Just took my vintage Sansui SR-222 out of storage.

Philvbo

Philvbo

New Member
After 35 years of having gone strictly digital but still having over 200 vinyl albums in my collection, I thought I would take my Sansui S222 out of storage for inspection. This is as basic as it gets for a turntable so there was not much to go wrong. It was a quality turntable in its day and everything still works. After some minor cleaning to wipe off the oxidation, it looks brand new again. Even the cover shows no wear. I had it stored in its original packaging and sealed. But the belt has completely disintegrated and I would replace it (as well as the old cartridge) automatically anyway after all these years. I am not looking to sell it. (I don't think it is worth is worth anything anyway).

I have been going through my long-abandoned LP collection and deciding what to keep and what to toss. Surprisingly, there are more keepers than I expected (but lots of "what was I thinking!!!" losers). So it would be nice to have a decent turntable to enjoy them again. I figure about $25 for a new belt and who knows how much for a good quality cartridge would get it done. And with the current interest in vintage gear by audiophiles, I'm hoping that today's cartridges are even better than they were back then.

I recently refurbished the Marantz 2220B and bought new JBL speakers and they sound gorgeous! Is it worth it fussing with the SR-222 or should I just toss it? I'm not interested in spending big money for a new one.
 
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Definately! It's probably a great starting point and if you decide to jump back into vinyl, you can take your time looking for an upgrade. Check ebay and discogs for record pricing, you may have some gems you want to toss. It's interesting to see record values, for some odd reason, record club (BMG, Columbia House, etc.) issues are going for more money, in the old days nobody wanted those.
 
Dude I think you've answered your own question.
You've got a more than competent deck in hand - that likely needs minimal servicing (basic maintenance from the sounds of it.)
Why even consider dumping it and going on the hunt for something else right now?
Get it up and running and PLAY YOUR RECORDS! they've been sitting idle and unappreciated all these years, show 'em some love as quickly as you can.
After a year or two you'll know whether or not you want to replace the Sansui ( my guess is you will be quite happy with it for quite some time)
 
Philvbo said:
.. I'm hoping that today's cartridges are even better than they were back then..
Click to expand...

Depending on what cartridge there is on you TT you can also just buy a new stylus (needle) for it.
Nothing wrong with most cartridges of that era (1970-1980).
If you state the make/type cartridge you have now, fellow AK-ers will chime in with suggestions.

The Sansui SR-222 is a nice, reliable TT and can give a lot of listening pleasure.
Add to this that yours seems te be in very good (cosmetic) condition and I personally would not toss it.

Have fun
-John-
 
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definitely worth keeping. i run mine just about every day. it’s a solid table that’s fairly bulletproof, sounds good, and is going to cost you a whole lot less than buying new table the equal of it.
 
jd-audio said:
Depending on what cartridge there is on you TT you can also just buy a new stylus (needle) for it.
Nothing wrong with most cartridges of that era (1970-1980).
If you state the make/type cartridge you have now, fellow AK-ers will chime in with suggestions.

The Sansui SR-222 is a nice, reliable TT and can give a lot of listening pleasure.
Add to this that yours seems te be in very good (cosmetic) condition and I personally would not toss it.

Have fun
-John-
Click to expand...
I have a Pickering on there now (no model #) and a Stanton model 555. I finally explored my options at Crutchfield yesterday after researching online, reviewed their option and had a chat with one of their consultants. I could have gone sideways with an AudioTechnica for $70 but decided to upgrade to a Sumiko Rainier for $140. I don't know if that was the best choice but I don't have an audiophile-grade set-up and I would rather over-shoot the quality a little than under-shoot it. It's like investing in a fancy car and going cheap on the tires. That was my philosophy with speakers as well. I also replaced the turntable mat for $10 so for $150, I propably would have had to spend $800 or more to do as well buying new.

I appreciate all of the comments and still Interested in hearing what everyone thinks.
 
Bone Yard said:
Definately! It's probably a great starting point and if you decide to jump back into vinyl, you can take your time looking for an upgrade. Check ebay and discogs for record pricing, you may have some gems you want to toss. It's interesting to see record values, for some odd reason, record club (BMG, Columbia House, etc.) issues are going for more money, in the old days nobody wanted those.
Click to expand...
I've been spending time at discogs checking it out for a few weeks. I will definitely be spending more time there. I have LPs that seem to be in good condition that I am sure I will never listen to again. Good idea to sell them or toss them.
 
It's addictive to see if you have anything of value. Recently I grabbed a bunch of early 80's rap cassettes (multi-artist) and those are worth a small fortune, minus the twenty cents I paid for them. It also makes you want to take a little better care of your albums.
 
Lots of places sell the FBM 25.0, the flat belt, medium that is 25”. You can find it for way less than the 25 you mention. Seems 8 bucks and maybe three for a padded envelop and stamps should get you one.

Have you got the manual to explain cartridge alignment and setting the tracking force and anti-skate? If not,

https://www.audioservicemanuals.com/s/sansui/sansui-sr/128408-sansui-sr-222-owners-manual has it for you.

