Sansui 771?

[KeithD]

I know these are pretty well regarded here, though searching the forum finds wide opinions on how they compare to other Sansui receivers. I have a 9090, which I find very impressive, though I do not need that much power. Local guy who buys/repairs/sells has one. He even told me he picked it up at a garage sale for $10. He replaced some lamps/cleaned some pots and now has a price of $195 on it. However, I had him demonstrate it, take the cover off, and the lights on the two ends of the dial came on and off depending on where he was touching in that area. Also static in one or both speakers, which changed as he touched or moved the speaker relay. Seems like it could be dirty contacts. He was willing to come down $20 because of the issues that need attention. I passed. I've got too much experience with "fixer uppers" that end up being much larger problems, and I didn't think $20 was much for the time it would take to address these.

Just wondering if this is worth pursuing if he gets this issues fixed, or are these minor issues that would be worth the $20 reduction? How might this compare to the 9090?

Thanks!

 

[kevzep]

Can't go wrong for that sort of money, just grab it and try it out.....I would think the 9090 would walk all over it, but is your show, maybe you'll like it.
Yes the 9090 is more powerful, but there is more to it than just more power.
There are more design considerations and more expense put into the sonic performance of the higher end amps...
But at the end of the day, they are both nice amps, and its just a matter of which you prefer.

 

[KeithD]

Can't go wrong for that sort of money, just grab it and try it out.....I would think the 9090 would walk all over it, but is your show, maybe you'll like it.
Yes the 9090 is more powerful, but there is more to it than just more power.
There are more design considerations and more expense put into the sonic performance of the higher end amps...
But at the end of the day, they are both nice amps, and its just a matter of which you prefer.

Yes, at that money, it's not a huge investment. My main hesitation is this guy (from my experience with him) tends to under emphasize or ignore problems as unimportant - to him, of course. I'd rather pay the $195 price (no Karma there since he bought it for $10) and have it working properly, than save $20 and have issues to deal with.

I would think the 9090 would be much better than the 771, but there are threads on AK that claim the 771 is better sounding. Go figure. Also, one common issue I've read is the xx1 receivers tend to develop a background hum.

 

[KeithD]

He also has a 551 for $65 that appears to be fully working. Not quite as nice cosmetically, but substantially less $$. Is the 551 the better value, or is the 771 THAT much better?

 

[SARTORE]

Hi,
I have both. No doubt that the 9090 sounds better in everything compared to the 771 IMHO.
But don't get me wrong, I like my 771 very much. I just find a comparison with the 9090 a bit unfair as they are in different leagues.

My advice (if you are looking for any): For $20 I would not think twice... Grab it as soon as you can.

Mine also has the same issue with the lights...

 

[echron]

Yes, at that money, it's not a huge investment. My main hesitation is this guy (from my experience with him) tends to under emphasize or ignore problems as unimportant - to him, of course. I'd rather pay the $195 price (no Karma there since he bought it for $10) and have it working properly, than save $20 and have issues to deal with.

I would think the 9090 would be much better than the 771, but there are threads on AK that claim the 771 is better sounding. Go figure. Also, one common issue I've read is the xx1 receivers tend to develop a background hum.

I own a 771 have heard several 9090's and have a 7070 that I just serviced and love. Plus a few A series. I think the 771 has the warmest happiest sound but my 7070 is close. For the money take the $20 off take it home pop the hood blow it out clean out the switches might be able to use canned air and lots of rotation of knobs before powering up. The connections inside are very easy to clean. Hardest part is getting to solder joints on lights. But easy DIY and well worth it. iMO.

 

[Oldsansui441]

Hi, l haven't had the 771 but have had the 441, 551 and 661. I think they are all solid performers. The 551 is the lowest in the range that uses all discrete components in the amplifier section so no issues for any possible repairs down the road. The 551 may suffice if your speakers are reasonably efficient and you don't need it to play too loudly. They will ALL need the small signal transistors replaced at this stage of their life as they will become noisy if not already. This series of Sansui's actually sells much cheaper here than they do for you guys over there, go figure?

 

[KeithD]

Went back and listened to the 771 again, this time through a pair of KLH 17 speakers he had. Sounded great to my ears. Receiver is in really nice clean condition. I had a bunch of thrift store gear to trade, which brought the price down. So, ended up buying the 771 and the model 17s. Really nice receiver and the KLHs will be a nice match to my KLH model 6 speakers in my main quad system.

 

[rkgren1]

I have a 771. I bet that you will really like yours.

 

[SARTORE]

Congrats on the 771.
It looks really nice!

 

[likebike23]

Nice. I have a 661 that I like. The lights are an easy fix, just reflow the solder on the lamp holders. As for the static, could be the pots. I also needed to pull the amp board on mine and clean the contacts and connector.