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Infinity Renaissance 90 with Sansui AU-9500

klangtausch

klangtausch

New Member
Hello everybody,
this is my first post in this forum, I am based in Berlin, Germany.
I am not an expert, but I love hi-fi and good music.

I just purchase a pair of Ren 90's (black) in beautiful condition. So happy about them. :)
Now I have them connected to a Sansui AU-9500 amp and ...it sounds impressive!
But, I heard from all sides, that the Ren 90's need at least 200w per channel to fully wake up.

So I thought about looking into a Threshold power amp and use my AU-9500 as a pre-amp.

Pre-amp: Sansui AU-9500
Power-amp: a Threshold, or something similar
Speaker: Infinity Renaissance 90

Would that be a good combination?
What would be the perfect match with my AU-9500?
Any further suggestions are warmly welcome.

I am not so keen on these very modern-looking power amps, I want something more "vintage".
The Sansui BA-5000 also comes to mind, but that one is way too expensive for me.
My absolute max budget is 2000€ for a power amp.
Thank you!
 

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Try an Aragon 8008. You should be able to find one used at a decent price. They can take the low ohm loads. I think the AU-9500 would make a great preamp.
 
An Aragon 4004 (400w/channel into 4Ω; several AK Kappa owners have them) or even a 2004 (200w/channel into 4Ω) should also work fine, and generally cost significantly less than the 8008. But I don't know how much Aragon sold in Europe.
 
I have a pair of Ren 90s and, in all humility, know nothing, period. I have them currently hooked up with a switchbox to an Onkyo M588f (200 W/Ch into 8 ohms), a Sansui alpha 907 NRA (160 W/Ch), and a Sansui 07 Anniversary (90 W/Ch). The 07 Anniversary is capable of handling high current output but has limited power. All sound superb. I just don’t get this comment about the Ren 90 opening up at at high power. I never listen at these levels. Please educate me. What am I missing?

Marc
 
Actually I have over 15, possIbly 20, I haven’t counted them lately but only three hooked up to the Rens. I guess I’ve turned into a Sansui collector to judge for my self their evolution over the years. I have two other sets, an Onkyo P388f/M588f and a Yamaha C2X/B2X. The Rens and the above mentioned amps are downstairs, I have Yamaha NS 1000 monitors upstairs. My 2 cents are that good speakers make any decent amp that can meet their power requirement sound good. Both above mentioned speakers are exceptional, much better than the Boston Acoustics VR-MR 90s which we use in the kitchen/dining room for everyday listening.

Of course the Ren 90s are my favorites but I don’t often get to play them because of WAF. These speakers are my only Infinities, I learned about them from a former Exclusively Sansui moderator, now banned, BeatleFred. I love them. My favorites are Classical, Bluegrass, and Classic Rock music but I don’t need high volume.

Marc
 
I should add that unlike the original Kappa series, the Ren 90s are not hard to drive. Also, in my office before I retired, I had a pair of Kappa 7.1s. These too, unlike the original Kappa series are not hard to drive. When I retired, I gave these to a neighbor. I enjoyed these immensely and he is enjoying these now. I follow the Infinity forum regularly and am looking forward to learning more about Bobbyd38’s polydome replacements although I no longer personally need them. I am afraid, however, that my wife has put an end to my acquisition of bigger, better speakers or more amplifiers.

Marc
 
This reply is for the original poster of this thread.

There is an Aragon 8008 for sale in Serbia on eBay within your budget. It has been listed for a while, so perhaps he could be talked down a little.

With Infinitys, the ability to drive a difficult load is likely more important than the number of watts.
 
