Sansui Classique 550

[Sooopa]

Hello all,

I'm rather new to the vintage audio scene. I picked up this Classique 550 for a song because I needed a receiver with a preamp to hook up to a turntable plus I was nostalgic for something with a 70s vibe. After I got it home and hooked it up my gawd this thing blew me away. I don't even have fancy speakers, just some Bose 301s that have been kicking around the house for a couple of years.

Seeking more information I searched the interwebz but I found next to nothing about it. There were about half a dozen inquiries going back about 15 years or so on various websites with no definitive answers. My unit is only the 2nd in the great and powerful Sansui database so even the big brains on AK are mostly in the dark about it. I know this is nowhere near TOTL in the x0x0 series but it's all I've got and it's my first so it's special.

This is my Classique 650 (please ignore the dust). It does not have a rear fuse and there are 6 fuses on the board

I decided to compare it to the 5050 and the 6060. I looked up a whole bunch of 5050s and 6060s and this is what I found:


6060

I have found 2 different configurations of the 6060. Most of the pictures I have found are what I will refer to as Config. 1. These have a fuse accessible from the rear next to the power cord and 3 more fuses on the board

Config. 1
(original found here)

6060 Config. 2
This version has a different heat sink design, no rear fuse and 6 fuses on the board. (original found here) Looks familiar?

5050

I have also found 2 different configurations of the 5050 and both versions have 3 fuses on the board. Most of the ones that I have come across are Config. 2

Config. 1
(original found here)

Config. 2
(original found here)

The Classique 550 has low & high filter buttons on the front like the 6060 that the 5050 lacks. Additionally the Classique has the same transformer as the 6060 Config 2 and both the 6060 as well as the Classique 550 are listed at 200 watts on the rear while the 5050 is listed at 150 watts. As I'm still new to this scene and am in no way shape or form an electronics genius, I can't make a truly definitive statement but I believe the Classique 550 is a silver faced 6060.

Thoughts?

 

[LBPete]

Hello all,

I'm rather new to the vintage audio scene. I picked up this Classique 550 for a song because I needed a receiver with a preamp to hook up to a turntable plus I was nostalgic for something with a 70s vibe. After I got it home and hooked it up my gawd this thing blew me away. I don't even have fancy speakers, just some Bose 301s that have been kicking around the house for a couple of years.

Seeking more information I searched the interwebz but I found next to nothing about it. There were about half a dozen inquiries going back about 15 years or so on various websites with no definitive answers. My unit is only the 2nd in the great and powerful Sansui database so even the big brains on AK are mostly in the dark about it. I know this is nowhere near TOTL in the x0x0 series but it's all I've got and it's my first so it's special.

Thoughts?

Had a good laugh over the link to the Great and Powerful Sansui Database. Thanks for that.

The Classique 550 is an early example of the Classique series of models. We have 23 distinct models carrying the Classique name in the Database. They were produced between roughly 1978 and 1985. Most, like this one, seem to be warmed over versions of earlier models. Based on serial numbers on file, production of the 5050 ended in November '77. Production of the 6060 ended in March of '78. Your Classique 550 was built in June '78. It's also important to note that production line 82 was used to produced 10s of thousands of 9090DB/8080DB models. The last 9090DB rolled off in May '78. The line then shifted over to mostly smaller G and AU models. This left a lot of production capacity on that line.

It seems to me that Sansui saw an opportunity to leveraging their existing tooling and supply chain to produce lower cost models while still producing their main line of products. These products could be sold through alternate distribution networks to further separate them from their main line products. Judging by the low numbers of the Classique models that have survived, the line wasn't particularly successful. But that's not to say they weren't quality pieces.

The 5050 and 6060 shared the same basic architecture. They both had significant modifications during the production run as you illustrate quite well in the photo's you posted. I'm going to try to track this production change in the database.

If you look at these two images side by side, 550 on the left and 6060 on the right you can see how similar they are.




The layout is almost identical. I'm willing to bet all the board numbers are the same. You can clearly see the part numbers of the transformers match. There are some small visible differences on the tuner board.

I think we can conclude the Classique 550 is a warmed over version of the 6060. Thanks for putting this post together to help better define this rare model.

