Vintage Sansui to the modern age

[Bahamayellow]

Just wondering if a lot of you have more modern sources connected to your vintage Sansui. If you do let’s see the set up dacs, laptops, cd, modern speakers. Let’s go Boomers. Lol

 

[stereofun]

I primarily feed the 999 from an Oppo-BDP105D which works like a swiss knife and takes care of Pandora & Youtube as well as streaming from my network. It does CD's extremely well including HDCD, SACD, DVD and bluray of course. Then also I use a Rega P1 turntable (2016). The 70" 4K monitor does have an analog out so that along with a mini jack for smart phones are at times also fed into the 999. The 999 is highly modded all the way from power cable and internal vibration dampening to balancing of the differential amp + Kevzeps awesome pre-amp and bass mod. Speakers are entry level Wharfedale 8.4's but modded extensively for resonance control (sand/spikes/cabinet and front panel) along with better internal wiring. If they didn't sound so damn good I'd replace in a heartbeat.

 

[Silver Rings]

I use a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 to play flac and mp3 files from a Dell gaming laptop. I also play CDs from an external drive attached to the laptop. This is my only source (right now) for various combinations of Sansui amps involving QA-7000, AU-9500, AU-6500 and S-X500. I've had the AU-6500 since 1978, and the others for about a year. For speakers, I have a pair of Polk S60s, a pair of Polk S8s (30 years old), and a pair of Polk PSW10s. I get much enjoyment from this setup, especially when the music is in 24 bit flac files.

 

[59volvo]

I use an oppo 981 as transport to a topping d30 which is also fed by my computer using foobar into my au-717 which brings it up an order of magnitude from the sources originally used in the 70's

 

[kevzep]

Oh yeah, I'll bite.....

I use a Benchmark DAC1 for my digital source with the G22000, its a very nice DAC, gets a nice result.

 

[BLAH BLAH]

 

[pete_mac]

My digital front end is an old Squeezebox Touch with the EDO app enabling asynchronous USB output, powered by a Gieseler Audio linear PSU.

USB is de-crapified by a Uptone Regen which is a matchbox-sized device which is, quite ironically, powered by a SBooster BOTW linear PSU which is about 30 times its size. Nothing like a bit of overkill eh?

My DAC is a Gieseler Audio Klein III which has the AK4495EQ chip, Jensen output transformers, the lovely Amanero USB board, and as a lovely nod to the late-model Sansui recipes, a smattering of Elna Silmic caps.

The Klein III is powered by a Gieseler Audio Kraftwerk PSU for added sonic goodness.

You might notice that I have a thing for home-grown Aussie audio goodness which can compete with the big players. Go Gieseler Audio!!!

USB cables are a custom silver-wire cable which I built, and a Curious Cables Regen Link. The Curious Cables USB came with the Uptone Regen when I bought it second-hand. I had planned to sell it, but I noticed a slight backwards step when removing it from my system so it has remained in place ever since.

My speakers are Elite Aesthet I Mk 2 large standmount speakers which I absolutely adore.

 

[BLAH BLAH]

Oh yeah and taking a page out of PM's book the RCA's are Australian made...

https://www.nbspeakercables.com.au/collections/interconnects/products/the-bodybuilder

https://www.nbspeakercables.com.au/collections/interconnects

Agree totally with the ...Go Gieseler Audio!!!
Mine is the Gieseler Klien Dac 11...I could hear the improvement in sound immediately after I hooked it up!

 

[ehoove]

I have cleaned up the off topic posts and back and forth. We now return you to the OP's intent.
Regards,
Jim

 

[jwc2012]

In my main system, I'm running an old MacBook Pro into a JKenny Ciunas DAC/ to my newly recapped and restored Sansui Sansui AU-D707 (Japanese market version of the AU-819). I switch among the AU-D707, a partially restored AU-717, and an AU-G99X. The amp is currently connected to a pair of Magellan subwoofers via the speaker level inputs (default crossover at 70 Hz) and then on to a pair of Ohm Walsh 2000 (6 Ohm nominal). I also have a Squeezebox Touch that I used for years with this setup, but have not used it for quite some time.

All the amps sound great, and each have their distinctive charms, though the AU-D707/819 remains my favorite.

I am thinking about an alternative source, as the MacBook Pro is getting long in the tooth and not optimal for audio.

I'm at work--and the Christmas tree is (still!) up and in the middle of my stereo setup, so no pix.

 

[bolero]

I have a pair of M-Audio Delta 1010 8 channel interfaces, I use to record into my DAW

as a monitor I use one of the tape inputs on an AU-7700

on this system I also have a hard drive full of lossless audio, that I use as a digital source via the AU-7700

 

[RR--]

On my desk I have a fully rebuilt and modified Sansui 8080 with my Monitor Audio Silver RX1 speakers in Walnut. This is fed from a Maverick Audio D1 DAC with with upgraded op amps by optical from my gaming PC (i7 7700K GTX 1080ti). Here I mostly listen to lossless CD rips in iTunes 10.7 and Spotify.

