All Sansui

[bd1886]

Yup.....they are BIG! When I seen them for the first time their design elements and that quality furniture thing told me instantly that these were a "pinnacle" for that whole generation of "egg crate" speak.....the proportions,that curved grill,fit n finish...I'd use that alone to design everything around them. (For me...known design perfection at a glance.)
I was a young teen when this all was coming back from 'Nam, had a huge social environment, seen SP XXX,SP-2000 thru the big X series everywhere.....never seen these once. Really looking forward to your pics.

 

[centsless]

Yup.....they are BIG! When I seen them for the first time their design elements and that quality furniture thing told me instantly that these were a "pinnacle" for that whole generation of "egg crate" speak.....the proportions,that curved grill,fit n finish...I'd use that alone to design everything around them. (For me...known design perfection at a glance.)
I was a young teen when this all was coming back from 'Nam, had a huge social environment, seen SP XXX,SP-2000 thru the big X series everywhere.....never seen these once. Really looking forward to your pics.

I posted them earlier here... http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=495695

I stripped one today and restained it. Probably gonna spray poly on it to bring out the great walnut grain. More I work on it, the more I like and appreciate the quality of this speaker. Can't wait to hear them on the G-7700 but want to completely finish these before I bring them in. They are just too damn big and heavy and want to move only once! Will listen before I decide to recap but they have it set up to make it easy to do regardless.

 

[e.s.]

I would like to try some Sansui speakers with my 2000X receiver one of these days. But I am happy with my JBLs.

I'm currently using a pair of SP-3200s with my 2000X and SR-929, and I'm really pleased with the sound. I haven't tried running a CD player through them, but for vinyl, they're just what I wanted.

Like the OP, I got into the idea of putting together an all Sansui system when I first became interested in vintage audio. I started out with with a pair of 3200As, then lucked out on the 929. After that, I picked up some 2500s as part of a set with the 2000X, then bought the 3200s just because they were too clean/inexpensive to pass up and after comparing with the others, decided I liked those best. Ultimately, I'd like to get the 3500s, just to see if they're as good as their enthusiasts say.

Recently acquired an AU-555 and TU-555, a second 2000x and a pair of SP-50s, and I'm picking up up an SR-828 tomorrow! Long term goal is to have a system in the living room and bedroom at home, then another in my office at work, so you could say I've been bitten pretty bad by the all-Sansui bug...

 

[bd1886]

I posted them earlier here... http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=495695

I stripped one today and restained it. Probably gonna spray poly on it to bring out the great walnut grain. More I work on it, the more I like and appreciate the quality of this speaker. Can't wait to hear them on the G-7700 but want to completely finish these before I bring them in. They are just too damn big and heavy and want to move only once! Will listen before I decide to recap but they have it set up to make it easy to do regardless.

Yup....your pics had the same effect on me as when Halle came out of the water in "Die Another Day". (Well....kinda...)

 

[Wandyman]

I posted them earlier here... http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=495695

I stripped one today and restained it. Probably gonna spray poly on it to bring out the great walnut grain. More I work on it, the more I like and appreciate the quality of this speaker. Can't wait to hear them on the G-7700 but want to completely finish these before I bring them in. They are just too damn big and heavy and want to move only once! Will listen before I decide to recap but they have it set up to make it easy to do regardless.

How are the monsters? I have the SP 3500, but I also have a 200 watt Yamaha Studio Sub. I am using a Marantz 2015 and they are insanely loud. The combo is insane. I recently turned the bottom knobs down all the way, and have the top knobs all the way up. Wow, add some hi eq and bass eq and it sounds devastating. they blow away my Kef Q60 and C30.
My Sansui 4000 sounds way better, when it sounds good. lol

 

[kevzep]

I think...

Most all stereo companies used AlNiCo magnets in their speakers prior about 1975 (approx). They were really big in 1970. You would have to do a search to see when, and why, they went to ferrit magnets and gave up on AlNiCo. I remember reading that the 'supply of the AlNiCo wasn't consistent anymore' so the manufactures went to ferrit. Maybe it was cost prohibited too. Can't remember the full story. It's easy to find on the internet.

AlNiCo was also used in all musical instruments like Fender's amplifier/speakers, which is why they sound so lushish, and they were all tubes too so that had a lot to do with it. THAT sound!!

Not a lot of folks remember THAT sound. And I would imagine most younger folks have never even heard it before.

Folks will say it's just a magnet, and a magnet is a magnet...so be it. Speaker technonogy has come a very long way since 1970, no doubt about that...but those old 1970 speakers do have some kind of 'magic'!! Definatly a very specific certain sound, if you like that. I've always equated it to more of a live concert 'stage' sound. Works for me! :yes:

It's a much 'warmer' sound. Not so stark or analitical. Just more human. More real...for me. One thing for sure: you can listen to them all day and all night and you Never get tired of the sound. Absolutely Non-tiring.

It also seems to me they 'tone down the starkness', the coldness, of CDs (digital) too. But that may not be true. Just seems that way to me.

