I would think so, though I've never owned or heard an AU-717. Many on AK think highly of both. They seem to have about the same selling price at the moment, maybe the Eight is a bit higher.
Talk me out of a 8080 or 9090 please :-)
- Thread starter redondo2018
- Start date
@redondo2018 You should probably just plan to spend a few years buying, restoring and selling or buying, restoring and keeping different models until you find the sound you are looking for - there is a good chance you don’t know what you are looking for until you hear it. You might also find you like a variety of different Sansui “sounds” and find it necessary to have a collection to circulate through. Definitely no urgency. The quest is part of if not all of the fun.
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Or, if you like what you currently have, be happy with it.
I've got a range of Sansui gear from early cap-coupled (AU-777, 5000X) to mid-70's (9090, AU-9900). They all sound good. There are subtle differences, and each may sound a little different from another, but I'm hard pressed to say one is a "better" sound than another. Actually, I really have not heard a Sansui I haven't liked. Can't say the same about other brands I've tried. I've thought about selling something, but I just can't decide which one that would be.
I compare it to different genres of music. I like several, and would not be happy with just one, though I could probably live with it if I really had to choose.Now, if you want something really different, try Sansui quadraphonic sound. THAT will be a different experience.
Money can be spent far better elsewhere, if sound quality is paramount.
Obviously, that won't buy nostalgia.
Obviously, that won't buy nostalgia.
CrSens
Super Member
I compared AU-717 with some high quality contemporary equipment (Krell, Arcam, Exposure), and in all cases it acquired itself very well, if not the best. Sound per dollar, 717 is a tremendous value and actually it does not sound vintage at all. Must have been a total outlier and so ahead of its time in 1978. Does not sound like its contemporaries at all, or other Sansui's of the time (except other AU-X1X members).
For whatever it's worth - and I know the title of the thread is "talk me out of an 8080 / 9090" - but I found a Nichicon-FG-recapped AU-717 to be bland, lifeless, and dry, while I found a Nichicon-FG-recapped 9090 to be rich, musical, and lovely to listen to, in both cases via recently-redone Magnepan MGIII speakers. Just my two cents!
redondo2018
Active Member
I have a QR-4500 (as I see you do) but it's supposed to be very basic quad I guessOr, if you like what you currently have, be happy with it.
I've got a range of Sansui gear from early cap-coupled (AU-777, 5000X) to mid-70's (9090, AU-9900). They all sound good. There are subtle differences, and each may sound a little different from another, but I'm hard pressed to say one is a "better" sound than another. Actually, I really have not heard a Sansui I haven't liked. Can't say the same about other brands I've tried. I've thought about selling something, but I just can't decide which one that would be.
Now, if you want something really different, try Sansui quadraphonic sound. THAT will be a different experience.
redondo2018
Active Member
thanks, that's helpful - I wonder if the same would be true with the Eight...
Isn’t that speaker 4 ohms (or less)? That would be a difficult speaker for an AU-717 which isn’t designed for that. I don’t know if that would explain what you didn’t like about the sound, but I wouldn’t want to use mine to drive Magnepans — even the little LRS!
Scott Muni
Well-Known Member
Agree, I have both. My au717 is the same, it just plain sounds dull, turning the treble all the way up makes little change. Loudness just makes it muddy sounding. My 9090db is better, but I prefer my cap coupled low watt au222 and au555a to both the 717/9090. Even my 331 receiver seems more musical, i dunno must be my old ears....
redondo2018
Active Member
well, I wasn't alive when any of this gear came out, so "nostalgia" isn't exactly it - but I do think dollar-for-dollar you generally get better sound with 70's gear, but I may well be wrong
redondo2018
Active Member
this is important to me - if I did go the AU-717 route, I'd want it driving 4ohms Cerwin Vegas - yes, they are super efficient, but... I'm thinking between that and and the lack of an MC phono stage, maybe I should pass...
Lots of people will say it’s fine, and just to monitor the heat sink temps. Maybe it is fine with efficient 4 ohm speakers. But it would still bother me thinking my mint $1000 might kick the bucket.
I'm 50.
At 30, I would have agreed with you.
I no longer can. Vintage has priced itself out of the old "dollar-for-dollar" argument. MOST of it needs a full restoration to be optimal, or even functional. New? There's serious sound out there, assuming you're looking for quality not quantity, and it is CHEAP. If you want peel the paint off the walls volume, that's something different than what I seek at 50, which is soundstage, depth, and something that, in the words of my man Pio1980 immerses you in the music.
I owned an Echowars restored 9090db. Yes, it sounded good. I had given a couple hundred for it, and restoration was about 500.
That receiver, nice as it was, cannot touch my Allo Volt D. And that tiny thing cost me all of 130 bucks, used.
These days, that same receiver I let go for 3 figures would now bring 4 figures. So, with all that said, I'd encourage you to think first what kind of sound you seek. Then, audition all you can. LISTEN TO WHAT IS OUT THERE by asking AK'ers if you can. Most of us will let you into our homes to show off our gear, or if you're near a big city, maybe hit some of the get-togethers.
Don't be like me and fill your tiny house with a ton of **** that eventually becomes a headache.
Best of luck.
DB-7
Super Member
If you're stuck on 4 ohm speakers, you should probably steer away from Sansui altogether.
There are a lot of 8 ohm speakers out there that will sound the same if not better than Cerwin Vegas.
I own 2 sets of CV's. They are at the bottom of my speaker collection in terms of sound quality.
There are a lot of 8 ohm speakers out there that will sound the same if not better than Cerwin Vegas.
I own 2 sets of CV's. They are at the bottom of my speaker collection in terms of sound quality.
Yeah - Maggies are a double threat of low impedance and low sensitivity (also why I was asking @redondo2018 earlier in the thread about his speakers' impedance) - the AU-717 clipped very quickly driving the Maggies even after the re-cap; the 9090 sounded really thin and clipped before the recap but not after the recap, and sounded great. FWIW.
I've been so tempted lately to sell my AU-717 and try a Schiit Vidar 2 with one of their preamps. I love the look and build of the Sansui, but there's so much of it I don't use like the phono inputs, tape loops, tone controls with cutoff frequencies, etc.
I totally agree. All of this stuff (and stuff in general, like extra cars, bikes, collections) slowly and quietly weighs you down and becomes a burden instead of a source of pleasure. I'm on a minimalism trajectory after moving from one country to another, and it's freeing!
IMO/Experience, I feel my Seven gives me the best mix of DC and CC units from Sansui. So with that said, I feel a Single Digit receiver will give you a great listening experience, IF your speakers are efficient enough. I use very efficient speakers and don’t listen loud anymore, so my Seven suits me fine. It has authority with a mix of finesse mixed in.
Remember everyone has an opinion, just need to sort out what works for you and your listening habits.
EDIT; FWIW after rolling through all the Sansui units I had here, I have transitioned to tubes, so there’s another route this stuff takes you. I still have some Sansui SS units here, but they see more use for background sound.
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I'll take that AU-717 off your hands if you are needing to embark on a more austere trajectory in life
. Same goes for anyone else that is feeling burdened by their Sansui art collection. My PM box is open. Glad to help.
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CrSens
Super Member
I can understand why some people don't like the 717 sound, it is quite different than regular 70's stuff. The treble in particular is very sophisticated, delicate and devoid of graininess and slight harshness common to a lot of solid state equipment, something people are often accustomed to, and when it is missing from the sound, it could be perceived as flat, dull and lifeless. That characteristic (or lack of sound character) makes it less than ideal for some systems, especially where amp is supposed to provide the "spark" to liven up the sound choked by other components.