sansui sp x8700 speakers

[maskof]

I would appreciate your feedback regarding these speakers. (sansui sp x8700 speakers)
Despite conducting extensive research online, I couldn't find any reviews.

My main question is whether this set of speakers is worth trying. If not, please provide reasons why and suggest an appropriate amplifier to power them.

 

[karik57]

Those Sansuis have a very high sensitivity, so you can power them with almost any amplifier, of decent quality of course. The bass has good transient response (= fast and accurate) but they won't go extremely deep. If you're looking for a deep bass you would have to add a subwoofer.

Do you have a chance to listen to them before buying? They seem to be in excellent condition. Definitely worth trying.

 

[maxhifi]

If it's worth trying or not depends on what your priorities are. I have a thread here reviewing the SP-X11000, which uses similar components to the X8700, so it may be helpful to you.

 

[maskof]

If it's worth trying or not depends on what your priorities are. I have a thread here reviewing the SP-X11000, which uses similar components to the X8700, so it may be helpful to you.

To be honest, I'm not quite a professional when it comes to evaluating speakers, but I do own JMLab Opal 29 speakers. The sound quality is exceptionally clean, and they perform well with any type of music. Furthermore, I chose the Sansui brand for two specific reasons: firstly, because it is renowned for producing quality receivers, and secondly, the price was just $150.

 

[maskof]

Those Sansuis have a very high sensitivity, so you can power them with almost any amplifier, of decent quality of course. The bass has good transient response (= fast and accurate) but they won't go extremely deep. If you're looking for a deep bass you would have to add a subwoofer.

Do you have a chance to listen to them before buying? They seem to be in excellent condition. Definitely worth trying.

I can't actually listen to them because the person selling them doesn't have an amplifier available. However, upon a physical inspection, they appear to be in perfect condition, and the price of $150 seems quite reasonable.

 

[JoeESP9]

Everyone is being polite. The truth is, very few Sansui speakers are coveted by anyone but Sansui fan boys. Their only good point (IMO) is, they are quite sensitive and will play loud on very modest power.

The front panel shows they are what is known as Kabuki. That generally means there are a bunch of drivers ((as many as 5 or 6) especially multiple tweeters. They have overly large woofers in cabinets that are too small for them. Consequently, that large woofer doesn't go verry deep. IOW, they have no deep bass. They also tend to have a shouty midrange. The same properties are exhibited by a lot of Japanese speakers from that era. Many of them are also considered to be "Kabuki".

Add $50 to your budget and buy a pair of Monoprice Monolith T5's. They walk all over those Sansui's in every area of sound. The fit and finish on them isn't bad either. The Bay has new pairs for ~$180 shipping included.

 

[goodolpg]

While not an absolute, companies known for their good electronics produced few "good" speakers.
There are exceptions but I don't think these are one.
I suspect your JMLabs would sound better. I guess it depends on what you intend to do with a 2nd pair of speakers.
Garage or party use, might be fine.
As mentioned they will probably play loud but loud isn't everything.
Any way you could take your amp/receiver to an audition (better take cables too)? It's not a bad idea to take music (records or cd's) you are familiar with but if seller doesn't have a power source may not have cd or tt.

 

[z-adamson]

Get them and run them for a while.

Just so that you can say that you had them.

Really though, they arn't that special. Total Kabuki....

The idea was that if you use lots of drivers in a layout that looks cool, they will sell to folks that don't know any better. They used up as much baffle space as possible, lots of mids, tweeters etc.

It can't sound bad with all those drivers, can it? Well.....yes it can!

 

[Dswankey]

..I chose the Sansui brand for two specific reasons: firstly, because it is renowned for producing quality receivers, and secondly, the price was just $150.

Everyone is being polite. The truth is, very few Sansui speakers are coveted by anyone but Sansui fan boys.

You are correct they were known for producing quality receivers, Power amplifiers, Integrated Amplifiers and pre-amplifiers however speakers were not Sansui's top priority and you could do a lot better for "just $150"

 

[karik57]

Add $50 to your budget and buy a pair of Monoprice Monolith T5's. They walk all over those Sansui's in every area of sound. The fit and finish on them isn't bad either. The Bay has new pairs for ~$180 shipping included.

You are correct they were known for producing quality receivers, Power amplifiers, Integrated Amplifiers and pre-amplifiers however speakers were not Sansui's top priority and you could do a lot better for "just $150"

Please keep in mind that it's also a question of taste. Everyone should buy speakers they like, not speakers somebody else likes.
That's why personal listening is so important.

 

[maxhifi]

I can't actually listen to them because the person selling them doesn't have an amplifier available. However, upon a physical inspection, they appear to be in perfect condition, and the price of $150 seems quite reasonable.

