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AU-X417R - What have I got?

B

Braz

New Member
Hi from Australia,

First post here and hoping for some help and advice.

I picked up this amp at an estate sale for $15 on a whim. Didn't know anything about it, but heard that Sansui made great amps, so I though "what not?" I can't find much info at all on what I have. After cleaning all the switches and pots and testing it through my speakers with some vinyl and an iPod I'm pretty happy with it. It's got plenty of power and sounds quite good.

Looking inside there is some brittle old brown glue holding some of the larger caps in place. I've read that this can be quite corrosive and damaging. Its started to corrode 2 or 3 of the nearby resistors, but so far its functioning well.

I'm looking for any info on the quality of this amp and advice about how much time and money I should throw at it. Will much be gained from a recap? If so, I'm willing to have a go at it myself. I think I'll ultimately use it for a second 2ch system or to run some speakers outside.

Thanks for your time and input.

Sansui2.JPG Sansui1.JPG Sansui3.JPG Sansui4.JPG Sansui5.JPG
 
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Welcome from a fellow Aussie!

That's a pretty rare little amp that you've got your hands on, but it's not one of Sansui's upper range amps of this era.

It is lower-spec model with lesser build quality and performance than the upper-crust 'Alpha X-balanced' amps.

That said, let your ears be the decider on its sound quality! I'd imagine it will sound quite good!

Regarding a recap, if you are willing and able to do it yourself, why not? You can source all of the necessary caps from Panasonic and Nichicon etc from RS Components or Element14. If it's your first recap, I'd suggest getting up-to-speed by finding some non-working gear and practising desoldering in particular.
 
Thanks for you great and helpful reply pete_mac! From the listening that I've done it does sound pretty good and I reckon it'll be good for what I have in mind. As far as a recap goes, I'm still undecided. Part of me thinks, 'if it ain't broke', but to prevent any more corrosion and to keep it going for the long haul I might look into it further.

Does a recap involve replacement of literally EVERY cap, or only specific ones? Also, any ideas on the age of this model? I was thinking early 90s??

I appreciate the response,
Cheers, Chris
 
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