Odyssey Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 My first taste of Sansui and I was so surprised that I bought the AU 505 from the master technician himself. I was so eager to get the amp home that I didn't ask to listen to his room full of other gorgeous Sansui amps. Anyway, this little Sansui is making such beautiful music with my headphones - Sennheiser HD800 and Audeze LCD-2f. I've been listening to music with it all of yesterday afternoon, night and this morning. So hooked was I that I haven't even try it with my speakers yet. I have a pair of Axis LS28 and LS88 in mint condition - had them for 20 years bought them new. I've owned and used the Schiit Ragnarok and am using a made in USA, Glenn OTL amp at the moment with my headphones. I also have on order a DNA Stratus headphone amp. They are good but this Sansui surprised me with the clarity, lushness of mid-range, deep and strong bass and non fatiguing highs. It's sweet music and it's the best $350 I've spend in my head-fi journey so far. Thanks Pete ! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huxmut Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 I seem to remember reading of using the speaker outputs on a AU101 to drive some very inefficient planner/electrostatic type headphones ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huxmut Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 How is the condition of the surrounds and the spider materials Cafad ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 You can use the speaker taps by using this cable https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Balanced-XLR-to-Speaker-Taps-PINS-Hifiman-HE4-HE5-HE6-HE5LE-HE500-cable-adapter-/172733755771 but the headphone socket on the au 505 does the job perfectly for me for LCD-2f. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLAH BLAH Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 38 minutes ago, Odyssey said: My first taste of Sansui and I was so surprised that I bought the AU 505 from the master technician himself. I was so eager to get the amp home that I didn't ask to listen to his room full of other gorgeous Sansui amps. Anyway, this little Sansui is making such beautiful music with my headphones - Sennheiser HD800 and Audeze LCD-2f. I've been listening to music with it all of yesterday afternoon, night and this morning. So hooked was I that I haven't even try it with my speakers yet. I have a pair of Axis LS28 and LS88 in mint condition - had them for 20 years bought them new. I've owned and used the Schiit Ragnarok and am using a made in USA, Glenn OTL amp at the moment with my headphones. I also have on order a DNA Stratus headphone amp. They are good but this Sansui surprised me with the clarity, lushness of mid-range, deep and strong bass and non fatiguing highs. It's sweet music and it's the best $350 I've spend in my head-fi journey so far. Thanks Pete ! It's a little gem of an amp, sweet as... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cafad Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 40 minutes ago, huxmut said: How is the condition of the surrounds and the spider materials Cafad ? Everything looks new really, hard to believe it's an 89 model. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huxmut Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 I wonder. Maybe they need breaking in ??? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cafad Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 And the 100i is even more impressive on the inside. The seal for the back plate is a double cork gasket style seal, that metal plate that the tweeter is secured to is far more impressive in person than it appears in pictures. The bolts (yes, bolts, none of this small diameter screw rubbish, and yes there are nuts embedded on the inside of the surround for them to screw into) that hold the back on are 50mm long and 5mm thick. That cross member that the woofer is bolted to, that's 40mm thick. This is a very impressive box design. That tape holding the crossover components in the blocks of wood is tar backed paper, one side of the woofer tape has come off but I'll soon fix that. And the electrolytic caps are an Elna and a Rubycon this time, both 50 volt rated which seems low to me but I guess is working just fine. No wonder they sound good. Sansui's fastidious attention to detail strikes again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mac Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Nice! That little bunch of capacitors which are not mounted in pine, but are sitting snug inside a little felt blanket appear to include some of the famed black polypropylene film U-Con capacitors that are used throughout the 907s. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mac Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 2 hours ago, Odyssey said: My first taste of Sansui and I was so surprised that I bought the AU 505 from the master technician himself. I was so eager to get the amp home that I didn't ask to listen to his room full of other gorgeous Sansui amps. Anyway, this little Sansui is making such beautiful music with my headphones - Sennheiser HD800 and Audeze LCD-2f. I've been listening to music with it all of yesterday afternoon, night and this morning. So hooked was I that I haven't even try it with my speakers yet. I have a pair of Axis LS28 and LS88 in mint condition - had them for 20 years bought them new. I've owned and used the Schiit Ragnarok and am using a made in USA, Glenn OTL amp at the moment with my headphones. I also have on order a DNA Stratus headphone amp. They are good but this Sansui surprised me with the clarity, lushness of mid-range, deep and strong bass and non fatiguing highs. It's sweet music and it's the best $350 I've spend in my head-fi journey so far. Thanks Pete ! Excellent! Glad that you like her - and yes, I realised that we didn't get a chance to listen to any of my other gear whilst you were here! Whoops! