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Pioneer vs Sansui

mmann68

mmann68

Active Member
I didn't want to throw this thread up in the Sansui or Pioneer forums just yet because I figured I might get a fuller diversity of thoughts over here on the more general forum. I just picked up a Pioneer SX-1080 for an unbelievable $30 :D. I am a huge Sansui guy, but this deal was one that, of course, I couldn't pass up. The Pioneer has a real good rep, and it sure looks great. I'm in the process of cleaning her up and will look forward to a side by side with my Sansui.

I'm curious about thoughts from a couple of angles. First, have at it just in general in terms of the Sansui sound versus Pioneer. My current Sansui is a 1977 Sansui 771. Understanding that the SX-1080 is a monster compared to the 771, the 1080 is a circa 1980 receiver, so the vintages are similar. Curious what people's thoughts are about the Sansui versus Pioneer sounds of this time period.

My second question is more about value. Not so much in dollars in cents, but in terms of units that people would see as comparable to each other (or tradeable) between Sansui and Pioneer. Like I said, I really do love the Sansui sound. I'm going to have fun with the SX-1080 for a while, but I definitely picked up the SX-1080 with thoughts of moving it down the road in order to pick up one of the tip top 1970s Sansui models. How high up the line would you all go for a theoretical trade of the SX-1080 for a Sansui? Would you go 9090db for SX-1080? I don't think anybody would go QRX-9001 for the SX-1080, but how high up would you go in the quad models for the SX-1080? I realize this is all subjective, and we all have our biases and favorite sounds, but I'm very interested in everybody's opinions on all of this.
 
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You know what to do. Start checking for comparable SX-1080 sales, sell, and then buy the piece you want.
 
I think that dollars and cents value will almost necessarily come into the equation, because one could always sell and purchase to get what they want. How much someone is willing to pay is also a good gauge of how much they value a particular receiver.

I have personally owned Sansui's 8080DB, Pioneer's SX-1010 and QX949A. I have been around a friend's QRX-9001. I haven't done direct comparison to give a sound quality opinion (they all sounded good), but the Sansuis sure do look more impressive to me.
 
I've heard the SX-950 and owned an SX-770, as well as owned a Sansui G7700 and currently own an 881.

Honestly, it's really more about preference at that point. Both receivers are fantastically designed and very robust, using good quality components with no skimping on quality. Really, between the two, I can't say one is superior to the other. They both offer just as good quality fidelity, but they sound different.

Sansui I find to be brighter, more lively and dynamic, with what I always say as having "honey" on the top end. The Pioneer's are more classic sounding, with a more warm sort of "sitting by the fire" type sound. Don't know if that makes sense. Both have different schools of sound and both are well worth owning. :thmbsp:
 
I lean Pioneer. I do have a Sansui Eight that I like a lot.

SX-1080 may be in the 8080DB range.
Prices jump all over.
9090DB seems to command "top" price so it may be hard to get an even trade to one of those.

BTW, the SX-1080 is going to blow the 771 away SO much, you may convert to Pioneer.
 
I had a SX-950 and two mint SX-1050s, I still have the Sansui 9090DB. I thought the Pioneers were a bit bright and punchy and the Sansui well balanced. I actually started with a 8080DB in 1976. Tried dozens of models and makes over the years and ended back at Sansui for receivers.

My favorite vintage Pioneers are the TX tuner/SA-1000 integrated. My favorite Sansui... it would be tough to pick one.
 
blhagstrom said:
I lean Pioneer. I do have a Sansui Eight that I like a lot.

SX-1080 may be in the 8080DB range.
Prices jump all over.
9090DB seems to command "top" price so it may be hard to get an even trade to one of those.

BTW, the SX-1080 is going to blow the 771 away SO much, you may convert to Pioneer.
Click to expand...

