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Sansui SP-X9 speakers question/statement

Dr.Stache

Dr.Stache

Active Member
Im a newbie when it comes to Vintage systems but Im slowly collecting a decent collection. I've got a Fisher 203,Panasonic RA-6600 and a Pioneer SX-780. I'm sure some will laugh at these but I'm proud of them because I paid very little and fixed them all myself and they all look mint. Problem as been, my speakers are ok but I'm wanting to step that part up a bit. I love Sansui speakers and will be getting a pair of the SP-X9's for 250.00 that are in showroom condition. I am looking for any info on these as far as specs is concerned. Also maybe a little incite on how they sound? Lots of bass? Mids? Highs? I'm not patient enough to hear them for myself but I've heard other models(3500's) and thought they sounded great. Will they go nicely with my a pioneer SX-780? Will posts pictures once I get them. I'm also sure some will say I'm paying too much but that's not really a concern because of their condition and appearance. Thanks guys.
 
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Your soon to be speakers aren't much (if any) of a step up. See Tom Brennan's comment in the other thread about Sansui speakers. Yes, I agree with him.
 
Dr.Stache said:
Im a newbie when it comes to Vintage systems but Im slowly collecting a decent collection.
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I respectfully submit that you choose speakers based on their sound quality rather than their age or brand. Speakers vary very much in sound characteristics and by buying based on anything other than sound you could very well saddle yourself with speakers you won't like. And don't judge speakers on the opinions of others, not even mine.

I beg your patience with my unsolicited advice.
 
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I had a pair of the very similar Sp-x9900. The less said about them the better. I can elaborate but you seem to be pretty set on them, and I don't want to look like I'm just piling on. Out of respect for your hard earned cash I will just say that I think you can do much better for that price.
 
Ok, point taken. I understand that you guys don't care for the Sansui line,lol. The only pair I've listened to are some SP-3500's and I thought they sounded good HOWEVER my opinion is based on very little knowledge of this subject. I guess I haven't really heard what a great speaker sounds like. Any recommendations on 70's speakers that were beautiful sounding that won't cost me the moon?
 
Doc, the only way to find out what's good is to listen to some of the more popular brands and models, old and new. However, IMO you should listen for good speakers. When they were made should not be a consideration.
 
Speakers are a very personal choice. It would seem that people would gravitate towards only a few, if there was actually an 'absolute sound' that we're all chasing. But since no speaker is perfect, and people like this and that coloration or maybe the closest attempt to no coloration, tastes vary. There is a general aversion to most Sansui speakers, though- which is what you see here. Its actually one of the few things people seem to agree on. The Sp-3500s are better built than the Sp-x(x) series, though. I don't even know if you'd find the sound you hear in the 3500s with the x9s. I know the Sp-2000 sounded much better than my Sp-x9900s. They looked cool, though, in a 'KISS comes alive" sort of way.

As to what speakers- as JoeESP9 said, it's a personal choice that only comes from hearing a bunch of stuff. What I recommend, you may hate. Take a look at this thread on vintage 3-ways:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=437602

5 pages of recommendations. Just on 'vintage' and '3-way'. Even 'good' is subjective. But I totally agree that you should look for good speakers, not speakers of any particular brand and age.
 
I would say if you are intent on owning Sansui speakers look for a pair of the Sansui SP L series speakers, they are an uncommon pair from a manufactor that for the most part was not noted for their speaker quality. They are out there but it might take a while to find a pair, but I think you will be quite pleased with the sound of these Sansui speakers. I have not found anyone that has any experince with them so most people will tell you to stay away from Sansui speakers but then again I don't think anyone that says that has heard a pair of the SP L series speakers. I am not going to say that everyone would claim them as the best sounding speakers but I would say they are the best sounding Sansui speakers I have had the opportunity to hear, and much better sounding than many other well noted speakers out there. I like them and I have quite a few pairs of speakers that I think are quite good. My poor quality camera doesn't really do them the justice of just how nice they look in real life, they are close to a hundred pounds each, and just really nice real wood veneer. And all the corners are solid walnut as that is where veneers are most likely to get damaged. The bass drivers are solid cast aluminum baskets with very large heavy magnets, and the horn behind that accustical lens is quite heavy. They orginally came with castors on the bottoms to be able to roll them around, but when I got these the castors were missing and I have yet to have time to get around replaceing the castors.

spl7001-1.jpg
 
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JohnVF said:
Those speakers look awesome, Ken. Just goes to show that there are always exceptions.
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Thanks John, I refoamed all the bass drivers, and replaced all the caps, and resistors on the crossovers. They are actually quite large as that is a full size square grand piano behind them. And those are the smaller model of the SP L series, they made three others that are much larger, the SP L 800, SP L800 II, and the SP L1000. These are the SP L700's the babies of the series.

