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What's the deal with the tiny wpc increments in the xx1 line?

SchweinHaus

SchweinHaus

Well-Known Member
The title kind of says it all:
I've been thinking about getting something in the xx1 line. A friend has a 331 and even with 12 wpc, it makes me jealous with it's crisp clarity.
In looking around in the series, I've noticed that the wattage difference between the 221, 331, 441, 551 and 661 is whopping total of 10 watts, with the 771 a slight notch up at 32 and the 881 at 60 wpc (all figures according to hifiengine.)
I feel like most classic receiver lines would jump at least 5-10 watts RMS at a time instead of trying to brand and market 5 receivers so close together.
In my perusal, I haven't seen any major difference in features, and at least from what I've gleaned here the difference between 10 and 20 wpc seems nominal.
Is it worth paying more for a 661 over a 221, or should I just gobble up whichever model I can afford first?
Then again, these seem to be the best-kept secret in the Sansui family, and maybe I should just keep my mouth shut until I snag one. :thmbsp:
 
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The xx1 receivers are definitely sleepers and they are easy to work on, and sound superb. The 881 has mid range tone and a couple more buttons than the 771, and a few more watts of power.

I just re-capped and serviced a 661 (see 661 Re Cap thread in this section) and it came up a treat. Ran it flat chat and not a hint of distortion.

Toyman, in these forums, has the xx1 series (except for the 441 and 221, but I know he's looking to get them to complete the set), so he can probably answer this better than me as he rotates his units about and tell you about them.

I think a 661, 771 or 881 are the ones to get.
 
Looking forward to responses from practiced ears here. You can talk about watts all you want but the reality with the need for low volume listening...."Special" is as special does. Big smiles can come from so many directions with audio and a low volume challenge sure does it for me. "A precise whisper with eye contact has a lot more impact than screaming at someone from across the street." Carl Stiehert/Friend
 
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This series was seen as an answer to Pioneer with their 434, 535, etc series.
Sansui had never had a "full" step lineup like that before.
The Six, Seven, Eight were the predecessors.
I'd rather have a Six than an 881.
 
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