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Sansui Amps Owners & Discussion Thread


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  • 1 month later...

My last Sansui has arrived this afternoon, an Alpha 607MR.  I picked it up while low on glucose and caffeine and on night shift but no regrets, we can't go having regrets about these things that just happen by themselves.  Acceptance is key to satisfaction with this hobby of ours.

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Not quite as clean an example of the brand as most of my 907s but it does have its charm.

 

It arrived as dusty as all get out so I took the top off and got out my can of compressed air.  And when I look inside I see.

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It was slightly dustier when I first saw it, but even then it brought a smile to my face.  

 

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Note the plastic, anti-vibration treatment along the tops of the front and back and the use of copper plated screws on the inner chassis, I thought that only the 907s got this extra treatment but it seems I was wrong.  Even the little 607s get a decent dose of noise deadening.  See the plastic strips that run across each of the heat sinks?  Still there after 20 years!

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And look, a strip of plastic across the underside of the case too.  

 

I think I'm going to have to plug it in now, because if I don't I just won't be able to sleep tonight.

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And I thought this thread was over... but there's still more Alpha's to visit! :lol:

 

Didn't know the MR series came in black finish too, looks nice! I had only seen the common champagne silver, which is what my 607MR is :)

 

Can't wait to hear your impressions of this amp. Also, very curious to hear how it compares to its bigger siblings, 707MR and the ultimate 907MR...

 

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7 hours ago, Rob181 said:

And....come on...haven't got all night you know...

Worry not, it sounds just as superb as I expected it to.  Maybe even better (it is a black Sansui after all).

 

7 hours ago, MrMojo said:

And I thought this thread was over... but there's still more Alpha's to visit! :lol:

 

Didn't know the MR series came in black finish too, looks nice! I had only seen the common champagne silver, which is what my 607MR is :)

 

Can't wait to hear your impressions of this amp. Also, very curious to hear how it compares to its bigger siblings, 707MR and the ultimate 907MR...

 

No more Alphas to visit now, I think I've got hold of all the Alphas I need.

All the Alpha series 607 models were available in black, but not all of the 707s and none of the 907s after the DR, so black Sansuis were always there but only in 607 form.  If you are chasing one though it can take some effort to find one, they don't seem to be that common.

Yep, the idea of getting a 607 was to do a direct comparison with the 907.  All part of the longer term plan.  

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm afraid not, between borrowing a Leema Pulse 3 and a Rega Elex-R and having a rather ruthless seller drop off a very expensive amp at my place in an effort to make me buy it I have been a bit on the busy side.

I'll get there, but it isn't likely to be as soon as I would like.

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44 minutes ago, Cafad said:

I'm afraid not, between borrowing a Leema Pulse 3 and a Rega Elex-R and having a rather ruthless seller drop off a very expensive amp at my place in an effort to make me buy it I have been a bit on the busy side.

I'll get there, but it isn't likely to be as soon as I would like.

Lucky you! :) 

 

That Leema amp must be nice, they make some awesome sounding gear.

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Since I have unable to hold my impulse buying tendencies in check there is no audio show for me.  So, I guess I should get on with some other stuff then.

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So it's time for a 607 vs 907 discussion.

I have been listening to some rather upmarket and expensive gear recently and I have to say the 607MR still manages to be one of the most enjoyable amps I've heard for a while.  It has a good measure of everything, clean top end, clear and clean vocals and mid range with a nice PRAT that lets you "rock out" to pretty much any genre of music you care to listen to.  Bass is smooth, clean and speedy and sounds very 'acoustically satisfying'.  The mid range is so good that I managed to pick up some vocal overlay on one of my favourite albums that I had never noticed before, and this on an album I have listened to a minimum of once per fortnight since I bought it over 3 years ago.

So, considering this little gem only cost me $219 Aussie at auction (total cost of $630 all fees included) the value for money rating is through the roof.  The fact that this amp is old enough to vote (at 22) really just emphasizes what a great product Sansui made back then.

 

Switching over to the 907MR there are three things that are immediately clear.  The first is that there is a little more headroom in the top end, the second is that there is more "musical torque" on tap (particularly in the bass) and the third is that the two amps really do sound similar.  