It is reasonable. And these are not like your JM Labs speakers, they're a different animal. Big paper cones and horns tweeters sound different from small plastic cones. These speakers will be loud like a rock concert, and will make a bass drum hit you from across the room. The large driver Sansui speakers don't do all the things which a pair of audiophile bookshelf speakers will do, but they also do something that most domestic speakers won't, due to efficiency and cone size.

 

[JoeESP9]

It is reasonable. And these are not like your JM Labs speakers, they're a different animal. Big paper cones and horns tweeters sound different from small plastic cones. These speakers will be loud like a rock concert, and will make a bass drum hit you from across the room. The large driver Sansui speakers don't do all the things which a pair of audiophile bookshelf speakers will do, but they also do something that most domestic speakers won't, due to efficiency and cone size.

They have large woofers. BFD! They're too large for the cabinet. That along with an excess of drivers places them squarely in the "Kabuki" category.

Yes, they'll play loud with very little power but have no deep bass. If you like lots of upper bass and a very forward upper midrange, they're your cup of tea.

OTOH: We are in agreement about listening to speakers prior to buying.

 

[maxhifi]

They have large woofers. BFD! They're too large for the cabinet. That along with an excess of drivers places them squarely in the "Kabuki" category.

Yes, they'll play loud with very little power but have no deep bass. If you like lots of upper bass and a very forward upper midrange, they're your cup of tea.

OTOH: We are in agreement about listening to speakers prior to buying.

Oh, kabuki for sure. But among the so called kabuki speakers, some are better than others, and those biggest late 70s Sansui models are the ones which to me can sound like music, given a good source, lots of power, and appropriate program material.

For example at a live jazz show, saxophone does not sound smooth, it can sound shrill or even blaring. And a 6" driver will never have the impact a drum kit makes. Similarly, those big Sansuis can make all of the walls in your listening room vibrate with a bass guitar note. Yes the deep bass is sacrificed in exchange for these dynamics, but every speaker out there does hold some form of compromise.

Now I realize this isn't everyone's cup of tea. It isn't my cup of tea all the time either, and truth be told, my EPOS and Tannoy speakers are much better than my Sansuis 80% of the time. But that 20% of the time when I've recently come home from a live show, and I want to hear similar dynamics, I just love playing the big Sansuis.

I'm not even a big fan of Sansui amps, I use mine with ARC or Naim amps. It's just my way of having some fun. It's kind of a similar sound to those old 50s paper cone drivers, except the Sansuis have aluminum voice coil formers and better glues, and are a lot less easily damaged by excessive application of power!

 

[maskof]

It is reasonable. And these are not like your JM Labs speakers, they're a different animal. Big paper cones and horns tweeters sound different from small plastic cones. These speakers will be loud like a rock concert, and will make a bass drum hit you from across the room. The large driver Sansui speakers don't do all the things which a pair of audiophile bookshelf speakers will do, but they also do something that most domestic speakers won't, due to efficiency and cone size.

"So, I will ignore the current speakers and explore alternatives that can deliver beautiful sound. Thank you again for your advice ^^

 

[maskof]

Please keep in mind that it's also a question of taste. Everyone should buy speakers they like, not speakers somebody else likes.
That's why personal listening is so important.

I agree, but sometimes there are speakers that sound really poor. I've seen some negative reviews about these Sansui speakers, suggesting they might not be of good quality and lack a pleasant sound. So, my decision is to move forward and find something else. If you have any brand suggestions, let me know ^^, and I appreciate your help again ^^

 

[maskof]

Get them and run them for a while.

Just so that you can say that you had them.

Really though, they arn't that special. Total Kabuki....

The idea was that if you use lots of drivers in a layout that looks cool, they will sell to folks that don't know any better. They used up as much baffle space as possible, lots of mids, tweeters etc.

It can't sound bad with all those drivers, can it? Well.....yes it can!

Thank you very much for your help, but it seems I'm moving forward to find something with a better sound than this.

 

[BilboBaggins]

I'm partial to vintage Kef speakers. So many great choices. And Klipsch Cornwalls. I like solid bass that you can feel without a sub woofer. I get that with my Kef 107s, I had it with Kef 105s, and Concerto. I also get that with the Cornwalls. I almost get it with the Sony SS-G7s, but I get all kinds of magical results they are forgiven their minor flaws.

These systems work for me because I value bass that feels natural, and that you can feel in the chest. Songs where the lows Peter Gabriel's voice goes to in the original Carpet Crawler would distort as soon as you raised the volume up a bit in keeping with the power of the song. Where Sade sends you places you could never have imagined with Love is Found, and Avril Lavigne can create a part of the song "Sk8tr Boi" that you won't hear unless your system is very capable. It is one of my tests for a really good system. To me, it is important they be able to play all of what is present, and not leave out such an important part of the song. You will feel it if your system can reproduce it. I found it by accident.

But if good bass isn't important to you, then I wouldn't worry about getting those lower notes with precision. You won't miss it. And you can save a hell of a chunk of change in the process.