Sansui CD players, how good?

Bluewrist

Active Member
O.K. I can't fight the evil. I need a CD player but I want it to be a Sansui. I'm sure someone must know more about them than I do. I'm open to suggestions.
 
I had one I bought on EBay,It worked fine until one day it just stopped.It did sound very good when operational.

Alan
 
Sorry,in hindsight and hindsight being 6\6 you have a point.They are a nice machine,mine died after playing Danny Gatton Live
Which i thought was ironic as Danny died a few years back.
I still have it,it is yours for shipping,if you are handy you might bring her back,might be just a coma

Alan
 
I have had a CD-x711 since 1989. Is sounds superb in a Naim/Dynaudio system and I would assume likewise in a Sansui system.

Only problem has been with the draw mechanism/electronics. Unless you keep the machine turned on (i.e. warm) it will not recognise that it has a disc when it closes. Might also be a dirty contact switch. Since I leave all my gear permanently on this is not a problem (only discover it when I moved house and it was off for a while). This is apparently a known problem and I am aware of someone in Australia, with that model and problem, currently investigating a fix.

I am due to replace it late this year but suspect I will have to spend significant NZ$ on a new machine to get significantly better. Apparently in the US 2/h units are available for around $70-80.

I should also mention that I have it sitting on Ganymede ball bearing isolators and a vibration absorbing shelf. These two additions are probably 50% responsible for the quality of sound I am now getting - they lifted the CD-x711 performance to a completely new level I only wish I knew it was capable of 10 years ago.

Steve
 
Alan, that is an incredibly generous offer but I wouldn't want to put you to such trouble. I'm sure I can find one closer to home. I'm listening and learning as much as I can. As with all audio devices there seem to be those that just work better than others. So far there doesn't seem to be the consensus around CD players that I find with Turntables for example. It sounds like a number of people agree the Sansui SR 929 Turntable is the one to have. I was wondering if the same might be said of a particular Sansui CD player.
 
Unfortunately, the CD players are not made as well as the vintage Sansui gear that got us interested in the first place. The Sansui CD players that I have worked on were made by Aiwa, and were nothing special. If you want something with sound to match the rest of your system, buy an Onkyo Integra, Denon, or NAD player.
 
That's good information Dr*Audio. I kind of suspected that would be the case for the Sansui's. But Aiwa? That's kind of sad.
 
BW- There was a review of a Sansui cd player in one of my backissues of Audio, I think from '89. I mightve posted a pic of it somewhere in the Archived messages, I dont have the extra time to go searching for it now. As I recall, the cd player was reviewed favorably, and Sansui was commended on the excellent quality of the unit's analog-to-digital converter.

Some of the upper model Sansui cd players had balanced (3 pin XLR) output connectors which usually is an indicator of a model designed with higher quality in mind.

However, its difficult to make an accurate judgement about how a particular model will perform (as well as sound) 15 years after a review was written when it was new, especially when it comes to cd player technology, which I'm sure has come a long way since then.

My main CD player is a NAD C521i and I have no complaints- works and sounds great, & price was a very reasonable $260.

B/F
 
I guess I'll have to resign myself to an audio component stack that reads:
Sansui,Sansui,Sansui,Sansui,Sansui,NAD! (sigh)
I'm still not a big fan of digital sound. There just something about turning music into a series of 0's and 1's that doesn't do it for me. There are inherent problems in the transition. Music by it's nature is analog and it should stay that way.
 
When you hear the NAD I think you will feel differently. Different CD players sound different, just like everthing else. I think the reason most digiphobes dislike CD sound is because they had their first experience with early CD players, which sounded like crap. I suggest you do some careful listening before you buy. Find a CD or 2 of an album you like and are familiar with. Maybe you can get them from the library. Then go shop for a player that you feel is musical. Try to listen to Onkyo Integra players, and Denon. Expect to spend at least $200. Listen to SACD players also. I haven't heard them but the buzz is that they sound good.
 
"I suggest you do some careful listening before you buy. Find a CD or 2 of an album you like and are familiar with. Maybe you can get them from the library."