Everything else is small potatoes but they do rate mention.  The extra headroom up top allows piano and trumpets to shine a little more and it also feels like female vocals are able to go a little higher too.  Drums are just a touch faster, slightly fuller and noticeably more weighty.  If you want to push the volume up and throw in more than 3 or 4 instruments then the 907 comes in to its own but even then the 607 still does a respectable job.

So yes, all things considered the 907 is a better component, however since it cost $1275 at auction (a cool total of $3150 which is a bit ouch-worthy for, again, a 22 year old amp) it does not win on the value for money front because it is not 5 times better.  

 

I believe there is an old saying that goes something like "80% of the performance for 40% of the price", well here we have 80% of the performance for 20% of the price.  

 

If I had really thought about this Sansui thing ahead of time I would have bought a 607 unit of each Alpha model series, in retrospect that would have been a pretty good idea.  But what's done is done.

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Thanks for the comparison and sharing your impressions. Internet is full of opinions, but an opinion on Sansui Alphas from someone with actual first hand experience is rare and valuable indeed :)

 

I think you have summarized the performance of 607MR pretty well here.

3 hours ago, Cafad said:

I have to say the 607MR still manages to be one of the most enjoyable amps I've heard for a while.  It has a good measure of everything, clean top end, clear and clean vocals and mid range with a nice PRAT that lets you "rock out" to pretty much any genre of music you care to listen to. 

My impressions are exactly same, this little gem of an amp can play any kind of music and with what refinement!

 

I guess I will hold off  (or I should say i will 'try' to... :)) on my itch to get the 907MR for now, don't think its such a great idea for spending that much on that little 5-10% of performance improvement.

 

Do you normally listen through regular CD input, or the Line/CD Direct input? I have personally found the 'Direct' inputs to be more neutral where as the regular line level inputs do have a sound signature, but the sound also seems to have more body to it perhaps due to the pre-amp in chain.

 

 

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3 hours ago, Snapper() said:

If you were in melb could lend the very last 607 .. the nra2. Guess I'll have to do my own emoji41.png

If you are curious, you are more than welcome to bring your 607NRA II to compare with my 607MR :)

 

Or perhaps I can bring mine over, whichever way works. I would love to hear them side by side.

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10 minutes ago, MrMojo said:

 

Do you normally listen through regular CD input, or the Line/CD Direct input? I have personally found the 'Direct' inputs to be more neutral where as the regular line level inputs do have a sound signature, but the sound also seems to have more body to it perhaps due to the pre-amp in chain.

 

I use the regular cd input for music, and usually use the tuner input for my TV watching.

The Sansuis are the first amps I have found in which I actually prefer not to use the line direct function.  I actually enjoy that little bit of extra body.  I still leave the tone controls out of the circuit though, even though I have tried them out and found them to be very smooth in function.

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If you are curious, you are more than welcome to bring your 607NRA II to compare with my 607MR [emoji4]
 
Or perhaps I can bring mine over, whichever way works. I would love to hear them side by side.


Taken offline ... but yes will drop off the 607 for review
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Big fan of the Sansui products being a 1980s hifi tragic and, used the Sansui CDX-711 CD player and AUX-911 integrated amplifier into a pair of 42kg sealed Yamaha NS-1200 speakers for several years. Superlative sound on many  levels majoring on punchy dynamics especially when played at realistic 1.00 o'clock (+) volume levels! If less hi-end when compared to the valves and electrostatics or horns that I favour these days.

 

Short story on the Sansuis can be seen here on my blog at: 

 

http://stevem1960.blogspot.com.au/

 

Cheers,

 

Steve.

Edited by Steve M
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  • 2 weeks later...

Would like to thank Cafad for his time last weekend and his desire to let me hear his Sansui babies.. Although the speaker choice has diminished ...We was able to connect the goliath 907 to a pair of miniature B&W Pm1s..
Im not sure if this a match made in heaven as my little Pms looked a liitle daunted by what was about to be shoved in their little behinds!
Jeff and i sat a little perplexed by what will transpire... Well.. The little pms said.. give me what you got to a point.
Ive never heard the pm1s prior as ive only owned 800 series . All i can say if your listening room is limited in size these represent great value.
Im sure Jeff will agree that the pm1s considering their size managed themselves very well. The bass portrayed was not expected from such a small speaker. We both came to the conclusion that the pm1s up to a certain level did everything right.
I have been told by "She who must be obeyed" that i am never to sell the pm1s.They just have so much WAF.

