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Sansui C-2301 oh my!

Yeah, that 2302 combo, or even either piece individually, is always priced in the stratosphere. The champagne finish edition of those two tends to go even higher, based on the few I've seen around. Are they worth it? Meh, I think at that level one is paying more for rarity and exclusivity/bragging rights. Yes, they are superlative gear, but they don't have the kind of performance and specs to justify what is typically asked for them, IMHO. They are amongst Sansui's very best, no doubt, but at Accuphase prices, and I consider that a really tough sell.

So that's where I draw the line, as even if I had that sort of money to throw around, I just can't justify such an extravagant purchase to myself. My most costly Sansui investment to date was my B-209, and I almost choked on that one when I really got to thinking about pulling the trigger on it. The next closest would be my B-2301, and that was about half as much as the B-209, at the time I bought it. I know there are serious collectors who would plunk down the money for them without a second thought, but I don't run in the rarified air of those circles.
 
Sansuiman said:
Yeah, that 2302 combo, or even either piece individually, is always priced in the stratosphere. The champagne finish edition of those two tends to go even higher, based on the few I've seen around. Are they worth it? Meh, I think at that level one is paying more for rarity and exclusivity/bragging rights. Yes, they are superlative gear, but they don't have the kind of performance and specs to justify what is typically asked for them, IMHO. They are amongst Sansui's very best, no doubt, but at Accuphase prices, and I consider that a really tough sell.

So that's where I draw the line, as even if I had that sort of money to throw around, I just can't justify such an extravagant purchase to myself. My most costly Sansui investment to date was my B-209, and I almost choked on that one when I really got to thinking about pulling the trigger on it. The next closest would be my B-2301, and that was about half as much as the B-209, at the time I bought it. I know there are serious collectors who would plunk down the money for them without a second thought, but I don't run in the rarified air of those circles.
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I agree with you on this.
Although if it was to be your only system, and your personal holey grail, I guess it wouldn't be that bad of a buy.
It extremely clean and well taken care of inside and out.

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Saw that 2302 combo. Tempting! Although when I end up with a 2302 set I would need to have the silver edition - to represent the period. I have read from a few sources - enthusiasts and internal at Sansui - that the 2301 was the better pre-amp by design though. The prices the 2302 sell for do not reflect that, and the 2301 is certainly not cheap either.

When I see the 2302 prices I think less about what they compare to in Sansui world and more about what they compare to in the High Fidelity world. And then the set seems like a fair value for what are couple of crowning pieces for any Sansui enthusiast.

Someday. The best part of this hobby is the journey so getting to the end of the road in some ways will be the end, and personally I don't want this to end.
 
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I should point out that I don't begrudge anyone fulfilling a personal wish list. Just that if one is assessing the capabilities of these objectively, l the B/C-2302 would be quite difficult to justify buying at what they usually show up for sale at.

The 2301 combo (despite the typicall high price of the preamp) represents a better value proposition for the money. The B-2301 - even the L variant - can be had for a much more attractive price point, and I can't imagine the B-2302 gains one much of any audible improvement. Some people are happy to chase diminishing returns irrespective of the cost, and that's fine. Personally, I'm out before getting to that stage.
 
Sansuiman said:
I should point out that I don't begrudge anyone fulfilling a personal wish list. Just that if one is assessing the capabilities of these objectively, l the B/C-2302 would be quite difficult to justify buying at what they usually show up for sale at.

The 2301 combo (despite the typicall high price of the preamp) represents a better value proposition for the money. The B-2301 - even the L variant - can be had for a much more attractive price point, and I can't imagine the B-2302 gains one much of any audible improvement. Some people are happy to chase diminishing returns irrespective of the cost, and that's fine. Personally, I'm out before getting to that stage.
Click to expand...

You might change your mind about this at some point. Especially for a collector like you, considering the vastness of your collection and relative to the total dollar value you have invested. For someone like you a C-2302/B-2302 seems like an inevitable outcome if you ever decide to start pursuing Sansui gear made after the mid 1980's. There is only one way to find out - in your own listening room!
 
Congrats on your latest acquisition. The B & C-2301 were reviewed in a 1985 issue of Audio magazine, I will post the link below.

You just have to keep scrolling thru the pages until you reach page 82. I find it puzzling that instead of advertising such audiophile products, Sansui
touts their combo rack systems instead (page 55 in that issue), go figure.

I'm not sure if you plan to look for a B-2301, but that would be the most logical choice to partner the preamp with. In that case,
you could also utilize the balanced xlr connection, though I dont think noise is much of an issue, its not like a microphone
and their cables in a recording studio environment.

I used to own both models for quite a few years, I got them from a seller in Canada in 2003 or '04- he even had the original boxes and manuals.
Both units were from February 1986, so it still had the classic Sansui logo, unlike the post 1987 2301's, 120 volts, no transformer needed, though
I dont think my preamp had that cover you mentioned- so that must be for the Japanese model, unless someone custom-made it?

