AU-9500 versus AU-999

[allstar856]

Hello everyone,

I am new to AudioKarma, I see by a previous post the question ask about the 9500 vrs the 9090 I would like to ask the following.
I have a AU-999 and was considering picking up a AU-9500 to replace it. What are the pro's and con's to switching. I would appreciate any and all comments


Thanks

 

[LBPete]

The AU-9500 is the next step up the evolutionary ladder from the AU-999. The 9500 replaced the 999 as the top of the line Sansui receiver. These are both very good amps. You are not likely to get clear consensus on which is "better." They both have very strong advocates.

The beauty of this hobby is doing your own comparisons. You can buy these amps for not a lot of money, choose which one you like and sell the other to someone else who is on a similar quest for audio nirvana.

- Pete

 

[mjs1]

Sansui AU 999 vs. 9500

Hi allstar856 and welcome to AK and Exclusively Sansui.

Here is a link to The Best of Sansui, if you haven't yet discovered it, so that you can find out about the integrated amps or other Sansuis.

http://www.sansui.us/Amplifiers.htm

I have both the 999 and 9500. Both are wonderful. The 9500 has a great build quality. It is built like a tank and it is also the more powerful of the two. The 999 has 50 rms watts/channel into 8 ohms, the 9500 is about 80 to 85. Both were TOTL in their day and are said to be the Sansuis with the most tube-like sound.

My 999 was my recent acquisition and I love it. I haven't yet taken the top off to see what it looks like inside but if you look at the picture on best of Sansui, the 9500 is more substantial. My 9500 developed a hum and probably needs new power caps. It was supposedly checked over by the eBay seller and brought up to spec when sold to me, but with both of these amplifiers a complete recap, if not already done, likely should be done in the near future. I can't fairly compare the two now, but the 9500 didn't sound that special to me when I first got it, the 999 does. I would guess this may be more a matter of the condition of their aging components rather than a reflection on the sound of these integrateds themselves when either new or recapped. Having expressed my preference for the 999 in my collection, I must add that when I do blinded listening with a switchbox, at my level of listening (not very loud), I can't tell the difference between most of my integrateds (AU 999, 9500, 11000, 717, 919, D11, D11II).

The 9500 looks fairly easy to work on yourself if you are so inclined, and I suspect the 999 is too. One other thing to keep in mind is that the price of all Sansui TOTL models seems to have increased sharply over the past 6 months and the 9500 has gone up significantly in price. Unless you can get a great deal on the 9500, the price of this model on eBay lately puts it into the range of the newer and somewhat more powerful integrateds.

I can't fault you for wanting an AU 9500, I wanted both, but I'm not sure that you will notice the difference unless you need the extra power. Recapping your 999 is also an option.

Hope this helps.


Marc

 

[Arkay]

I have both, and would be very hard-put to choose between them, if I could only have one.

The 9500 is a (slightly) newer, bigger, more powerful beast ... but that doesn't necessarily make it better. The 999 has a very high build quality in the details: it uses a stepped attenuator for volume control, for example, and has almost more point-to-point sort of construction than the 9500, which has some slot-in boards. There is (if I remember right) more and heavier shielding in the 9500, which basically is built like the proverbial tank. One of the most 'solid' consumer amps you'll ever find.

Sonically, they are both a little different, but both have that distinctively clear but warm "early Sansui" sound, which is often described as "tube like". I believe both were built when Sansui's founder was still alive and influencing design and voicing. In fact, if I remember right, the 9500 was the last one that he was actively involved in designing, making it in a way the last "true" Sansui.

I used to have two 999s, but sold one. Regret it a little, as they are not easy to find. 9500s seem much more common, at least here in Hong Kong (where the majority of audio shops that sell used/vintage speakers use one to demo the speakers with!).

Some people say they like the sound of the AU-8500 more than that of the 9500, but the 8500 costs a bit less. Something you might want to consider.

 

[c3conv]

Arkay, just out of the topic but should I go for the first time to Hong Kong, where should I go to find vintage audio? Thanks

 

[sweetlaraine]

Au-9500

Hello everyone,

I am new to AudioKarma, I see by a previous post the question ask about the 9500 vrs the 9090 I would like to ask the following.
I have a AU-999 and was considering picking up a AU-9500 to replace it. What are the pro's and con's to switching. I would appreciate any and all comments


Thanks

I cant give you a comparison between both, because I only have the AU-9500, which I picked up recently. I can tell you the 9500 is very well built, heavy as all get out. But, like was said before, your ears are the final judge.