any info?

[wangotango68]

i was a family reunoin over the weekend and my uncle and i were talking about audio and he said he had a late 70's sansui digital reciever (ive seen this reciever it is 2 feet wide and a foot and a half deep) any way he thought about giving it to me cause he was done with it was moving on to a newer setup.does anybody know of these recievers? i know it has the dolby fm noise reduction circuit in it.

scott

[George Grand]

There are several Sansui rcvrs from back then that had both an analog station readout , AND a digital station readout. I have a 100wpc 7900Z driving the big Electro-Voice's in my garage rig, manufactured from 81-82. No Dolby aboard, at least not switchable. It may be built in, as I don't have the original owners manual. As you described, its about 2 ft wide.

Tiffany has a 50wpc G-4700 in her room driving KLH Model 6's. Manufactured from 80-82, it also features BOTH digital and analog station readout. It also has no observable Dolby onboard.

The 4700 has rotary knob station selecting, while the 7900 has up/down push button station selecting.

I'm thinking the 8900Z at 125wpc, or the 9900Z at 160wpc, may be the ones with Dolby aboard.

In the G series, there is the 6700@90wpc, 7700@125wpc, and 9700@160wpc.

The only other Sansui's in the Orion Blue Book I see that might be the one's, are the 220wpc G-22000 (78-80), and the 300wpc G-33000 (78-81).

The garage rcvr says digital quartz synthesizer, and Tiff's says digitally quartz locked. Take your pick.

I'll try and get some time to look through old Stereo Review and Audio's.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grand's)

[gidrah]

Dang George, I was going to come up with a standard reply about how Sansui used to make some really good stuff that sounds great, and usually had pretty high wattage. And that if he can get it, then by all means. Then you come along with a model history.

Are you sure it isn't MPX noise reduction?

[wangotango68]

nope it is fm dolby nr it is really a nice piece.

scott

[George Grand]

Thanks again Gidrah.

I used to know a guy named Mike. Met him at a used hi-fi shop about 15 yrs ago. Ended up going to his house in South Jersey. When you walked into his house, he had ABOUT 5 pieces of everything audio ever made. You had to walk sideways through the paths in the living room. There were piles of amps and preamps EVERYWHERE. I mean good stuff too. Tube Marantz (7's, 8's, 9's, and 10's), Futterman OTL's, Dynaco, McIntosh. I mean, you name it, he had several of them. His entire basement and garage were filled with exotic speakers from the 50's up.

Anyhow, this guy said Sansui tube tuners were the cats whiskers. I've never seen one. If I do, I'm jumping on it.

The Sansui stuff that I have is okay, but I have never hooked the stuff up to really revealing speakers that were positioned properly. Tiff's receiver is okay for driving the 6's to modest levels, and the big one in the garage is just fine for the garage.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grand's)

[wangotango68]

that sansui reciever of my uncles is a model 9900z.

scott

[George Grand]

Sansui 9900Z was manufactured from '81-'82. Final retail price was $1130. If it is in MINT condition, a fair selling price today would be about $100. Sad but true.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grand's)

[joelll]

hullo...

The Sansui 9900z was not equipped with dolby noise reduction, as far as I know. Sansui put "db" at the end of every model number where they put in the db circuit. However, the circuit itself is of limited usefulness (no Dolby-FM broadcast available these days, and most every quality tape deck has Dolby noise reduction onboard).

The 160wpc amplifier section is the only liquid-cooled home stereo amplifier design I've seen. The wood cabinet is actually wood-pattern vinyl over particle board, a common cost-saver from that era.

The bizarre LED "analog" tuning dial (controlled by a rotary knob) side by side with a numeric display triggers a beep-beep-beep when tuning the radio, and there's no switch to turn it off (but i'm sure a pair of wirecutters applied to the right place would take care of that problem). Oh, you do get six station presets, even though this was from the age before everything in a box had a remote control.

Oh, you get a mini-spectrum-analyzer display, but no equalizer to control the sound that it analyzes.

The volume is an analog potentiometer which should have had a nice, simple knob to control it, but since pushbuttons were so much more new-wave trendy, they put in a pair of volume control buttons that run a little electric motor that turn the internal volume pot.

But, hey, the price is right (free!), and it's a fun and interesting (and BIG) period piece from the end of the "traditional" design age. And it really should sound pretty good. I love old Sansui gear (though the receivers that I have are from the early 70s (a Model Eight and a 4000, clocking in at 80wpc and 40wpc respectively).