You might also note the low serial #'s, so it appears that even though these two models were in the product line for several years, pre & post
Sansui logo change, they were not produced in large quantities and I suspect that at their pricetags, Sansui did not really sell many of them,
especially both together- that would be quite an expenditure for even the most dedicated Sansui enthusiast at the time, and besides, such
a person would probably be quite content with the performance/quality of a brand new AU-G99X instead (or AU-X901)- which was probably the best
choice, compared to the exhorbitant $ of a B & C, and the quality cutting cheap plastic combo rack systems.

Another tidbit of info: I think the B-2301 was actually introduced first, ahead of the matching preamp, I saw ads for the B-2301 in early '83 in various
hi fi mags.

 
@JimEGR, I suppose it's possible I may have a change of opinion regarding the 2302 set at some point in the future, but in 30 years of collecting, I've maintained a consistent viewpoint on what the price to value ratio that I can stomach. It's true that I've expanded that range over the past 5 years, beginning with the acquisition of a B-2301, then the B-209 and the Q-3535. Those are the three big outliers in terms being beyond the limits of what I'd normally spend for even a rare a desirable model , but none of those have come close to the outlay that would be needed for the 2302 pair.

As it now stands, getting a C-2301 (which is on my long term wish list yet) would be the most sensible next step, to go with my B-2301. Would still like a BA-5000, a BA-303, and a pair of mono tube amps, either Q-50 or Q-55. But those are items that I'd be pursuing mostly out of a desire to check those boxes, not because I really think I need them, or that they will bring me more listening enjoyment than any of the myriad other components I already own.

And being honest, my collection has grown far beyond even the wildest expectations I had when setting out on this journey in 1996. I certainly can't say that my collection is truly wanting for anything at this stage, now with models I never dreamt of holding. The pace of acquisitions has definitely slowed as I near the "finish line", since fulfilling the remaining objectives has gotten more costly. And like yourself, I don't relish the idea of the hunt being over, so pacing myself has become a necessity.
 
@DB-7, I wish. Not in the cards presently, as I have some other expenses that must take priority. Most pressing is the need to replace my work truck, and that's going to leave a mark. Appreciate the heads up, in any case.
 
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Bright_Star said:
Congrats on your latest acquisition. The B & C-2301 were reviewed in a 1985 issue of Audio magazine, I will post the link below.

You just have to keep scrolling thru the pages until you reach page 82. I find it puzzling that instead of advertising such audiophile products, Sansui
touts their combo rack systems instead (page 55 in that issue), go figure.

I'm not sure if you plan to look for a B-2301, but that would be the most logical choice to partner the preamp with. In that case,
you could also utilize the balanced xlr connection, though I dont think noise is much of an issue, its not like a microphone
and their cables in a recording studio environment.

I used to own both models for quite a few years, I got them from a seller in Canada in 2003 or '04- he even had the original boxes and manuals.
Both units were from February 1986, so it still had the classic Sansui logo, unlike the post 1987 2301's, 120 volts, no transformer needed, though
I dont think my preamp had that cover you mentioned- so that must be for the Japanese model, unless someone custom-made it?

You might also note the low serial #'s, so it appears that even though these two models were in the product line for several years, pre & post
Sansui logo change, they were not produced in large quantities and I suspect that at their pricetags, Sansui did not really sell many of them,
especially both together- that would be quite an expenditure for even the most dedicated Sansui enthusiast at the time, and besides, such
a person would probably be quite content with the performance/quality of a brand new AU-G99X instead (or AU-X901)- which was probably the best
choice, compared to the exhorbitant $ of a B & C, and the quality cutting cheap plastic combo rack systems.

Another tidbit of info: I think the B-2301 was actually introduced first, ahead of the matching preamp, I saw ads for the B-2301 in early '83 in various
hi fi mags.

Click to expand...

Thanks, and thanks for the link. I actually picked up an original print version of that article last month. Fun to take a trip in the time machine back to 1985.

A B-2301 or B-2301L is definitely the plan, with the balanced umbilical connection. Just waiting for the right candidate at the right price.

Interesting point about the cover - my tray style is definitely original. @DB-7 is your cover a lid or tray?
 
JimEGR said:
I recently took custody of one of the Sansui Royal Family - a 1985 C-2301 Control Amplifier. And this is a special one - it just exudes quality and prestige - looks, build, user interface - it is unashamedly unrestrained
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Congratulations Jim!
The C-2301 is simply a masterpiece from Sansui. When I bought and received my C-2301, I was truly impressed with its build quality and phono stage. One thing to keep in mind with the C-2301 is that it doesn't have good ventilation and there can be internal overheating in the power supply area.
My C2301 is running with my Pioneer M-77 and my SAE 2600 but is waiting for the last piece that I want to buy to close the circle the BA-5000.
 
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