LOL. As a bit more of a Sansui guy, I'm worried that once I fully hook up the SX-1080 that it really is going to blow away the 771 :scratch2:. If it does, I will be more than happy to push aside my Sansui biases. I mean, honestly, it's sort of apples and oranges. I'm going to be comparing a borderline "monster receiver" to a MOTL. So, not a completely fair comparison. I love the sound from the 771, particularly the way it keeps a little warmth on my digital files. I'll report back at some point, but if the Pioneer sounds better than the Sansui at the listening levels I normally listen to I will be thrilled. As always comes in to play with vintage stuff, part of my Sansui love is aesthetics. And particular to the 771, I absolutely LOVE the two auxiliary inputs, a near impossibility to find on these older receivers. Really allows me to run the 771 as a true hub. I'm so giddy over the SX-1080 at the price, though, it's all frosting on the cake.
 
Hey Canuck,

Do you have a preference between the 881 and the G7700? Since I have the 771, I already kind of know what the 881 sounds like. Curious as to what the newer (and more monster like) G7700 sounds like. Some say quality started to slip about this time, others say it's awesome. And BTW, I don't know what's in the water in my area lately, but in addition to the $30 SX-1080, there was a recent listing that somebody beat me to for a $20 G7700. Never got to look at it, but pictures looked fine and it was described as being in full working condition. Guess it would be just too greedy to be upset that I wasn't able to score on both :).
 
mmann68 said:
Hey Canuck,

Do you have a preference between the 881 and the G7700? Since I have the 771, I already kind of know what the 881 sounds like. Curious as to what the newer (and more monster like) G7700 sounds like. Some say quality started to slip about this time, others say it's awesome. And BTW, I don't know what's in the water in my area lately, but in addition to the $30 SX-1080, there was a recent listing that somebody beat me to for a $20 G7700. Never got to look at it, but pictures looked fine and it was described as being in full working condition. Guess it would be just too greedy to be upset that I wasn't able to score on both :).
Click to expand...

The G7700 has more clarity but less warmth. It's more dynamic and more neutral, whereas the 881 is closer to their AU series. It's kind of inbetween I found actually. It's more or less a showcase of how they progressed with their circuitry design. Personally, I liked the G7700 more but sold it because I upgraded to a tube set-up and the 881 now sits in my second system.

Also, the G series has more power, the G7700 is about 120wpc even though it uses the same size transformer as the 881. However if it's a G you're after, look out for the lower models too. I had a G4700 and it sounded a lot like the G7700, just not as much authority in power but similar sonic character. I think the G-x000 is the best though, more robust design, analog VU meters, torroidal power transformer, etc. They're real lookers. :) But the x700 series is very good too.
 
I would think the most comparable to the SX-1080 in terms of era and in terms of place in the line-up would be G-8000, yes? Same power output too.

I have a Sansui 9090DB completely recapped, and I like it a lot, but I much prefer my (also completely recapped) SX-1280 and 1980. But as mentioned, this is just personal preference. All fine units.
 
In the early to late 1970's neither Pioneer or Sansui were well thought of. Marantz, and McIntosh were the main choices for amps/receivers. Tandberg, and Sony were more respected. I don't know if this had to do with who sold what at which store or whatever. I read Stereo Review back then and went for seperates, ending up with a Dynaco 120 and PAT4 as kits to go with my Smaller Advents.
 
interesting

FONSguy said:
In the early to late 1970's neither Pioneer or Sansui were well thought of. Marantz, and McIntosh were the main choices for amps/receivers. Tandberg, and Sony were more respected. I don't know if this had to do with who sold what at which store or whatever. I read Stereo Review back then and went for seperates, ending up with a Dynaco 120 and PAT4 as kits to go with my Smaller Advents.
Click to expand...

I wonder if Pioneer and Sansui were the "new kids" (in US) at that time.
Early to mid 70s, I could understand. Late 70s, not so much.
 
Having owned the 1080 the Sansui gets my vote. I couldn't see anything special about the Pioneer when I owned it and it didn't stick around too long. Get yourself an sx1010 if you're looking for the Sansui sound in the Pioneer line up.
 
all good point guys, but to be fair as someone else said, the Sansui equivalent would be a G8000.

I had a SX980 and also owned a G9000 for a long time.
The G series has far better reliability and less inherent problems than the SX980, along with the fact that the SX output transistors are long out of production and you cannot get anything else to fit them unless you do some metal work and fabricating.....
Those things alone keep me away from those Pioneer SX series.......

