeners, as they lose the warm vintage sound and become more 'hifi'. The 719 is right up my alley and it complements the rest of my system perfectly. I'm very very happy that I can use a 30 year old Sansui amp in my system which is not that disimilar in terms of sound when compared to modern hifi amps.
Whilst I still lust after the 517's beautiful innards and warmth, the clarity of the 719 comes up trumps! It's my new reference amp. Even though she's not as beautiful as the 517, I can appreciate her superior singing voice!
I'm now tossing up whether to use some Pansonic 15000uf 63V caps that I've got lying around to replace the filter caps in the 719, or to splurge and spend $80 on some Nichicon Gold Tunes from Partsconnexion during their 20% off sale. I think the 719 will be a keeper, so I may just end up going the Gold Tune option (or some 15000uf 80V Panasonics which are 40mm x 80mm vs the 40mm x 50mm 15000uf 63 Panasonics which will be dwarfed once installed. Time will tell.
I'm also aiming to go through both of these amps and replace a lot of the small transistors, certain diodes etc to get the amps into tip-top shape for the next 30 years.
The AU-517 and 719 ready for the listening comparison:
Lastly, just for giggles, I hauled out my recapped/modded Realistic Mach Ones for comparison against the Dynaudios. Unsurprisingly, the Dyns sounded more coherent and accurate (and went deeper and had more control than the Machs). However, the Machs have a BIG sound... great party speakers for sure. They weren't totally embarrased by the Dynaudios which I was very happy about.
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