Thanks for all the kind replies. I will give those Aragon's some research. :)
Does this mean, that there's a common preference for Aragon's over Threshold amps for the Ren 90s?
...the second-hand prices for both manufacturers seem to be almost similar here in Europe.
My Rens sound very beautiful with the AU-9500. But of course, I don't have anything to compare as of yet. Hence my post here.
I want to treat them well, with a sound and current they deserve ;-)

A few more questions, what's considered a high current output for Infinity's? Particularly for the Rens?
Maybe my AU-9500 actually has a rather good current output, besides his 120w/channel into 4Ω? ...I wonder...
And if I understand it right, the needed output load for a speaker does not necessarily depend on the volume we listen the music with.
Is that correct?
Thanks already for all the insights.
 
Looking at pics online, it looks like the AU-9500 has a solid power supply (nice transformer and plenty of capacitance) and acts as a good current source (75w into 8 ohms/120 into 4). If you are happy with what you are hearing from your setup in your room, stick with it. You haven't mentioned any way(s) in which your current amp is not to your liking when listening to the Ren 90s. It appears that you have been reading others' posts and think you're missing something. 2000€ could buy a lot of vinyl!
 
Picture yourself pushing a wheeled conveyance of 200 lbs. up a moderate incline. There is a piece of fishing line tied around your testicles while the other end is tied to the cart. Everything is fine until you reach the top and start going moderately downhill on the other side.

Going up is what it is like for your amp pushing those 8 ohm JBLs. The other side of the hill is your amp on big Infinitys.

Some are worse than others, like the Kappa 9. I don't know where your Renaissance 90s would fall on that scale.
 
In another thread on AK, someone posted the impedance curve they measured. Min was 3.3 ohms. I don't think that should be problematic for the Sansui. The OP hasn't mentioned needing more power (aka volume) in his room given his tastes.
 
Welcome I’m also a Sansui fan. If you do decide to use the Au 9500 as a pre amp if the sound is muffled or not as clear I would get a stand alone pre amp. I tried using my Sansui 7000 as a pre amp and it didn’t sound as good as my inexpensive Parasound pre amp. Let us know what u decide and send some pics when u can.
 
Thank you all for the valuable input.
My ren 90s do sound "good", but I am missing the wow effect...
I compared some power amps with higher current. Sansui's BA 5000 in good condition is now expensive here in Europe, so are the Thresholds.
After thinking back and forth on what to do best, I just now purchased a fully recapped Mark Levinson ML 23.5 power amp, in as the seller claims mint condition.
I hope to receive the heavy shipment next week.

Than my chain will be like this:

Technics turntable with a Grado cartridge
Sansui AU-9500 used as pre-amp
ML 23.5 power-amp
Ren 90 speakers

I am very excited ...and really hope it was the right decision to get the ML !?
I will let you know how it sounds and send some pictures. :)
 
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klangtausch said:
Thank you all for the valuable input.
Than my chain will be like this:

Technics turntable with a Grado cartridge
Sansui AU-9500 used as pre-amp
ML 23.5 power-amp
Ren 90 speakers
Click to expand...

I had an ML 23 many years ago and thought it was a great amp. All the power you need and great refinement in one back-breaking package. The 23.5 is supposed to sound better...

I hate to say this, but a real preamp is going to be your next purchase. Start saving your euros!
 
Funny that you mention this, as I had the very same thoughts these days. :)
Actually I am just about to acquire a SANSUI CA-3000 preamp - and I will be able to pick it up next month. Quite excited that i found one...

For now, my system looks like this:
Technics turntable, with a Grado Gold cartridge
Yamaha CD-S2100
Audioengine B1 - bluetooth receiver
Sansui AU-9500 - used as pre-amp
ML No 23.5 power-amp
Ren 90 speakers

The ML No. 23.5 does sound breathtaking I have to say! I had to cry some happy tears after I plugged it in the first time because the system suddenly sounded so beautiful... airy, very effortless, with natural clarity, smooth warmth in the mids, huge soundstage, precise in the highs and very beefy but tight in the low ends. What a power amplifier. Wow. The Ren 90s are about to start to sing with him.

Now the next step is a preamp indeed... and then I should be good for some years.

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