Battle of the (not quite) giants....

[Cogsinister]

OK so here we are, i have in my possession Two "classic" well kind of Stereo receivers.

For me as a relative newcomer to collecting vintage audio this is a first....silver faced stuff is hard to come by here and in a matter of Two weeks i have managed to get these lovely receivers added to my collection.

And that means i can compare the sound of both of them..

The Two being a Sansui 7070 and a little Pioneer SX 424.

Now i guess its not a fair comparison being that the Sansui is a very conservatively rated 60 watts per channel, and the Pioneer is just 15 (according to the service manual).

But to be honest i prefer the sound of..........The Pioneer !!!!!

The sansui is a fine receiver, but to get the sort of sound i like.....warm with decent bass, i have to turn it up quite a way, then it comes alive and sings quite sweetly.

Now the tiny little Pioneer was a revelation from the moment i turned it on, thru a set of Polk audio Monitor 5A's the sound is warm and lush and the bass is nothing short of amazing, and after a few hours of use the sound has just gotten better....

The Pioneer is 100% discrete not an IC in sight and uses somthing called "Lateral mosfets" so maybe that is why it just sounds so darned good...

Anyway i will be on the lookout for its bigger brothers if this is the "Pioneer sound" because i love it !!!!!

Neil.

 

[zombie1210]

That Sui might need servicing. It should trounce that Pioneer.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

While those low watt Pioneers are excellent, if in correct shape the Sansui should triumph. I own a Pioneer SX 550, a McIntosh MAC 1900, and a Sansui 4000. The McIntosh needs recapping. The Sansui blows the Pioneer away in sonics by miles though both are fine. In fact, my Sansui is almost as fine as my McIntosh in just about all areas save AM tuner section (McIntosh owns that category hands down).

 

[Cogsinister]

That Sui might need servicing. It should trounce that Pioneer.

I was kind of thinking that myself...the sound of the Sansui is not bad by any means...but maybe i just like the sound of the Pioneer better......some people love the Marantz sound and some hate it.....

 

[thedelihaus]

Probably a personal preference you have of one house sound over the other.

They look pretty clean. Enjoy!

 

[Cogsinister]

Probably a personal preference you have of one house sound over the other.

They look pretty clean. Enjoy!

Yes i think you are right.........the Sansui sounds very very good, and yes i agree that with a recap it would sound better, but as it is the sound is far better than most amps i have.......but that little Pioneer through the Polks takes on a sound that i and a few members of my family (not normally inclined to comment on the sound of my system) this is just magical.....

 

[thunderroad]

I'm glad to hear that you like the SX-424 so much! I've got the bigger brother, the SX-626, that I bought new back in '71, and I still like the sound very much. They have a very nice warm sound to them. My 626 is rated at 27w/ch, but I think that might be somewhat of a stretch because driving my 3-way Pioneer CS-R500's was right at the top end of it's capabilities. It sounds to me like your 2-way Polks would be a much better match. Having said that, I too am surprised that you preferred it over the Sansui. However it has been my experience that my ampifiers seem to sound better when they are loaded-up a bit and I am wondering if this could be the case with your gear. I'm sure the 15w/ch Pioneer is working a bit to drive the Polks, especially at higher volume, whereas the load on the Sansui is negligible. So it could be that the Pioneer sounds better because it is operating higher up in it's operating envelop, whereas the Sansui is idling. Just a thought. :scratch2:

BTW, be sure to give the phono stage in the Pioneer a listen as well. Enjoy!

 

[Statesolid]

I have one of those hiding out somewhere. I also have a Sherwood 7100 and 7200 that really sound great on efficient speakers. So much so that I want to have them completely refurbed. I think the fact that my listening space is very small and smaller powered pieces with smaller speakers just make a nice fit. I can't really open up any higher powered units to their full potential without overpowering my room and angering the neighbors.

 

[ryuuoh]

I run a Technics SU-8080 integrated, a Yamaha T-80/Denon TU-800 (as receiving conditions permit; The Denon is better, but the display is really bright at night) with a pair of Bozak MB-80 mini speakers for my "fall asleep" system in the bedroom. Low volume, a bit of bass correction or some loudness; it sounds fantastic. During the day, I can get some serious music out of the 8080. It sounds much better than it's 73 watts rating would suggest.
I'm looking at a JVC 4VN 770 quad amp on CL; this was my first "hi-fi" amp back in the '70s.
Gogo low power~

 

[krowmagnum]

I've had 3 different Sansui's over the years and never cared for them but never heard a Pioneer I didn't like. Maybe it's a mental block or maybe I just don't like green lights.

