Sansui AU7700 vs AU 717

[wesran]

Presently own the au7700 which i'm very fond of however i've had my eye on this au717 for a while-anyone care to offer their insight?
thanks

 

[ferninando]

54 vs 85 watts w/2 pwr transformers. Nice blk w/ chrome knobs vs all blk front panel, knobs and switches. You want more power? 717. Enough power at 54 watts? 7700.
I have the 517 65 watt version of the 717 and it do sound sweet to my ears. You mite as well go for it and have 1 of each.

 

[Switchblade]

I have both and while the 7700 has plenty of power the 717 has more bass and better overall sound. However, neither of these amps has anything done outside of some deoxit and cleaning and the 7700 is older so it may have weaker components. I can also say that back in the 70's a friend had a 7700 and although I had a Pioneer QX-949 I was amazed at how much cleaner sounding his setup was than mine, which was what made me hunt up a 7700 in the first place. I couldn't believe only 54 watts could sound so good!

 

[spaceman]

They're both very good, but I like the cosmetics better on the 7700. I'm not too crazy about the stepped volume knob on the 717, but it's a very good amp.

 

[macyjrm]

I have an AU-7900 and a 517 and 717. The 7900 is very sweet but the 17s really have depth and guts. Those two are the favorites of my more than a few receivers/amps.