Keep the Sansui. I was never a big fan of Yamaha. Very thin sounding. |
Ih8this1, That's a blast from the past for me!
I owned DCM Time Windows and Sansui gear back in 1976. I still have my TU-717!
I tend to agree with Yogiboy. if my memory serves me, the Sansui/DCM combo had a somewhat colored sound, and I thought that may have been a characteristic of the Windows. Have you tried other amps with your speakers? |
The AS2000 is a neutral amp. Definitely not thin sounding. |
I'm afraid that I disagree with both Yogiboy & Kennythekey. I have a vintage Yamaha CA-2010 that I think lives up to its name of "Natural Sound Amplifier". I do not find that its sound is thin at all. In fact, I need to plug one of the bass ports of my speakers to contain the bass.
Sansui vintage amplifiers are beautiful to look at - fine workmanship of the past - but they are well-known to have much richness in the mid-bass. This fact is well documented. If you like this type of sound, great for you!
I personally prefer the well-balanced sonics of the Yamaha amp. YMMV. |
I have the AS 2000. No complaints. |
Bombaywalla is kind in writing "much richness," where I wrote "colored sound" regarding the Sansui/DCM combo.
It comes down to the sound that you're after, and 70's gear (not everything) leans towards rich/colored sound when we're talking Sansui, Yamaha, etc.. I think the Yamaha SA2000 is new and aimed at the 70's sound? That's all I know about it.
I also think that if you're after "natural" sound that may be mistakingly referred to as thin, you may be disappointed in what you hear. Achieving true natural sound comes at a price, and may not be your cup of tea when listening to 70's music.
What kind of music do you listen to? |
thanks everyone for responding as regards to my music preference I do listen to a lot of classic rock but i also like the blues it just kinda depends on my mood that day anything from Hendrix to Norha Jones,Joss Stone,black keys,Adele |
I had a G8000 that was a fun match to some Pioneer 99As, but when
matched to any type of difficult load would go into protection if driven hard. The Yamaha A-S2000 is a more neutral & powerful amp. It will more
easily run more modern speaker loads, cables, ect... I ran an Empire tt 598 into the Sansui with good results & only moved on when tiring of the suspended table, & now match a VPI Traveler to the Yamaha. Both can provide hrs. of enjoyment. The Yamaha is an exceptional value..... |
I'm late but I've owned an A-S2000 for about two years and it is an amazing integrated amplifier. I use it to drive my ATC SCM40's and the sound is amazingly revealing and clean with no signs of brightness. I would caution against using it with the 2m black, however; as that is simply more cartridge than you'll need if you are using the built-in phono stage. I had that cartridge and it worked well with a separate phono stage (Pro-Ject Tube Box SE II/Rega P5) but the built-in stage was not up to the job. I would say that the built-in phono stage was very nice with the 2M Blue I tried but the Black just embarrasses the built-in stage. |
Another vote for the Yammy, how irrelevent this comment by Yogiboy, completely unfounded. |
The Yamaha MX-1(production 92-97) is one of the best budget power amps i've heard! One just sold here a few days ago. |
Keep the Sansui amps. I used to own them and could kick myself for selling them. Get a new amp is you want, but the build quailty of vintage stuff is hard to find these days. I now keep all my old stuff for my audio museum. Nice thinhgs to have on the walls under glass in your listening room.
They may now be outclassed performance wise, but they sure look good.
Cheers |
Wow
I have the Yamaha C1,UC1 and 2 B1's(being fully rebuilt as we speak)and a CR2040 and they sound great.I am not sure what those other guys are saying but alot of gear has its own house sound.
I had the Pioneer SX1280 and found the bass to be very boomy,not tight.
Speakers are a big part also,although the house sound is what it is.
So to each is there own. |
...''the build quailty of vintage stuff is hard to find these days''
Hummmm, not really. I peeked into a vintage Sansui and Pioneer amp a few weeks ago. Parts selection and soldering was on the el-cheapo side for sure. Sound was romantic and buttery-smooth, but with very little detail and a very harsh top end.
They sure are nice to look at, but that's about it.
I have found memories of my dad's Pioneer SX-525 receiver 30 years ago, with a whopping 20 watts for channel (if that) of power.
It was the best thing I had ever heard back then and it holds a special place in my Audio past. Buy today, it sure would make my ears bleed. |
I think perhaps your sample size is too small, Sonic. The 70's is known as the golden age of receivers, and rightly so. Many of the good examples from brands like Marantz, Sansui, Pioneer and Yamaha had a rich warm tone and had power of 40 to 70 watts per channel and up. At the end of the 70's there were models of up to 120 wpc.
I did some research after buying a 1968 Sansui receiver(4000) that made my jaw drop repeatedly. It is clearly superior in 2 channel than my Onkyo TX SR876. I still can't believe it. Far better imaging and soundstage with better bass. I've never heard my Paradigm Monitor 7's with so much bass, and the Sansui is only rated at 45 wpc. Way better tuner as well. |
Runnin...I have owned many of those '70s units over the years. The units I referred to in my previous post were just two exemples, and they do representent a good yardstick to measure by.
There are exceptions to every rule of course, such as a few Yamaha machines - In fact Yamaha strived for neutrality and had a very pleasant sound. But still, ''the golden age of receivers'' have but a romantic ring to it only, at least for me.
I've always said that I would prefer hearing Frank Sinatra (or the Beatles) over a boombox than Kenny G coming reproduced by $ 200,000 system.
Same goes for '70's receivers. Give me the Steve Miller Band playing Fly like an Eagle through a mid '70s Yamaha with Century 100 JBL's any day. But that's about it. |