As with most Japanese speakers during the 70's there were the most common ones which most people broad brush the entire brand as bad speakers, but there were quite a few exceptions with many of them. Some that come to mind, were Technics, Sony, Yamaha, Pioneer, Sansui, and Kenwood. All of them had a few that were quite execptional in both quality and really good sound. Technics had there SB 9500, and SB1000 both just outstanding speakers, Yamaha the GF1, and FX-3 both real outstanding speaker. Kenwood also made a couple of rare good speakers one that comes to mind is the LS 1900, and Sony made some pretty nice ones as well, the SS A5, SS 7600, to name a few. And Pioneer made the TZ9 which was also a very nice speaker, and the CS 955 which used Be hi frequency drivers is a very nice speaker, the S 933 using a be ribbon and a be mid in a really beautiful ebony cabinet.

Most people like to brand speakers based on the common ones that show up all the time, as those are the ones that most middle class people see most often, but to exclude the real nice ones which are out there doesn't do much justice. If one wants good speakers, I don't recommend buying the more common less expensive ones that most people see all the time, but wait for the real treasures out there that come around once in a while, the wait would be well worth it. Rather than play musical chairs and keep purchasing the most common that were sold to the masses, one would be much better off, spending their money on the more exclusive ones which the Japanese really put their techncial expertise into.
 
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I've owned both the SP2500 with the X and the SP2500 without the X and feel that without the X is the better of the two, although neither sounded good enough to earn a permanent place here.

One good thing about used speakers, is that no matter how expensive they were new, someone is out there now selling them dirt cheap. You just have to find that someone.
 
Sp-x9

I had a pair of SP-X8. They were very efficient and a decent set of speakers. My SX-750 pushed them with no problem. 17 inch woofers so pretty decent low end. However, all that being said after I got a pair of vintage KLH Model 6's I gave the sui's to a friend and have never looked back. I now have added the KLH Model 23's to my collection. I have heard about the large advents from the 70's but have never been able to listen to any. FYI any older speakers will most likely need new crossover capacitors as they dry out and are usually out of spec. I recapped the KLH's and it really woke them up. I've only been doing the vintage receivers and speakers for a couple of years and get a lot of pleasure from it. Enjoy!

SX-750,Sx-980,SX-1080,Sansui 661, QX-949
Pioneer As-31, KLH Model 6, KLH Model 23
SG-9500, SG-9800
 
Thanks guys. I guess what I'm looking for is some decent low end base, great mods and high's. I'm gonna go listen to the X9's before I just throw the cash out. There's also a pair of Polk Model 7's out there that I can go look at. I found a pair of Koss 3500's (huge speakers) but tey looked like they had been droppe off a bridge however they still played fairly well. I really wanted those but they weren't in good shape at all (as they were advertised). I'm just gonna check several out before I buy. I love the look of the Sansui's but I don't want to sacrifice sound either.
 
Sansui speakers are generally lacklustre to poor, relative to my taste in reproduced sound. Their big-butt Ersatz JBLs could potentially be exceptions; never heard a pair, though.

http://www.audio-heritage.jp/SANSUI/speaker/sp-g200.html
http://www.audio-heritage.jp/SANSUI/speaker/sp-g300.html
http://www.audio-heritage.jp/SANSUI/speaker/sp-g300ii.html

sp-g300ii(1).JPG

sp-g300ii(2).JPG


I don't think these were real JBL drivers, lenses, or horns - were they?


Interestingly and amusingly, it appears that Sansui actually sold Sansui boxes loaded with JBL LE-8T FR drivers - presumably on the home market.
http://www.audio-heritage.jp/SANSUI/speaker/sp-le8t.html

sp-le8t.JPG
 
No the drivers in the SP L series were made in Japan and have Sansui part numbers on the backs of them, I know because when I had them out to rebuild the crossovers and refoam them they definitly were not JBL drivers, they were Sansui drivers, with Sanui part numbers on them. But unlike all the other Sansui bass drivers they were not stamped steel baskets, but cast aluminum ones. I don't know about the other one that your referring to as I have never owned one of them.

But from all that I have read, Sansui was the sole distrubuter of JBL speakers in Asia at the time, and after they made the SP L series Sansui and JBL parted company as Sansui lost their distrubutor statues so maybe JBL was not happy with Sansui making speakers which appeared to be much like some of their offerings.
 
after listening to the Sansui's. I decided to bypass them. The guy let me come over tonight and I just wasnt impressed. I stopped at someone elses house and picked up some Cerwin Vega speakers that I'm pretty happy with but they have a sub sounding scratchy. I started a new thread on that problem. Maybe I shouldnt start so many threads but I havent been on this site much so I'm still learning to navigate to my older posts.
 
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