In my living room I have a rebuilt Sansui AU-719 with some very new to me Monitor Audio Silver 6's in piano black. I have a basic Behringer UCA222 fed USB from my laptop, I also have a cheap eBay DAC between my Plasma and PS3 which mostly gets used for Netflix and Blu-rays nowadays. It's only a cheap DAC but having a remote with volume is awesome. I only just recently tried bi-wiring both setups with some thick wire from Jaycar and was surprised that it actually cleaned up the sound quite a noticeable amount.

I have the matching rear and centre speakers but don't yet own a surround sound amplifier so they're sitting in storage for now, a nice used Arcam looks nice but I honestly cbf'd with all the surround codecs and constantly changing standards.

I think the Wood/Wood/Wood and Gloss Black/Matte Black/Gloss White all works quite well! I just gave it all a good clean as it was covered in bushfire smoke dust.
Also I'm like 40 years too young to be a boomer.

 

[Bahamayellow]

On my desk I have a fully rebuilt and modified Sansui 8080 with my Monitor Audio Silver RX1 speakers in Walnut. This is fed from a Maverick Audio D1 DAC with with upgraded op amps by optical from my gaming PC (i7 7700K GTX 1080ti). Here I mostly listen to lossless CD rips in iTunes 10.7 and Spotify.

In my living room I have a rebuilt Sansui AU-719 with some very new to me Monitor Audio Silver 6's in piano black. I have a basic Behringer UCA222 fed USB from my laptop, I also have a cheap eBay DAC between my Plasma and PS3 which mostly gets used for Netflix and Blu-rays nowadays. It's only a cheap DAC but having a remote with volume is awesome. I only just recently tried bi-wiring both setups with some thick wire from Jaycar and was surprised that it actually cleaned up the sound quite a noticeable amount.

I have the matching rear and centre speakers but don't yet own a surround sound amplifier so they're sitting in storage for now, a nice used Arcam looks nice but I honestly cbf'd with all the surround codecs and constantly changing standards.

I think the Wood/Wood/Wood and Gloss Black/Matte Black/Gloss White all works quite well! I just gave it all a good clean as it was covered in bushfire smoke dust.
Also I'm like 40 years too young to be a boomer.

I like monitor audio speakers also. Have some BX1s connected to a Sansui 4500.how do you u like the new woofers on the floor standers. Any difference in bass. I thought about getting the newer bronze bookshelf’s. I’m getting stands for them thought about leaving them on top the infinity’s but don’t like it lol.

 

[RR--]

I like monitor audio speakers also. Have some BX1s connected to a Sansui 4500.how do you u like the new woofers on the floor standers. Any difference in bass. I thought about getting the newer bronze bookshelf’s. I’m getting stands for them thought about leaving them on top the infinity’s but don’t like it lol.

View attachment 1731907 View attachment 1731908

It's pretty hard to compare them as I've never done a true side by side comparison with the same amplifier in the same room so acoustics and distance make a big difference. I did do a side by side comparison between my RX1's and BX2's and the RX1's were definitely a touch smoother and more detailed.

Sound wise mine are both very very similar and have the same sound signature. I do like how the Silver 6's drivers are recessed compared to the RX1's. It's much easier to pack and move them, they also don't seem to bulge out as much when playing music loud which is great.
My RX1's really struggle to play music loud when there's a lot of deep bass but this is because I sit too close for acoustics to help out and have the bass set to +6 at deep frequencies and they're only bookshelves, it sounds great this way and I have no need for a subwoofer at normal listening levels.
On the other hand the Silver 6's have a huge sound stage by being floorstanders with two extra drivers, in my living room I have my AU719 set completely flat and it has a ton of bass to a point where there's almost too much. I can't imagine ever needing a subwoofer here.

Honestly the BX1's and G4500 seem like a great pair so I'd use it as a desktop setup and eventually buy floorstanders instead and an amp with more power to drive them.

 

[Rinaldi]

I have always used digital fonts with Sansui integrated.
My last integrated of the brand was a D11II where I used for a long time with a notebook as a source and a DSPeaker Anti-Mode in the DAC function.



And more recently I moved the entire digital system to a Raspberry Pi doing local file reading and an iFi iDAC2 with Uptone Regen, a great sound result ...

 

[Sansui77]

My digital front end is either my htpc or dedicated mini laptop (spdif optical) running Foorbar 2000 to a ADI DAC II.

Custom cables & speakers (Seas & Alpair) to one of many high end Sansui amplifiers (907NRA pictured), another one coming in a few days

Speaker cabinets will be redone with custom outriggers and front grills added.

@Hyperion
Take it from me, my system does not lie

 

[Karl vd Berg]

I have always used digital fonts with Sansui integrated.
My last integrated of the brand was a D11II where I used for a long time with a notebook as a source and a DSPeaker Anti-Mode in the DAC function.

View attachment 1902086

Still in my dream list this amp.

 

[Hyperion]

Take it from me, my system does not lie

Yeap, I believe you!

 

[ghamilton]

 

[Karl vd Berg]

Insanely beautiful...