- Pete

-

 

[Sooopa]

Even though the case on my receiver is made of wood it was covered in plastic contact paper. I briefly toyed with the idea of refinishing it with a wood veneer but...well...I'm lazy

The contact paper on the case has seen better days and was peeling in some spots so I decided to help it. This evening I peeled it off with every intention of replacing it with new stuff from Amazon. Then, on a whim, I started tugging on the rubbery plastic wrap that was under the contact paper and it slowly but steadily peeled off. I grabbed a hair dryer that I believe belonged to my ex so I have no idea why it is in my bathroom but I digress...and that helped speed the process along.

And viola: naked case. After I remove the gum residue I'm going to stain the case and call it George

Oh and ignore those lights as I was experimenting with colours. That royal blue is too intense in person for me but the cool blue isn't so bad. I have new LEDs on the way: emerald green for the radio dial and warm white for the signal & tone meters

 

[Sansuiman]

I don't know how I missed this thread before, but some very good info here. I recall seeing these Classique 550's for sale a few times on ebay and assuming they were just a tweaked reissue of the 5050 or 6060.

Looks like that notion is now solodly confirmed by the info presented by @Sooopa and @LBPete. Nice to have this documented, especially that the internal configuration is essentially identical to the "stage 2" 6060.

 

[Sooopa]

Update: The naked case annoyed me so I put a walnut veneer on it. Oh and I decided on green lcd for the radio dial and warm white (as close to stock as possible) for the meters

Spoiler

Yes I know the tuner pointer bulb is out. I must have knocked a wire while adjusting the angle/intensity of the radio lcd bulbs. One of these days I will fix it

 

[Sansuiman]

I have to say that looks great, though in the photos the green dial lighting looks like it is "hot spotting" a bit, which has been my pricipal complaint with LED bulbs in this sort of application. The case veneer job looks excellent.

I need another receiver like I need a kick in the pants, but kind of makes me want to find one of these. In already have a 690 (the black version of the 6060) that I bought cheap (non-working) to pilfer parts from. I ended up fixing it as it was too nice to part out.

 

[Sooopa]

I have to say that looks great, though in the photos the green dial lighting looks like it is "hot spotting" a bit, which has been my pricipal complaint with LED bulbs in this sort of application. The case veneer job looks excellent.

I need another receiver like I need a kick in the pants, but kind of makes me want to find one of these. In already have a 690 (the black version of the 6060) that I bought cheap (non-working) to pilfer parts from. I ended up fixing it as it was too nice to part out.

The hot spotting is not very noticeable to the naked eye but it is more pronounced in pictures, some more than others

Speaking of bulbs @Sansuiman I have a question for you: during my numerous changes to the pointing/alignment of the radio dial bulbs I seemed to have lost power to the radio pointer bulb. I intended to leave it stock but since it seemed to have given up the ghost I swapped it with an lcd but the replacement also failed to illuminate. I have no idea what I did wrong. Thoughts?

 

[Sansuiman]

I suspected the hot-spotting was more evident in photos than in person. Digital cameras tend to be very unforgiving of effects like that, where the naked eye is less critical.

As for the pointer lamp, check where the wires are tacked on for the dial pointer lamp. Typically they are soldered to pads that also feed the main dial illumination, as the pointer lamp is on anytime the dial is illuminated. These are thin wires and easy to break if disturbed.

Not sure about this model, but some have a small dropping resistor inline with the pointer lamp to lower the voltage and increase the lamp lifespan by running it under design voltage. These are typically low-ohm resistors (20Ω or less) and are somewhat more likely to go open circuit, especially as they tend to heat up under load. If there is one, it could have failed.

If neither of those pan out, then the mode selector switch could be at issue, but again, the dial scale is almost always powered from the same circuit as the dial pointer, so if you lose one at the rotary switch (open circuit due to oxidized or misaligned contacts) you would lose both.

Now, that may or may not be the case on this one, I didn't go deep enough into my 690 when I fixed it a few years ago to have messed with the mode selector except to clean it. So, there may be a second circuit switched just for the pointer, if the dial scale stays lit all the time as Sansui did on some models. I don't have a service manual for the 6060/690 or I'd happily check it for you.