You can get anything you need currently to make a G X000 receiver work....

The sound? I thought the SX980 I had was bright and didnt have a lot of "weight" or authority to its sound compared to the G.....

I dont think its a fair comparison between a SX1080 and the 771 on the other hand.

I can tell you having said all that about the SX series, I would take it over the 771 without question......its no wonder the OP is favoring the Pioneer.....

The Pioneer has some classy styling though, real wood veneer, the sliver with black VU meters.....I do like the style.....much more the 771...
 
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OK, guys, preliminary thoughts. Spent much of the day cleaning up the SX-1080 and hooked her up. I've only been listening for about an hour or so and here's what I think. As I stated in the OP, this is an apples to oranges comparison in many ways. And it kind of works to both units advantage and disadvantage. I'll throw out the differences. These aren't all necessarily preferences, just what I've noticed.

(1) Let's face it, the SX-1080 has way more headroom. The clearness of the sound as you move up the ladder on the SX-1080 is, no pun intended, very clear. Not that the 771 has any problems, it's just a different feel. My speakers are more a match for the 771 so I can't take advantage as much (at least for now) on the SX-1080's potential, but you can hear it.

(2) On the other hand, that clearness of sound, at least in the short time I've listened (and this is just to my ear) comes with a bit of a lack of smoothness compared to the Sansui, at least at flat tone levels. Start moving things around, and there is a real nice, full bottom end to be heard on the Pioneer. I mean, it really, really kicks and you can tell there's plenty more where that comes from. The Sansui doesn't have quite as full a range of sound, I would say, but it doesn't matter because the Sansui has that smoothness that I really, really like and many have fallen in love with.

(3) Really surprised to be saying this, but both receivers in the same place in my house with the exact same antenna, and the Sansui tuner is blowing the Pioneer out of the water in terms of bringing in a strong signal. And the Sansui FM stage has even more of a smoothness than the other stages, which again gives it an advantage to me.

(4) The Pioneer seems to do slightly better things with better quality digital files, while the Sansui sounds a little better with lower quality digital files. Can't hear a ton of difference in the phono stages.

(5) Aesthetics are a very personal choice. There's no denying either, IMO. The Pioneer has all that awesome shiny metal, the tuner section is rich looking and the wood case I have on it is in real nice condition after a little shine. It looks great. The Pioneer is real wood, the Sansui not, although the Sansui has a darker look to it. And I loooove the green and orange lighting with the dark background on the Sansui tuner, not to mention the red FM light. The Pioneer is so hefty looking, too, which kind of shames the Sansui. To me, the Pioneer looks a little more early 80s, and the Sansui is more 70s, which is basically what they are. So that makes sense.

Bottom line is, I'm super lucky to have both of these in the house at once. My predisposition toward Sansui is probably shining through and biasing me a bit. To be fair to the monster Pioneer, one big issue is that my listening space is not one that can really do the SX-1080 justice. Part of why I like the Sansui is the more mellow sound in a smaller space. As I said in the OP, I'm planning on keeping and enjoying the Pioneer for a while. But, at least for now, I think my plan to try to parlay the Pioneer score into a top line Sansui may be the way I'll go. Color me still a Sansui guy.
 
Back in the late eighties I traded a non working Marantz 1152 integrated for a near mint Pioneer SX-980. My system at the time consisted of a modded Advent 300 and a pair of Infinity 4000As. While the Advent sounded great, I was looking for something with a little more power. The Pioneer certainly had more power, but to me it always sounded a bit grainy on the high end. Within a couple of months I wound up trading the Pioneer for a Sansui AU-555, one of the best trades I ever made, the little AU-555 was one sweet sounding amp.
 
Subjective

All of us like a certain 'house' sound. I owned a Sansui G-7500 all discrete design. It sounded good, but my Sony STR-6060FW is better sounding IMO. However, out of four of us, one perferred the Sansui sound. And, the division in-between all of us was immediate and strong. So, the Pioneer vs Sansui will be your personal reference. To add another wrinkle in the evaluation an synergy can exist in-between the receiver & your speaker system. Perhaps the Sansui G-7500 does not mate as well with vintage Klipsch vs the Sony.
 
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