I'm in a band and have the unique advantage of my own CD to play. Tends to surprise the store clerks at Future Shop (I don't actually buy anything I just have a little fun) I guess there is something of a debate, digital verses analog. I think they both have their advantages. We recently recorded a CD directly to computer using Pro-Tools, a kind of virtual control board. We couldn't have afforded the time needed to do it in an "analog" studio. Like anything with computers it's all about the conversion of one format to another. I listen to CD's and in fact my bands music is only available on CD but I'm still a big fan of Vinyl. I'd look forward to the chance of recording directly to vinyl one day. But I still gotta have something to play a CD on so I'll keep your suggestions in mind.
 
BW- Now that you state you are so anti-cd, why then the apparent desire for a Sansui cd player? The Sansui name on it wont change the fact thats its still a cd player and a digital device. If you prefer the 'ol analog sound, then stick to turntables, there's no law that says you must use a cd player. I like my 'ol Technics SL-D2 TT, and the Accutrac 4000 TT was a very cool product, but the scratches, pops, and all sorts of surface noise on the lp's
themselves can be a bit annoying.

Personally, I feel THE best form of analog sound quality is Open Reel tape machines. Thats the format that alot of classic music was actually recorded on prior to the 90's, and to me, if thats the medium it was recorded on, why not then, use it as well for playback. ? :)

To my ears, open reel machines ALWAYS sound great (unless of course they are badly out of calibration). I am not against cassette decks, but the mere fact the open reels run at a much faster speed, is a big advantage right there, and you can definitely tell the difference.

Here is one absolutely great machine:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3075335186&category=15000


B/F
 
I'm not as down on CD's as the folks over at the Vinyl Anachronist. As I said Digital does have it's merits. I've recorded in an Analog studio that had over a hundred thousand dollars worth of equipment. (Oddly enough the engineer liked to use VHS machines to tape the sound) We were able to do way more in a digital studio that only cost ten thousand dollars. Don't forget the only way I can hear that recording is on CD! Certainly CD's and digital media are very convenient, but a kid who's only listened to MP3's.....well it's not that much different than someone who's only seen a JPEG of the Mona Lisa. Seeing such a painting up close and personal is like listening to live music. We are then left with trying recreate that experience. How well the various media do that for us is a matter of personal taste. I would agree with you about Reel-to-Reel. I have an SD 7000 that someone gave me and I'm looking forward to getting it cleaned up and running again. And Hell yeah it's got to have that Sansui Logo......uh this is Exclusively Sansui isn't it?
 
BW- Thanks for posting the link. As I mentioned before, I really like analog open reel recorders, and I do own a Tascam 48 1/2" 8 track which is a pro machine. (as well as a Teac A-3440, Tascam 32, and Teac X-300R)

The thing is, a huge, and very heavy 1/2" machine is just not a viable option for many people. Not to mention, the expenditure required to buy blank reels of recording tape which arent exactly cheap. And these anlog machines do require periodic cleaning & maintenance.

For most people, its a matter of covenience. There's no way to get direct access to a song on analog tape, you have to either sequentially FF or RW to get to a specific location, as opposed to hitting a button on a cd player, or programming any listening order you want on a cd player. Actually, you can make a cd player even more convenient by acquiring a model like the Yamaha CDR-HD1300 which I have that has an 80G hard drive to transfer songs onto.

I feel both formats have their +'s & -'s, thats why I utilize both of them as need be for my purposes.

B/F
 
cd/dvd/vhs

Hey,
don't do the nothing yet, by going out and buying a non-Sansui CD Player. Sears.com are selling VHS/DVD player's; #4005 and #4001 which are capable of playing all CD formats with ease.
The 4005 (which has a DVD Recorder) costs $399+ and the 4001 (which does not have a DVD Recorder) costs around $100+.
John:dammit: :dammit: :zoom: :yippy:
 
Hey, jvm,
Sounds like a very good idea! I bought a Panasonic DVD recorder this year, though not for it's audio capabilities. I do use it to record audio, now that I have it, and the sound is excellent. Besides using it to make DVDs of my kids' band and chorus conerts, I use it for time shifting TV programs, and tiner recording radio programs when I'm not home. Mine has an 80Gig hardrive in it which holds plenty of audio or TV. Have'nt played CDs yet on it, cause I have an Onkyo Integra CD player in that system, but I'm pretty sure the audio won't be any worse than the DVD sound.
 
whoa... where'd you pick up a gatton live CD?????? been looking for that for a long time.....that and cruisin dueces are the only 2 i'm missing out of the collection.well... i had the cruisin cd but my car got broken into and it got ripped off along with a bunch of other stuff
 
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