Tweezers work well on the cartridge clips. Longer normal type with grooved mating surface. Some use small needle nosed pliers. Whatever you use limit how far you can move you hands as you pull the clips off the cartridge to avoid having to solder it back on.

Gonna be fun hearing those tunes again.
 
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They are very elegant, nice looking turntables, hence my message above about pics. I believe they also changed very little throughout the years, just like the Dual 505 from the same era.
 
Philvbo said:
After 35 years of having gone strictly digital but still having over 200 vinyl albums in my collection, I thought I would take my Sansui S222 out of storage for inspection. This is as basic as it gets for a turntable so there was not much to go wrong. It was a quality turntable in its day and everything still works. After some minor cleaning to wipe off the oxidation, it looks brand new again. Even the cover shows no wear. I had it stored in its original packaging and sealed. But the belt has completely disintegrated and I would replace it (as well as the old cartridge) automatically anyway after all these years. I am not looking to sell it. (I don't think it is worth is worth anything anyway).

I have been going through my long-abandoned LP collection and deciding what to keep and what to toss. Surprisingly, there are more keepers than I expected (but lots of "what was I thinking!!!" losers). So it would be nice to have a decent turntable to enjoy them again. I figure about $25 for a new belt and who knows how much for a good quality cartridge would get it done. And with the current interest in vintage gear by audiophiles, I'm hoping that today's cartridges are even better than they were back then.

I recently refurbished the Marantz 2220B and bought new JBL speakers and they sound gorgeous! Is it worth it fussing with the SR-222 or should I just toss it? I'm not interested in spending big money for a new one.
Click to expand...

Get it going. You'd have to spend big money for anything nearly as good. I'm a big fan of Sansui turntables of that vintage.
 
Tbh most vintage decks are more than capable to play records just fine. I had a sansui 626 I believe few years ago. Really solid decks , I changed to a pioneer pl707 in my main system for the simple reason, going from a manual to a full automatic quartz lock table. Has proven to be a great step for me.

But in reality? Even my really not that expensive teac 300 in my secondary system (see pic) is doing a fantastic job of playing those elusive 12 inch plastic discs.

I prefer it even over my pro-ject rpm1, a good decent table doesn't have to be exotic at all. Just calibrate/set up a table correctly and you'll have fun using it.


IMG_20241008_050539571_AE.jpg
 
Magfinity said:
a good decent table doesn't have to be exotic at all. Just calibrate/set up a table correctly and you'll have fun using it.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Been using my Rega Planar 2 since I bought it over 30 years ago. There's a whole rabbit hole you can go down with these tables : fancy sub-platters., different mats, etc. Me? I would rather just listen to the music.
 
leesonic said:
Agreed. Been using my Rega Planar 2 since I bought it over 30 years ago. There's a whole rabbit hole you can go down with these tables : fancy sub-platters., different mats, etc. Me? I would rather just listen to the music.
Click to expand...
Absolutely there with you on that , I won't deny that there are definitely benefits of having somewhat nice gear.

But to me I feel all my tables (pioneer pl707, teac 300, pro-ject rpm1 ,marantz 6100) so two very vintage ones and two somewhat more modern tables.

I use a scale , protractor, even a laser disc (smooth surface) to set my tracking.

And they all sound in their own right and way, extremely enjoyable. I enjoy every morning a record before I go-to work.

It's about music in the end..
 
I have one and it sounds great with an AT91E cartridge on it (the old AT91, not the later one). I have to get a different belt as the one in it is a bit too wide and scrapes on the guide.

Doug
 
jd-audio said:
Depending on what cartridge there is on you TT you can also just buy a new stylus (needle) for it.
Nothing wrong with most cartridges of that era (1970-1980).
If you state the make/type cartridge you have now, fellow AK-ers will chime in with suggestions.

The Sansui SR-222 is a nice, reliable TT and can give a lot of listening pleasure.
Add to this that yours seems te be in very good (cosmetic) condition and I personally would not toss it.

Have fun
-John-
Click to expand...
Lots of good comments here. I don't know who to ask for advice on this but you're it but it's open to anyone who has an idea!

I the past a week cleaning up my SR-222, got my new cartridge and turntable mat. It looks fantastic! I have to make sure everything is level and the speed is dead-on so I know the motors are good and they are deadly quite. However, there is a slight scraping noise that I am sure is coming off of the turntable. When I spin the turntable with the belt disconnected, it spins for several minutes so I know there is no friction. No wobble either. The spindle assembly is tight and greased. I also oiled the motor as recommended .and The bottom of the turntable doesn't touch anything that isn't turning with it (the spindle). And it only happens when the belt is connected. I tried spinning the turntable with the motor off but belt connected and the noise appeared but only near the end of the spinning as it was slowing down. When I flick the turntable, it resonates with the same sound and frequency as the scraping noise. So it is definitely the turntable itself. Any ideas? It's driving me crazy. I'll let it run overnight to see if it will settle down.

Here is what it looks like all cleaned up.
 

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