I'm hopelessly forever addicted to AlNiCos. LOL.

Just a bit more info.....

They used alnico because they have a very high magnetism to weight ratio.
So they could make very efficient speakers using alnico in those days.

The secret ingredient in Alnico is Cobalt which comes from mines in South Africa, it started running out in the mid '70s and became incredibly expensive....

The then made ceramic magnets which were large heavy and did simply not have the same magnetism the alnico had.

Classic example was the JBL K series drivers which were alnico, they were replaced by the E series which were 3db down in efficiency compared to the K series.
I know, we had a mixture of them in our PA system in the '80s.....so we had to be careful mixing them up.....
K-120 vs E-120 12" and the K-151 vs E-155 18".....oh yeah those were the days!!
Of course the other secret JBL did was their "edge wound" voice coils.....
We had 2441 2" Horns on radial flares....wooooo very cool in the, all driven with BGW750B amplifiers....

The used Alnico in guitar pickups too, in fact I have two guitars which have hand wound alnico pickups in them, astonishing tone!!

Anyway fast forward to the early '90s and the Neodymium magnet was introduced which got us back to performance comparable driver performance to the old Alnico drivers, and now, its even more developed and supersedes alnico by quite some margin now.

However, they are great drivers any of the old JBL or Jensen alnico speakers....

Sorry about the rambling.....LOL...

 

[bluesky]

Just a bit more info.....

They used alnico because they have a very high magnetism to weight ratio.
So they could make very efficient speakers using alnico in those days.

The secret ingredient in Alnico is Cobalt which comes from mines in South Africa, it started running out in the mid '70s and became incredibly expensive....

The then made ceramic magnets which were large heavy and did simply not have the same magnetism the alnico had.

Classic example was the JBL K series drivers which were alnico, they were replaced by the E series which were 3db down in efficiency compared to the K series.
I know, we had a mixture of them in our PA system in the '80s.....so we had to be careful mixing them up.....
K-120 vs E-120 12" and the K-151 vs E-155 18".....oh yeah those were the days!!
Of course the other secret JBL did was their "edge wound" voice coils.....
We had 2441 2" Horns on radial flares....wooooo very cool in the, all driven with BGW750B amplifiers....

The used Alnico in guitar pickups too, in fact I have two guitars which have hand wound alnico pickups in them, astonishing tone!!

Anyway fast forward to the early '90s and the Neodymium magnet was introduced which got us back to performance comparable driver performance to the old Alnico drivers, and now, its even more developed and supersedes alnico by quite some margin now.

However, they are great drivers any of the old JBL or Jensen alnico speakers....

Sorry about the rambling.....LOL...

Love the rambling kevzep!! You learn a lot between the lines!


Thanks for the write-up!! :thmbsp:

I had a fairly complete AlNiCo history written down years ago but I've misplaced it. Just can't find it. Researched the subject for like a week back in 2008.

I know the new speakers are Outstanding. We all know that. (They better be!! haha) But there is just something about listening to the sound of the 60s to early 70s AlNiCo speakers. Maybe it's all just in my head.

But...That's one of the major reasons why all the old Fender Tweed and Fender 'Blackface' amps are in such high demand now-a-days at such VERY HIGH prices. The AlNiCo magnet sound. AlNiCo magneted speakers do have a ' very special sound ' when pushed at volumn, something to do with distortion which made all the late 60s and 70s rock sound the way it did. And AlNiCos had some problems to of having to re-magnetizing them then after they were used at extreme volumns. I have to find my history write-up on the subject.

(A Rambling on side story: I personally have a '67 Fender Blackface Vibro Champ Amp, actually just the 'student' model, the same one James Walsh used with James Gang when recording. No biggie, they are out there, but the 'used cost' for a good one is now $700-$1100 on average (untouched and working of course). I got my minty one for $50 back in 2001 or so. I did get lucky on the price even then. Think they were going for $150-$200 at the time. I'm not a musician but have a few 60s Gibson and Fender guitars and amps laying around. )

Anyway...I personally 'got a thing' with AlNiCos. Maybe it's all in my head. But I really still like them!! To me...they seem to make the music much more personal...warmer, life-like. I'm a product of the late 60s-early70s. (Rock on!!) On stage (Filmore, Winterland, all venues everywhere > all the concerts), everyone had AlNiCo speakers. That's just the way it was. I'm just used to ' that sound ' I guess. To me...they just SOUND RIGHT! When you see the bands up on stage using the old AlNiCo Fender speakers...that ain't for ' looks '!!! That's for a specific sound.

New speakers do sound wonderful too. Of course. Who knows, maybe/probably even better, much better by now, I would imagine. For the cost they are charging they better sound better. But even the old 1970 SP-2000 speakers cost $1000+/-, which was really super expensive back then, in 1970. Sansui WAS an expensive company to purchase gear from! A major big time investment. Like buying a Bryston now. Yeah.

Everyone just really likes what they like I guess. I like the laid back rock and roll AlNiCo sound. Works for me audioally and mentally.
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