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SANSUI 3000A. Opinions please

ssmith3046

ssmith3046

Super Member
I'm looking at a Sansui 3000A that has been totally refurbished complete with the service bulliten from the seventies taken care of. 48 watts per channel. I like it because it's really vintage looking and the fact that it has been refurbished by someone I know does good work makes it very tempting. Any 3000A owners out there? Thanks!
 
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I have a 4000 and a 5000A that are very nice sounding solid performers . Pulls in and lock onto stations nicely . I would think a 3000A would be one also .




Barney
 
If it's had a complete rebuild (which would probably include replacing a few dead transistors as well as all caps) and the service modification to cap-couple the output, I'd grab it. I love mine, it's one of my keepers - and used every night in my bedroom. Excellent sound and gobs of power for the era.

BTW, it's from the 67-69 era, not the Seventies.
 
I have had mine since 1969-Southeast Asia.I rebuilt it in the past year with the help of members here including Sam Cogley,Dr Audio and others.Replaced output and driver transistors and recaped the audio path.Just recently repaired the mpx board,FM stereo was dropping out.This unit has been in use for about 25-30 years of the 41 years I have owned it and sounds as good today as I remember it ever being.During the time it was not used it stayed on a shelf in the basement waiting to be repaired.I am now on the search for a pair of AR,Advent or KLH classic speakers from the 60's.In the interim I am using a small pair of Advent speakers,they don't cut it but they work.Good luck with your 3000A. Dan
 
I like that model. Looks good, sounds good, feels good. The power amp is temperamental, so it's important to be sure your technician has some depth of experience. I don't like the output capacitor mod, but I seem to be alone in that opinion!
 
BinaryMike said:
I like that model. Looks good, sounds good, feels good. The power amp is temperamental, so it's important to be sure your technician has some depth of experience. I don't like the output capacitor mod, but I seem to be alone in that opinion!
Click to expand...

No, you're not alone, I don't care for it either, but it makes the unit more reliable and amazingly it doesn't seem to hurt the sound as I thought it would!
This is a great receiver with a wonderful tuner. It really has great sound, unusual in an early transistor design, many of which are crap. Sansui designed it with separate power supplies for each channel in the output stage, which was very unusual for that time. I use mine as a garage receiver and it pulls in distant stations with ease, and really cranks when I want it to.
Go for it!
 
Im currently restoring a 3000A, it has an exceptional receiver. I had to replace a few transistors in the IF board in the receiver as well as a few other places in the preamp, as Binary Mike says the amplifier is tempremental and needs to be worked on by someone who has a lot of experience, I like the sound of the 3000A, and having said that about the amplifier it has a unique design with the transformers in the driver stage.
Im not sure if I like the capacitor mod either to be honest.
Hopefully it has been done right, if it has you will love it, and have it forever they ar keepers.
 
All this is good to know. I have a Marantz 2265b, 2250, and Yamaha CR-1020 that I rotate. This receiver would be my oldest one yet ( 1968 ) and made the same year as my KLH Model 5's. The same guy recapped and refoamed my Model 5's and I also have bought a pair of New Large Advents and AR-6's from him so I know he's good. He's been an Audio tech for many years.
 
The output cap mod might not be the greatest thing ever, but it's better than setting voice coils on fire - as the 3000A has been reported to do.

Mine currently drives a pair of ElectroVoice Sentry 100A studio monitors. It's a great combination.

The output transformers are a last gasp of tube-era engineering. It think they're one of the reasons why the 3000A sounds so good.
 
Sam Cogley said:
The output cap mod might not be the greatest thing ever, but it's better than setting voice coils on fire - as the 3000A has been reported to do.

Mine currently drives a pair of ElectroVoice Sentry 100A studio monitors. It's a great combination.

The output transformers are a last gasp of tube-era engineering. It think they're one of the reasons why the 3000A sounds so good.
Click to expand...

Yes I was surprised to see the transformers at the end of the driver stage like that, not the cheapest way to do it by any means but cheap was never what sansui was about.............I think it has something to do with its sound character too, much better than coupling capacitors.
So Im interested In what these amps do to eat speakers, do they go unstable and crack out a heap of DC or something? They have a protection circuit, maybe it was early days and its not that good?
Could be time for a new thread............
 
They have a primitive transistor output stage. Each transistor has it's own bias adjustment, which also affects the DC offset. If one of the pots opens up, that transistor goes on full tilt boogie, and it puts the rail voltage on the speaker. Speaker goes poof!
 
dr*audio said:
If one of the pots opens up, that transistor goes on full tilt boogie, and it puts the rail voltage on the speaker. Speaker goes poof!
Click to expand...

The situation isn't quite that bad. There are (or should be!) 2A fast-blow fuses in line to both sides of each output stage. The only way you're going to lose a speaker is if it's a small one.
 
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