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Huge Sansui score today.

Sansuiman

Sansuiman

Go kart Mozart, checking out the weather chart.
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Earlier today a deal came to fruition that I just have to gloat about. I picked up - for an embarssingly low amount, no less - a QRX-5500 with original documentation, QD-5500 quad open reel deck, and a stack of 4 channel open reel tapes (mostly prerecorded classic rock, Chicago, Loggins and Messina, Springsteen, ZZ Top, among others). These were all original owner pieces bought new in 1975. The seller also threw in (for free) a Sony ES 5 disc CD changer.

I haven't even unloaded it all yet, so will get some pictures later on here and add them to the thread. It's funny, even after almost 30 years of collecting gear, I still get excited like a kid on Christmas when I happen into a deal like this.

More to come...
 
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The QD-5500 appears to work well. The QRX-5500 may have signal dropout issues due to switches/relays that need cleaning. Probably won't get very far with that tonight, but want to get them setup for some pics to put up here.

These will be the first true 4 channel tapes I've owned. Quite looking forward to setting up this system and giving it a try. I'm not new to quad, of course, but typically have listened to synthesized quad from stereo sources. Do have a few QS and SQ albums, but this will be my first foray into discrete 4 channel on open reel.
 
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Sansuiman said:
Earlier today a deal came to fruition that I just have to gloat about. I picked up - for an embarssingly low amount, no less - a QRX-5500 with original documentation, QD-5500 quad open reel deck, and a stack of 4 channel open reel tapes (mostly prerecorded classic rock, Chicago, Loggins and Messina, Springsteen, ZZ Top, among others). These were all original owner pieces bought new in 1975. The selller also threw in (for free) a Sony ES 5 disc CD changer.
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‘’Good things come to those who wait’’
Congrats…Enjoy!
 
Very curious to see some pics and details on that QD-5500. Which Springsteen? And CONGRATS! (you might also consider a new thread (or mod title edit) with the models in the title so they come up in search easier. it looks like there is only one other QD-5500 thread on AK).
 
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Getting good pics is a challenge right now. My test bench has the AU-X111MOS Vintage of woe sitting on it in pieces, both large shelving units for gear in active use are full, my basement is a disaster as I have torn down my one keyboard rack and effects/module rack to make some changes in audio and MIDI routing. So, right now the gear I picked up today is in the furnace room which is pretty tight anyway.

Let me see if I can get something together, may be tomorrow before I can stage it all and plug it in. Has been a long day, as I've been dealing with a vehicle problem this evening that had to be fixed immediately. Always something.
 
Ok, here are a couple of mediocre pics to whet the appetite. First, the QD-5500 on it's back, powered up. This deck is an absolute beast.

Second is the Sony CD changer. The lens over the display has shifted downard slightly, will have to work that loose and reattach correctly. This unit needs a thorough cleaning.

Third is all the pre-recorded tapes I picked up. I believe these are all discrete 4 channel recordings. There are a few tapes of dubs (mostly self made compilations, I guess you'd call them proto mix-tapes) not pictured. I'll get some of the QRX-5500 up in a subsequent post.

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Some of the tapes I know I won't listen to, a couple I'm not familiar with and will listen to before deciding whether or not to keep. As of now, I haven't haven't inspected them to verify condition (to look for any apparent damage, mold,.etc.) but gather they are all in decent shape.

I'll check them out in due time here. The gentleman I purchased the lot from struck me as a conscientious sort, all his gear looked to be meticulously cared for, including other components he had that weren't part of the sale.
 
Very cool. I have I have shied away from tape players, but that is an intriguing mah
Sansuiman said:
Ok, here are a couple of mediocre pics to whet the appetite. First, the QD-5500 on it's back, powered up. This deck is an absolute beast.

Second is the Sony CD changer. The lens over the display has shifted downard slightly, will have to work that loose and reattach correctly. This unit needs a thorough cleaning.

Third is all the pre-recorded tapes I picked up. I believe these are all discrete 4 channel recordings. There are a few tapes of dubs (mostly self made compilations, I guess you'd call them proto mix-tapes) not pictured. I'll get some of the QRX-5500 up in a subsequent post.

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That is a fascinating piece of Hi-Fi history!
 
I already had 2 SD-7000 open reel decks (Sansui's TOTL stereo RTR offering) and a QD-5500 in working, but slightly rough condition. The one I just picked up is much cleaner. It was also a factory demo unit, by markings on the rear panel (which I'll post pics of later) so this one is a keeper. I may consider thinning the herd a little, once I've run this newly acquired one through it's paces.

I pulled the trigger on this deal mostly for the QRX-5500. Despite owning 9001 and 999's, I was intrigued by the 5500/7500 enough to put it on the "would be nice to have" list a while ago. The CD changer was an unexpected bonus. I don't do a ton of tape recording or listening these days, but would much rather use open reel than cassette, primarily for reasons of fidelity.

Yes, it is a cumbersome and costly format, and the decks are huge and not always easy to keep working. But when they are working properly, they sound excellent and just look so damn good in operation. Besides all that, the engineering and build quality of these is astounding.

It is no wonder that RTR never became hugely popular, the hardware (when new, and even now) was very costly, and limited it's appeal to only the top end of the consumer market. These are industrial quality machines, scaled down just enough to find a place in the systems of a small percentage of those who wanted to build up an excellent system back in the day.

Having been inside these units to do repairs, I marvel at how these are designed and put together. The electro-mechanical workings are almost artistic in their complexity. It further drives home my belief that the pinnacle of build quality in consumer hifi took place between about 1967-1975.

Certainly there were advancements beyond that time frame, but the compromises made as a concession to coat controls started to become evident. By 1983, build quality was a mere shadow of what it has been a decade earlier, as we here well know.
 
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