Go little Pioneer !

 

[Sam Cogley]

I only have one Sansui - one of their very early solid-state receivers (3000A) that still uses output transformers. I love the sound, it booted a very well-liked Kenwood out of my bedroom. I also have that Pioneer's big brother, but I've never listened to it, as it needs a complete cleaning and overhaul.

 

[Cogsinister]

I'm glad to hear that you like the SX-424 so much! I've got the bigger brother, the SX-626, that I bought new back in '71, and I still like the sound very much. They have a very nice warm sound to them. My 626 is rated at 27w/ch, but I think that might be somewhat of a stretch because driving my 3-way Pioneer CS-R500's was right at the top end of it's capabilities. It sounds to me like your 2-way Polks would be a much better match. Having said that, I too am surprised that you preferred it over the Sansui. However it has been my experience that my ampifiers seem to sound better when they are loaded-up a bit and I am wondering if this could be the case with your gear. I'm sure the 15w/ch Pioneer is working a bit to drive the Polks, especially at higher volume, whereas the load on the Sansui is negligible. So it could be that the Pioneer sounds better because it is operating higher up in it's operating envelop, whereas the Sansui is idling. Just a thought. :scratch2:

BTW, be sure to give the phono stage in the Pioneer a listen as well. Enjoy!

Thanks for the comment....the Pioneer sounds great with the Polks, up to about half way ....tun the volume up any more than that and it starts to struggle......but to be honest half way is very loud indeed.....

I think the Sansui would sound better on some speakers that are a bit harder to drive than the very effecient speakers i have now....the speakers i have now get far too loud before the amp begins to sound good to me.....

I have just noticed the Sansui has a 20db attenuator button......hmmm not tried that......i wonder if that would help ?

 

[Cogsinister]

I only have one Sansui - one of their very early solid-state receivers (3000A) that still uses output transformers. I love the sound, it booted a very well-liked Kenwood out of my bedroom. I also have that Pioneer's big brother, but I've never listened to it, as it needs a complete cleaning and overhaul.

Well Sam my little Pioneer is a keeper thats for sure........

 

[westend]

Both are good receivers, IMO.
You stated that the Pioneer has improved with use. This could be due to the caps reforming after sitting in storage for a long time. I've noticed this same transition when powering up vintage gear for the first time. Maybe the Sansui could use a few days of "run-in" time?
FWIW, not bashing on the Sui x0x0 receivers but I thought the G-xx00 series brought a little more to the ears, YMMV.

 

[Grainger49]

I sold the 424 but the Sansui post dates my sales experience. Since the Sansui is newer and more powerful I would expect it to win all comparisons.

Just my opinion.

 

[Cogsinister]

Both are good receivers, IMO.
You stated that the Pioneer has improved with use. This could be due to the caps reforming after sitting in storage for a long time. I've noticed this same transition when powering up vintage gear for the first time. Maybe the Sansui could use a few days of "run-in" time?
FWIW, not bashing on the Sui x0x0 receivers but I thought the G-xx00 series brought a little more to the ears, YMMV.

There is no doubt about it, the Sansui is improving with use, over the weekend it has been on at moderate volumes for maybe 20 hours and today it will be on in the background all day...

The sansui speakers i got with the receiver sound far far better after a good running in as well........

 

[dim_span]

I have an old Pioneer SX-700L receiver connected to an old pair of leak sandwich 200 speakers in my bedroom ... sounds superb! ... just something about them

paid £15 for it and included a pair of AR speakers (which is what i was really after for my 16 year old son) ... was going to sell the 700L but decided to keep after listening to it with an old pioneer PD cdp

these old pioneers are really good ... have a Pioneer SA-9800 amp for my main system (also have an old pioneer A-400 amp which is good value for money and connecter to the AR speakers in my son's room)

 

[Arkay]

The SX-424 was one of the first receivers I got, when I first got into vintage audio. It had a sweet sound... but not really comparable to the Sansui X0X0 series. I haven't had the 7070, but I do know the 8080 and the 9090, and they run circles around the Pioneer, in most respects. If you found the Pioneer superior, I think your Sansui needs serious TLC.

That said, that little Pioneer does have a very sweet sound, for its size and age! :yes: They must have sold a million of them, too, because it is one of the vintage receivers that I have seen most often. Even a local shop that has been selling tubes and components for DIY audio gear builders for years and years, uses one in their shop, for background music. I think they've been using it since it was bought new!