I am a not a fan kabuki speakers at all.....in fact I dont really care for 3 way speaker much. I just prefer a really good two way speaker system. As an example of vintage speakers I own: Marantz Imperial 6s, Small Advents and Realistic Nova 6s in the order of preference.
As a result of my preferences listed above I have not been much interested in Sansui speakers that I have run across over the years. BUT any vintage speaker with real wood veneer cabinets on CL or Facebook Marketplace usually will get me to stop and at least read the ad. Late last November I saw a nice looking set of SP70s listed on FM. I had never even heard of them before and when I Googled them I was rather astounded to see that they were two way. I thought "Hmph, aint that the dangdest thing" and moved on. As I browsed speakers listings (really looking for a set of OLAs) I kept seeing the SP70s. I was bored one day and messaged the seller and asked to see a pic with the grills off. After telling him they were screwed on I got the pics and saw everything was in perfect condition. I asked him a few questions (he said he was willing to make a deal but I really was not looking for them) then did not think about them for a few more days. I finally was bored one day and messaged him an a decent offer (but fairly low) and to my surprise he accepted it.
After having them for a few days I put a thread up in another forum. I was not sure how much I liked them because they were rather different than I thought they would be. Now after almost two months of listening I think I finally have a handle on them:
The first thing that surprised me was how bright they are (in a pretty soft bedroom). The first system I had them hooked to was a Realistic SA 2001 (60wpc) Integrated (which I had just got). I think my confusion about them was caused by not being used to the SA 2001 so I changed them to being run by a Sony STR 5800 that I had been using to run Small Advents in the same room. We listen to this system every single night as we fall asleep (using a Sansui Timer). SO after all of the above, here is what I finally think about them (not that means much I know):
They are very bright and detailed, (surprising for a dome tweeter in speakers this old) a little too much for me actually so I have the rear selector in "Soft". Even though they say they are rated for 30 watts max, they need more than that to sound good, which I also found surprising since they are a ported design. When I first brought them home I tried them in the dining room with a Pioneer SX 680 I grabbed to demo them. I was rather disappointed and wondered if I just should flip them but decided to try them in the more powerful bedroom systems. The 60 wpc Realistic and 55wpc Sony really bring out the lower end, which they really need. I have pushed them mildly hard with both systems and they did not seem to strain at a SPL that I could not stand for long.
At first I thought the bass was a bit lacking and compared to the Small Advents and the Nova 6s I had been using, they are. But they are more detailed than either of the other two and after a bit of EQ boost for the lower end they end up to be a nicely balanced speaker. They really are not the best for hard hitting rock but they will still shake the room........Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" really show what they can do (as with most speakers) on the lower end and Dianna Krall's "Garden In The Rain" and "Moonglow" show how accurate they are. I think like most speakers, one has to get used to how they sound and these Sansuis are no exception but they took a bit more time and a bit of tinkering to get them sorted out.
It is a shame that Sansui speakers get tagged (for better or for worse) with the "kabuki" moniker. I have ended up impressed with what a two way Sansui can do. They have a big cabinet for an 8in woofer with a nice tweeter and that is all they need to sound nice......I will be keeping them and will be put in rotation with the Nova 6s.
As for looks, they are a solid 10 out of 10, I love them. The cabinets are in simply superb condition and the wood grills have a chip here and there but overall are in very good condition. The detailing of them overall and the quality of their construction is truly excellent. They blow the Advents away in that regard.....
One of my better $75 investments.
As a result of my preferences listed above I have not been much interested in Sansui speakers that I have run across over the years. BUT any vintage speaker with real wood veneer cabinets on CL or Facebook Marketplace usually will get me to stop and at least read the ad. Late last November I saw a nice looking set of SP70s listed on FM. I had never even heard of them before and when I Googled them I was rather astounded to see that they were two way. I thought "Hmph, aint that the dangdest thing" and moved on. As I browsed speakers listings (really looking for a set of OLAs) I kept seeing the SP70s. I was bored one day and messaged the seller and asked to see a pic with the grills off. After telling him they were screwed on I got the pics and saw everything was in perfect condition. I asked him a few questions (he said he was willing to make a deal but I really was not looking for them) then did not think about them for a few more days. I finally was bored one day and messaged him an a decent offer (but fairly low) and to my surprise he accepted it.
After having them for a few days I put a thread up in another forum. I was not sure how much I liked them because they were rather different than I thought they would be. Now after almost two months of listening I think I finally have a handle on them:
The first thing that surprised me was how bright they are (in a pretty soft bedroom). The first system I had them hooked to was a Realistic SA 2001 (60wpc) Integrated (which I had just got). I think my confusion about them was caused by not being used to the SA 2001 so I changed them to being run by a Sony STR 5800 that I had been using to run Small Advents in the same room. We listen to this system every single night as we fall asleep (using a Sansui Timer). SO after all of the above, here is what I finally think about them (not that means much I know):
They are very bright and detailed, (surprising for a dome tweeter in speakers this old) a little too much for me actually so I have the rear selector in "Soft". Even though they say they are rated for 30 watts max, they need more than that to sound good, which I also found surprising since they are a ported design. When I first brought them home I tried them in the dining room with a Pioneer SX 680 I grabbed to demo them. I was rather disappointed and wondered if I just should flip them but decided to try them in the more powerful bedroom systems. The 60 wpc Realistic and 55wpc Sony really bring out the lower end, which they really need. I have pushed them mildly hard with both systems and they did not seem to strain at a SPL that I could not stand for long.
At first I thought the bass was a bit lacking and compared to the Small Advents and the Nova 6s I had been using, they are. But they are more detailed than either of the other two and after a bit of EQ boost for the lower end they end up to be a nicely balanced speaker. They really are not the best for hard hitting rock but they will still shake the room........Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" really show what they can do (as with most speakers) on the lower end and Dianna Krall's "Garden In The Rain" and "Moonglow" show how accurate they are. I think like most speakers, one has to get used to how they sound and these Sansuis are no exception but they took a bit more time and a bit of tinkering to get them sorted out.
It is a shame that Sansui speakers get tagged (for better or for worse) with the "kabuki" moniker. I have ended up impressed with what a two way Sansui can do. They have a big cabinet for an 8in woofer with a nice tweeter and that is all they need to sound nice......I will be keeping them and will be put in rotation with the Nova 6s.
As for looks, they are a solid 10 out of 10, I love them. The cabinets are in simply superb condition and the wood grills have a chip here and there but overall are in very good condition. The detailing of them overall and the quality of their construction is truly excellent. They blow the Advents away in that regard.....
One of my better $75 investments.