Sansui G-3300 Fully restored

[guitarman50]

A guy on Canuck Audio Mart has a Sansui G-3300 that he has had fully restored. He had no price posted so I sent him an email to ask. He said the last one he saw on ebay went for $10,000 so he wants to get as much as he can. He was still vague about what he wanted for it.
Is this what these units are going for?

 

[bktheking]

$10000? Try between 3-6k depending on condition and the one in his pic isn't pristine. If he thinks he's gonna get $10k he's living in a dream world. One sold out of BC for around $4300 last year.


I think you mean 33000.

 

[w1jim]

IMHO no way is any G-33000 worth ten grand nor have I ever seen one go that high.
Maybe $4k but even that is paying a lot for the status.
You can get a G-22000 for around $2k, which is virtually the same thing performance wise.

 

[NumbDiver]

Or buy this one (completely restored) from a local AK'er right here in our backyard!
(no affiliation with sale other than I've heard/seen the unit at a meet-up)

I've heard this unit on the KEF Reference and...wowzers. I'm not a big-gun receiver guy, but from what I've seen over the past few years, the price is pretty fair given the amount of updating done to the unit. I know that they are very collectable, given the rarity and TOTL status. I was amazed at the size and weight of this monster. They are impressive for sure.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/ele/3830608847.html

 

[guitarman50]

I offered up my pristine condition Pioneer SX5580 (blackface SX1050) and my prisitine condition Klipsch Cornwall verticals with crites CT-125 and new Crites crossovers (as well as all original tweeters and crossovers). He was interested and wanted to know how much cash I'd be willing to add for the deal. I think he mentioned the $10,000 as a reference point.
So in all seriousness whats a good cash add for this deal?

 

[w1jim]

You've got to figure out what your gear is worth - look on ebay.

As far as the value of the G-33000 my take is that the cosmetic condition is more important then the work that's gone into refurbishing it electronically.
You can always get new internal parts but a scratch free faceplate and case is unobtanium. The case could be veneered, which would make it better then new but you'll be hard pressed to restore the face.

If an unrestored unit that is a "6" as he proclaims is worth $3000 and the upgrades are worth $1000 then you're looking at a $4000 unit.

 

[NumbDiver]

I offered up my pristine condition Pioneer SX5580 (blackface SX1050) and my prisitine condition Klipsch Cornwall verticals with crites CT-125 and new Crites crossovers (as well as all original tweeters and crossovers). He was interested and wanted to know how much cash I'd be willing to add for the deal. I think he mentioned the $10,000 as a reference point.
So in all seriousness whats a good cash add for this deal?

IMO, anything that is purchased for its rarity and nostalgia is worth whatever the buyer is willing to pay for it. What is your comfort-zone to own it and become part of a very exclusive club? In some parts of the Far East they pay what we would consider 'silly amounts' for big American gear.

The restored car at the auction house brings buyers to the table that want it. Ultimately somebody wants it worse than somebody else. There is no bluebook on the uber-rare. Pay what you feel it is worth to you.

 

[guitarman50]

IMO, anything that is purchased for its rarity and nostalgia is worth whatever the buyer is willing to pay for it. What is your comfort-zone to own it and become part of a very exclusive club? In some parts of the Far East they pay what we would consider 'silly amounts' for big American gear.

The restored car at the auction house brings buyers to the table that want it. Ultimately somebody wants it worse than somebody else. There is no bluebook on the uber-rare. Pay what you feel it is worth to you.

What I feel it is worth is commensurate with how good it sounds. Those old 70's receivers were very good. Better than most any receiver made nowadays. But for $10,000 I'm pretty sure I can put together a modern system that will sound way better look better and last as long or longer than a 70's receiver. I'm not really in it for the collectability.

 

[pete_mac]

But for $10,000 I'm pretty sure I can put together a modern system that will sound way better look better and last as long or longer than a 70's receiver.

If you shop wisely, I agree on both counts. $10k would be crazy dollars for this receiver.

 

[Skylab]

If you are not in it for the collectibility, you can get a completely recapped Pioneer SX-1980, which is almost as big and powerful, for $3K. If you are not into the G-33000 purely for what it is, why pay more than what you could get a 1980 for? I'm sure they sound a little different, but I bet the difference isn't radical. 270wpc versus 300, same basic era...

And of you don't have your heart set on buying the top of the vintage heap, then I surely agree you should probably look into modern alternatives, although as an owner of a couple of SX-1980's, I can understand the allure of a top of the line vintage piece, and there is nothing wrong with that!

 

[guitarman50]

If you are not in it for the collectibility, you can get a completely recapped Pioneer SX-1980, which is almost as big and powerful, for $3K. If you are not into the G-33000 purely for what it is, why pay more than what you could get a 1980 for? I'm sure they sound a little different, but I bet the difference isn't radical. 270wpc versus 300, same basic era...

And of you don't have your heart set on buying the top of the vintage heap, then I surely agree you should probably look into modern alternatives, although as an owner of a couple of SX-1980's, I can understand the allure of a top of the line vintage piece, and there is nothing wrong with that!

