Wanting a change from my Pioneer SX-780. 70's Marantz or maybe sansui

In general I like the Pioneer but can at times sound a little ''harsh'' or ''sterile'' with my Ascend 340's. I was thinking I want something a bit warmer sounding, but still some kick. How would a Marantz 2270 sound compared to a Pioneer? I would also consider a sansui. My only criteria is that it be referbished and under 1K. Modern amps are a consideration but I need a phono input.

 

Sansui Eight

 

found this post as well from Daily Nightly:


The black front Sansuis of the early-'70s (as well as the Model "Eight") are far more nuanced in their proprietary engineering (they and Luxman *were* THE only two, "1a-vs-1b" top notch makes native to Japan...the American-branded stuff OUTSOURCED to there was NEVER as good as what, say, Marantz/Fisher/Harman-Kardon had made in the U.S. in the tube era) than what you get from the majority of the line AFTER, about, 1976 (except; in the cases, where, the "AU"/"BA"/and "G"-prefixed models continued).

One TECH weakness (due to inferior old parts) with them, though, is: the preamps in the SANSUIs had a short-lifespan AF transistor called a Hitachi "2SC458". IT LEAKS ITS SUBSTRATE OUT OF ITS CASE AND DEVELOPS A HIGH NOISE FLOOR. When its terminals turn black, THAT is a sure sign of it being failure prone. However, one is talking like: a .30-cent-each part(!). Changing them out WILL MAKE IT BETTER SOUNDING THAN WHEN THE UNIT WAS NEW(!). A same problem exists with all the Akai tape equipment of the '70s as well.

The Superscope Marantz 2270, on the other hand, is one of the most UNSTABLE and BALL-LESS vintage receivers ever made...*totally* UNdeserving of the Ebay cult getting hosed for them. Try pushing that thing to 70wpc with 4-ohm speakers and the tweeters will IGNITE! The early models (ironically, the "champagne finish" ones coveted!) had a badly designed biasing circuit noted for hard clipping. A 2230, 2235, and 2245 were the best of the moderately-powered bunch; while, the 2285 and 2325 powerhouses have better tone detail than a "monster" 2500/2600.

 

I picked up a Sansui 7070 for $125 in decent shape. Spent $275 having it restored and can tell you that it is one fine receiver. I also had a Pioneer SX-780 and I too found it a little "dry". From memory the 7070 puts out 63 WPC RMS and sounds great.

They're also fairly common as compared to the Sansui 8 (great receiver) so will be less $$$.

Good luck.

 

Best SS I heard was the Sony STR-6060FW. Problem is many tube receivers beats the Sony. I have not owned SS since about year 2000.

 

I looked at all three and went with Sansui, a 9090. It has plenty of power, great looks and a nice warm tone. I do find pioneer school to be a bit harsh and sterile, less so with the Marantz but Sansui was the winner for me.

Finding something close to 100wpc for less than $1,000 is getting hard to do unless it needs work.

 

Try this. NAD C326bee (50 watts) or C356bee (80 watts) new or used. Add the optional NAD 375 phono module that gets good reviews. The NAD amps are new enough, they do not need rebuilding for reliability. Then, buy a Sansui TU-517 tuner. The tuner will add beautiful cosmetics to your set up & it sounds very good. The set up will sound better than vintage amps.

 

My restored Sansui 2000X cost me $625. Warmth and kick. I'll never part with it. My other main receiver is a Pioneer SX-880.

 

Thanks. I have add NAD in the past and always liked them.

 

Thanks for the comments. I am leaning towards sansui. I will still keep the pioneer and use it with my large advents. The pioneer sounds great with the advents. I just don't like the pioneer with my ascend 340's.

 

Speaker matching is a pretty big deal. I was originally going to run the 9090 with a pair of paradigm studio 100 I hadn’t been using. It sounded ok but not great, a bit underwhelming to say the least. I ran them with my cornwalls and it was too much, a big sound but not balanced. I have them with a pair of dahlquist and it sounds fantastic.

 

Sansui.

 

If you search for the single digit series they go by:

Sansui Eight and/or Eight Deluxe.

 

Sansui from 3000A to 5500 era are their best sounding in the under 50 watt class. Built before excessive spec sheet design, simpler circuitry used, the old sweet sound. The 4000 is very recommended. Get a nice one.

 

Deleted

 

sansui 8 ( non deluxe) versus sansui 4000. Assuming I can't find a deluxe. Any thoughts?

 

Ok did a Google search and found this on audiokarma...

I suddenly found myself alone in the house with 3 vintage beauties: the 4000, the Eight and the integrated AU-517. None of them restored. But all fully functional, with deoxed pots. The 4000 being in pristine condition.

I decided to put them to the test - same speakers (wharfedale 8.4's) and source (Denon 2800MKII) ranging from arcustic "soft" Jack Johnson to some very dynamic salsa.

I am perfectly aware that these amps are in different classes...but hey it was sunday afternoon and the wife was miles away.

Sansui 4000: Impressive low end, punchy yet capable of portraying the most subtle bass notes. Midrange detailed but also a tad harsh too the point where it seems the engineers over-accentuated this frequency range. Highs strong but lacking delicacy (consistent with other 4000's I've heard)

Sansui Eight: Very impressive balance overall. Has the nice bass of the 4000 including a very detailed midrange but without the harshness, although it is "in your face", highs very distinct. What really impressed me the most was the transparent soundstage. Also Channel speration was dowright impressive.

AU-517: Bass very deep and articulated, midrange smooth and detailed, highs delicate. Overall very impressive and a class act. Too my surprise however, the channel seperation from this monobloc design did not match that of the Eight, nor did the transparency - but it was overall a smoother more refined experience.

So the Eigth for a dynamic detailed soundstage and the Au-517 for a higher resolute and smooter sound, but with less seperation. Now it should be noted that while the 517 is the younger brother, it did have leaky caps on both driveboards. This was not found in the other models.

The Eight is scheduled for a restoration early February. If it can attain a tad more smoothness it will be a dream piece.

 

Nice Sansui 8 on ebay for $380 or $495 BIN.

 

On my watch list.

 

The problem with the Sansui is the volume pot is sealed so getting to it is difficult.

I had the 717 which was a great amp but flaky and in the end it went in the skip. Too expensive to repair and no guarantees the issue would be solved.

This isn't the article I was thinking of but it is a restoration of the 717 which is I think the same as the 517 but with more power at 85wpc.

Sansui AU-717 Integrated Amplifier Repair & Restoration - LIQUID AUDIO

Note the volume pot, lower right under the heatsink:-



He didn't strip that down because you can't. Crackly potentiometer? Maybe Deoxit. And hope for the best. It's a Blue Alps pot too I think.

Great amp, but Onkyo's TX-NR818 was the better amp.

 

Buy only these amps if you need a lot of constant work, a lot.

 

Look up your local audio shops and find the one that carries Rega. Have a listen to their Brio-R amp. It is better sounding, has a very nice phono stage, again probably better than the vintage units, and you also get remote control and a three year warranty. Not really much more expensive than a top notch vintage unit with a rebuild.If they do have it there to listen to, take your speakers for peace of mind.
-Bill

 

What is “Ascend 340's”?

 

CMT-340 SE Mini-Tower Loudspeaker

 

One question regarding these old units is: when are they really renovated/restored to specs. My opinion is; very seldom. I have worked quite a bit with many of these older amps/receivers, renovating for others, as a hobby I had. Some are easier than others, but few are up to a reasonable standard, even if a lot of renovation has been done.