Sansui R-70 or AU-505?

[fernando2112]

Hi, I'm just starting to get interested in vintage amps, and I don't know much about them yet.

First thing is, I live in Brazil, and electronics here are way too expensive. So I am not able to buy some over the top, pricey high quality amps, and even amps that are cheap in other countries, might be expensive here.

So my doubt is:

I had a Sansui R-70 borrowed from a friend for a couple weeks, paired with Monitor Audio Bronze 2 speakers, and although I've read a lot of reviews saying the R-70 is crap, I loved its sound, even more than a Cambridge Audio Topaz SR10 I had.

Now I have the opportunity to buy either an R-70 or an AU-505, both in good shape. The AU-505 is double the price of the R-70.

Any thoughts about the best course of action here?

 

[playittwice]

Hi, I don’t know anything about the R-70, but can tell you the AU505 is a very smooth sounding amp. It is Cap-Coupled, which has a more warm, mellow sound. It is rated at 23 w/side so if you need power to drive your speakers, this may not be suitable. But if you have efficient speakers you are in for a sonic surprise! Hope this helps a bit.
Good luck.

 

[fernando2112]

Seems like a good deal to me, since I already like Sansui amps. I believe my speakers are efficient enough, they have decent sensitivity.

Thanks for the info, gonna buy me one as soon as possible.

 

[bluesky]

AU-505

 

[onanysunday]

I haven't heard the R-70, but also have the AU-505 and its little brother, the AU-101. I will never sell it and also recommend it highly. They really do sound pretty amazing. If it's working good, you won't regret it unless you need more power than it can deliver. For what it's worth, its transformer is pretty beefy for the wattage output. Good luck!