Take it home, go find yourself a big ol' pair of Polks from that era, like Monitor 10 or 12, and enjoy! :)


joel



p.s. The Sansui receivers that I want to add to my collection: a 9090db (lovely classic), and a G-22000 (one of the biggest receivers made ever, so big that it can split into front and back halves, tuner-preamp and 300wpc power amp). And then maybe some separates, TU-9900 tuner, CA-3000 preamp, BA-5000 amp... If only my wallet could keep up with my addiction...

[joelll]

Ooops..

Sansui's biggest classic receivers (able to split into tuner-preamp and amp sections):
G-22000 220wpc
G-33000 300wpc

[George Grand]

Joel,
You described my 7900Z to a tee. It's so nice, I use it in my garage driving Electro-Voice Marquis
horn loaded small refrigerators. 100wpc vs 160 for the 9900Z. The pair of Marquis mentioned above, came with a Sansui AU-99 integrated, and TU-99 tuner. Whole package was $60.

Sold a 9090db to a friend about 2 yrs ago. Actually, I bought that the same day I got the Kenwood DAT recorder I'm trying to sell on the Flea market. I paid $10 for it, with original box and owners manual. If I ever get my hands on it again, I will keep you in mind. I work/fly with the present owner. Same day I grabbed a Nakamichi 581Z, mint, original box, owners manual, for another $10. I figure BOTH those $10 pieces were the product of a guy who was overseas, and in the middle of a divorce. (McGuire Air Force Base Thrift Shop, the place has been a GOLDMINE for me)
The only other rational explanation is, one of our aircraft had a mid-air collision with a German Air Force transport off the African coast. It's a possibility the stuff belonged to one of the crewmembers.

I know where there is a G-22000. It's in a repair shop I stopped by the other day. It is in for repairs. The proprietor cannot reach the customer to inform him that the required parts are no longer available.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grand's)

[joelll]

A friend of mine has the 9900z, i played with it a lot as I was cleaning it up for him. I love the liquid cooling setup inside...as if Sansui was making a last gasp at engineering innovation while the company was turning onto the path to making plasticky garbage...

Nice shopping source you have for old audio gear... I usually find my stuff at the MIT electronics swapmeets, yard sales, and occasionally at used audio stores.


joel

[George Grand]

Amen to the yard sales, garage sales, and thrift shops. Sadly, the season is ending here in the northeast for yard & garage sales. Couple of used audio shops around here, but they recently changed ownership, and some of the prices are ridiculous. Shame, one of them was good for a lot of Dynaco stuff, as the first two Dynaco factories as well as the original Hafler factory were nearby.

Let me know if there's anything you are looking for. I have a ton of stuff, and only daughters. Nobody following me into this hobby. I'm letting most stuff go for what I paid for it plus shipping.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grand's)

[dbartol]

when your done with that answer could you help me with these...why is the sky blue, what's the meaning of life, what's that blue stuff at the barber shop and where's my remote? Also, I found a nickle yesterday (heads up), 1976 circa. U.S. currency, common color. It was on the side walk. For God's sake George, help me here, who...WHOSE NICKLE IS IT GEORGE???

Yours truly yours,
Hopeful in Upstate (Daring, I mean Darrin)

[George Grand]

Darrin my misguided idol,

The sky is blue, because red was already taken (by Mars, The Angry Red Planet, and we didn't want to make it any more angry than it already is).

The meaning of life, piece of cake. It is easy to see that LIFE rearranged is EIFL as in the tower. We must always strive to go higher (except in your case, where if YOU get any higher, you're gonna need a G-suit and 02). THIS is the meaning of life.

The blue stuff at the barber shop is liquid sky.

Your remote is either up in the sky, at the top of the EIFL Tower, or hiding in between the combs at the clip joint.

It's my nickle, send it to me C.O.D. por favor. Wait, I changed my mind. KEEP the nickel and send me 5 pennies. I know where there's some great old gumball machines.


I hope this helps, but I doubt it, because I don't think you can be helped. ASSISTED perhaps, but not helped. Great to hear from your world. A world UNLIKE our own.

Osama Bein' Laidout

[dbartol]

Thanks George,
Like my father always said...give a man a type writer and he'll type for a day, teach a man a type writer and, um?, teach a man to...teach...well you get the point.

Darrin

[George Grand]

Man stop bugging me! You're jamming up my concentration. I'm in the middle of teaching guys how to fish for bread.


Rye Cooder

[TroyD]

**cough**