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cafad Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 (edited) 39 minutes ago, huxmut said: I wonder. Maybe they need breaking in ??? Maybe but it wrinkles my brain to think that they haven't been used for an average of about 15 hours a year since manufacture, and that's all it would take. Still, we shall see. I've got the SP-300S supplying background music while I work on the pair of 100is. I've swapped over to the ME240 and it seems like a better match for the smaller Sansui speakers than the 907 Extra was, which is strange but there you have it. 15 minutes ago, pete_mac said: Nice! That little bunch of capacitors which are not mounted in pine, but are sitting snug inside a little felt blanket appear to include some of the famed black polypropylene film U-Con capacitors that are used throughout the 907s. Cool, I was wondering about them as they don't seem to have anything printed on them. Edited March 3, 2019 by Cafad 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mac Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Cafad said: Cool, I was wondering about them as they don't seem to have anything printed on them. The U-cons are the black caps in this image Some of them can be reasonably large. Edited March 3, 2019 by pete_mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Drives my Axis LS28 very well but I was very surprised that it drove my floorstander Axis LS88 very well at only 10 o'clock level. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Then I play my 'War On Drugs' double LP vinyl. As I have an Avid MC phono preamp, I absentmindedly plug the rca cable into the phono input and obviously got some hissing sound. Switch it to the aux input and viola what music from the Rega RP8. This Sansui AU-505 is appreciating in value by the minute ! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huxmut Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Another convert... Dare we introduce the alpha series at this tender time ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 I'll have to read through this thread and see which are the alpha series. In the meantime, 70s music 'Love Over Gold' by Dire Straits for a 70s Sansui - superb. Not going to get anything done this afternoon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huxmut Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 (edited) 24 minutes ago, Odyssey said: Not going to get anything done this afternoon. Know what you mean .. This ones for Sansui77 .... Edited March 3, 2019 by huxmut 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 You still have the Au-101 despite your alpha series? Must be worth keeping. I love the 505 now and think it's nice looking besides sounding good too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huxmut Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 3 minutes ago, Odyssey said: despite your alpha A long story for another time, but I no longer have the alpha ... I do miss her, but it was the right thing to do (in my mind) But yes, I do love this little 101, I think it's better looking than my 2900 and 317 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 39 minutes ago, huxmut said: A long story for another time, but I no longer have the alpha ... I do miss her, but it was the right thing to do (in my mind) But yes, I do love this little 101, I think it's better looking than my 2900 and 317 ... I saw the picture of your 907 with the Yamaha N1000. Drool. I think I saw the same gold coloured 907 at Pete's place.... with the nice wooden panels. Well enough fantasising for me because right now I cannot believe the 505 is driving my LS88 so well with Tangerine Dream album 'Out Of This World'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huxmut Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 @pete_mac has the 907 NRA ??? Possibly even better looking (only just) than the 907 Limited ?? And if you are looking for something that fits the era, Hotel Morrison "just fits" the AU-101 nicely, I imagine it would sound exceptional on the AU-505 Something about playing period correct that seems to work very nicely on the AU-101 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mac Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 2 minutes ago, huxmut said: @pete_mac has the 907 NRA ??? Possibly even better looking (only just) than the 907 Limited ?? The 907XR is in prime position - same cosmetics as the Limited 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanpartridge Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 On 06/02/2019 at 1:34 PM, liemjerry said: I plan to buy one of 2 Sansui amps : AU - 7500 or AU - 7700 but I don't have decision yet, because audition is not possible too. From the experience of 2 amps, which is give good detail in jazz music, but not tend to harsh in high frequency? Thank you Here's a plug for mine AU7700 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLAH BLAH Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 1 hour ago, huxmut said: A long story for another time, but I no longer have the alpha ... I do miss her, but it was the right thing to do (in my mind) But yes, I do love this little 101, I think it's better looking than my 2900 and 317 ... Not going to argue with you...those little 101s magic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huxmut Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 2 minutes ago, BLAH BLAH said: those little 101s magic! Somewhat fitting that the pictures of my 101 are on page 101 of this thread. It's going to be a while before the boys with 907's get that opportunity 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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