I've seen a couple of SX1980's around here for about $2,000 that were completely restored.

 

[SoCal Sam]

The G33K is a trophy receiver and will top your collection like no other except perhaps the Marantz 2600. The SX-1980 comes close but is not rare in comparison to the others. This being said, 10K is far too high. 4K is more realistic considering that 2600's sell in this range.

 

[ymarko]

G-33000 was the most expensive vintage receiver in "monster era" and apparently the rarest one.

G-33000 is exclusive and probably the most desirable.

G-22000 and SX-1980 (mentioned above) are not in the same league. G-22000 is not TOTL, and much more common. SX-1980 is much more common too. Checking eBay, I see a many G-22k and a bunch of SX-1980. But there's no G-33k for months.

I believe sellers in above-provided links don't market G-33k correctly by selling such rare gems in some small / local nitches.

The only place to derive a true market value is eBay and nothing else.
However, eBay doesn't have G-33k for a long time. Basically, market value is almost not exists because there is no units on the market.

It would be no surprise to me, if G-33000 in collectible condition appear on eBay and attract more then 1 serious buyer, so bidding war propels to $10,000 and beyond. Would be interesting to see.

 

[Skylab]

I agree with all that, which is why I don't think the G-33000 makes sense for anyone to shell out for unless you are into the rarity/collectibility aspect. And again, I have no beef with that whatsoever! Life is short, and I'm someone who likes to enjoy the look as well as the sound of my HiFi. But I would not buy a G-33000 purely for sound quality reasons - the $10K would be much better spent elsewhere, if we are talking JUST sonics.

I will also say that if a G-33000 came tomorrow on the Chicago Craigslist for $2-3k I would drop everything and jump in the car to go buy it. Not going to see one at that price, though...

 

[SoCal Sam]

I agree with all that, which is why I don't think the G-33000 makes sense for anyone to shell out for unless you are into the rarity/collectibility aspect. And again, I have no beef with that whatsoever! Life is short, and I'm someone who likes to enjoy the look as well as the sound of my HiFi. But I would not buy a G-33000 purely for sound quality reasons - the $10K would be much better spent elsewhere, if we are talking JUST sonics.

I will also say that if a G-33000 came tomorrow on the Chicago Craigslist for $2-3k I would drop everything and jump in the car to go buy it. Not going to see one at that price, though...

That's a fair assessment of the G33K. In fact, that is a fair assessment of the 2600 as well. I've heard both and thought them to be good listens. Neither sounded as nice to my ears as lesser models from the same brand.

And yes, I would buy a G33k if one popped up local. I would re-balance my collection by getting rid of less interesting MOTL and TOTL units.

 

[ymarko]

And yes, I would buy a G33k if one popped up local. I would re-balance my collection by getting rid of less interesting MOTL and TOTL units.

Exactly! Owning G-33k justify to let go lower models. Actually, everything is below. So G-33k is like ultimate goal.

After that, one can clear the stable and make his wife very happy. So G-33k is the best WAF ever because one can rig of everything else.

 

[MKReid]

What I feel it is worth is commensurate with how good it sounds. Those old 70's receivers were very good. Better than most any receiver made nowadays. But for $10,000 I'm pretty sure I can put together a modern system that will sound way better look better and last as long or longer than a 70's receiver. I'm not really in it for the collectability.

If you are not in it for collectability then don't get a G-33000. 10 years ago there was lots ov value to be had in vintage audio, today not so much, especially at the upper end.

For $10k you could get a lot of newer stuff that would blow it away...same if you paid $5k for it, you could still beat it with newer stuff. I mean $10k will get you some pretty good modern Mac gear or a full Bryston system for example.

The TOTL vinatge components are like the 426 Hemi's, Boss 429's, etc. You are paying for the rarety and desirability, not the performance.

 

[guitarman50]

The seller has now reposted his ad. Originally he didn't have a price but used 10K with me for a reference point. He now has is it listed for $4,500. Maybe he's watching this thread. I still wouldn't pay that. I've been watching the ads and have been interested in this, a MAC 1900 and the Marantz 2325.
Out of the 3 of them I would really like to have the Marantz 2325. But to me I think they are high priced in my area. They range from $900 to $1,200 totally restored and with the wood case, which is the only way I'd buy one.
There are so many available in my local, it doesn't seem they are that rare. So not sure why the high price. It seems all Marantz gear in my area are expensive. 2230, going for close to $300.

 

[bktheking]

I saw that too, there is suddenly a sticker on the sale so to speak. Marantz can be had cheap, you need to be prepared to get creative on how you "acquire" these units and I don't mean stealing them.

 

[KenP]

If I'm not mistaken this one was for sale on canuck audio mart in february as a non working one for $1200. I remember considering it but didn't want to spend that much on a non working piece. I remember about a week after the auction there was a guy from Toronto asking questions in the sansui section, could be the same guy.