Jeffs passion for Sansui is engaging to say the least. . The 907 alpha series is a gorgeous animal . The sleek champagne brushed finish with the timber cheeks oozes class. It seems to have reservations of power ready to explode...
Ready for my next Sansui experience... wonder what Cafad will entice with next

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10 minutes ago, slawrence436 said:

Would like to thank Cafad for his time last weekend and his desire to let me hear his Sansui babies.. Although the speaker choice has diminished ...We was able to connect the goliath 907 to a pair of miniature B&W Pm1s..
Im not sure if this a match made in heaven as my little Pms looked a liitle daunted by what was about to be shoved in their little behinds!
Jeff and i sat a little perplexed by what will transpire... Well.. The little pms said.. give me what you got to a point.
Ive never heard the pm1s prior as ive only owned 800 series . All i can say if your listening room is limited in size these represent great value.
Im sure Jeff will agree that the pm1s considering their size managed themselves very well. The bass portrayed was not expected from such a small speaker. We both came to the conclusion that the pm1s up to a certain level did everything right.
I have been told by "She who must be obeyed" that i am never to sell the pm1s.They just have so much WAF.

Jeffs passion for Sansui is engaging to say the least. . The 907 alpha series is a gorgeous animal . The sleek champagne brushed finish with the timber cheeks oozes class. It seems to have reservations of power ready to explode...
Ready for my next Sansui experience... wonder what Cafad will entice with next

I am not even slightly surprised they worked superbly. I have a pair also and I also will never, ever sell my pair,so I reckon your wife has great taste and judgement.

I also once had an Alpha 907 and this worked gloriously in my room,with the PM1s which are quite possibly the most under rated speaker around. Simply put ,the better the amplifier, the better the sound and frankly I really don't understand why they were discontinued,but am am certainly chuffed I managed to get a pair,with the dedicated stands,which makes an enormous difference.

Hopefully you have these also

 

Cheers

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I am not even slightly surprised they worked superbly. I have a pair also and I also will never, ever sell my pair,so I reckon your wife has great taste and judgement.
I also once had an Alpha 907 and this worked gloriously in my room,with the PM1s which are quite possibly the most under rated speaker around. Simply put ,the better the amplifier, the better the sound and frankly I really don't understand why they were discontinued,but am am certainly chuffed I managed to get a pair,with the dedicated stands,which makes an enormous difference.
Hopefully you have these also
 
Cheers
Unfortunately no dedicated stands.
Ive always wanted a pair of these pm1s but found them elusive.
Comparing them to 805d2s i find them more fun. Very lively and offers a very wide sound field. There was a time Jeff and i looked behind us thinking something was rustling...it was the speakers projection
If i had to compare to the 805d3s which ive also owned.. I would say the D3s excell in the midrange and you can drive them so much harder. But.....love these little things immensely
Our wives judgement should never be ignored!
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11 minutes ago, slawrence436 said:

Unfortunately no dedicated stands.
Ive always wanted a pair of these pm1s but found them elusive.
Comparing them to 805d2s i find them more fun. Very lively and offers a very wide sound field. There was a time Jeff and i looked behind us thinking something was rustling...it was the speakers projection
If i had to compare to the 805d3s which ive also owned.. I would say the D3s excell in the midrange and you can drive them so much harder. But.....love these little things immensely
Our wives judgement should never be ignored!

 

A very good summary and kudos to your wife ( and mine also ). She loves the almost as much as I do. The reason you found them elusive is that the vast majority of owners just don't wish to sell them.

 

If you possibly can, beg,borrow or steal some dedicated stands, if you think they are great now just wait till you get them on their stands. All their great qualities are enhanced and multiplied by an order of magnitude. I was sceptical at first when I placed my order for them and complained about the price but honestly, they are worth every cent

Edited by rantan
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