My "New" Sansui QRX-9001 Receiver

Hi fellow forum members! As many of you have surmised, I have been a fan of the quadraphonic sound of the '70s since it came out. I recognize it's shortcomings, but perhaps in spite of them, I'm always amazed at what was able to be done back then. It was one thing to make 4-channel tape, but it was quite a technological achievement to extract 4 channels of information from a stereo record groove. Anyway, as a college student back in the mid-'70s I lusted over the Sansui QRX-9001, their flagship receiver of that era which they produced until late 1979. Recently, I had the occasion to purchase a completely restored unit from Jim at QRX Restore ( qrxrestore.com ). Check out the web site to get an idea of all that is done.

So, my unit arrived this afternoon, so I've been listening to records for the past 3 hours, and I have to say that I'm really impressed with the sound quality of this receiver. I now understand why it was so costly in the mid-70s ($1,150 in 1977 - $4,514 in today's dollars). It's truly a beautiful piece of gear. The turntable I'm using is my Technics SL-1200MK2 (KAB modded with Cardas rewire), with an Audio-Technica AT-15SS cartridge. For speakers I'm using Polk Audio RTi-100s for the front, and Polk Audio Monitor 50s for the rears. I know I'm going to enjoy the heck out of this system. Quadraphonic sound is fun! Pictures to follow.

 

BTW, this thing is heavy: 50 lbs.! Here's how it was packaged:

 

The unit itself:



Up close:

 

And installed in my listening room:

 

Very impressive Japanese design.

 

I think they pulled out all the stops for this one. It's stereo "twin" is the venerable 9090db. I've been listening all evening, and I'm really enjoying the sound of this receiver. No fatigue at all.

 

Very nice.

 

Very handsome piece!
Congratulations!

 

Hey Joe, how about an all-lit-up picture. That would be real cool!

Doug

 

It is lit up, but the flash washed it out, so I'll take another without flash and post it soon.

 

Here it is lit up. I'm sorry it's out of focus, but my camera's battery is dead and is recharging. So, I used my wife's digital camera which doesn't do too well in "low light" situations...

 

Here's a clearer shot:

 

That is beautiful!!

 

Thanks. Here it is in action. I apologize for the audio quality, the mic in my camera is no great shakes, it sounds much, much better in person:

http://vid32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/quadjoe/PA190696_zpsobmgmpza.mp4

 

What a beautiful beast!

 

I had one back in the day. I bought it from my brother who had purchased it new overseas while in the military. It sounded really nice. I lost it due to a burglary along with an Accutrac turntable.

 

What a shame. Losing your audio gear like that is a terrible experience. I remember Accutrac turntables, and they were pretty cool.

 

Absolutely beautiful.

 

Looks fantastic . That's what I call hifi.

 

You can say that again! Gorgeous!

They just had everything so right back then.

Doug

 

Simply beautiful.

Gotta' love those old 70's receivers.

 

Hey Joe, Congrats! That receiver is a beauty!!! If you ever decide to pop the hood, post a pic of the innards, I'd like to see that!
I remember lusting after the Pioneer QX-949 (I believe that was the model#) back when i was into Quad but it was out of reach for me
financially. I'm glad you were finally able to get the receiver you always wanted. It's great when that happens!!!
Enjoy!

 

Thanks! I don't know if I'll be opening the case anytime soon, but if I do I'll be sure to post a picture of it. In the meantime, here's a pic of the innards of one that I found online:



Back in 1978, one of the stereo shops in our mall, had a Pioneer QX-949 (you remembered the model # correctly) marked down but it was still out of my reach in those days. I remember thinking the scope was very cool, but while it had a good CD-4 board in it, the matrix decoders it had we're pretty basic, especially the SQ decoder. I used to love to shop in that store, and that's where I bought my Sansui G-4700 receiver (which I still have in another room).

 

Audio Porn! Wow, that looks hot!

 

Your 9001 is beautiful. Jim is currently restoring my QRX-7001 and I can't wait to get it back and start spinning all the quad records I've picked up since I sent it out for repair!