Sansui AU-717 needs repair - advice needed.

[DanMorgan]

I will be asking a lot of newbie questions for a while until I learn. Please be patient with me.

1. My Sansui amp is rated at 85 watts per channel. (When it worked) it seemed much louder than that rating. Was it because of the quality of the amp? I later had a Sony tuner/amp that had a higher wattage rating, but was not nearly as loud.

Why?

2. The Sansui amp has some problems. It started popping when you'd adjust the volume. I was able to temporarily fix it with electronic contact cleaner. That quit working. Now (if memory serves) it has totally dropped a channel. I will dust it off and document all the problems soon.

Where do I start?

--
Dan

[Coconuts 500]

1. It is often believed that "build quality" is relevant to this, but it is not. 85 watts are 85 watts. The amps were designed differently. When you say another amp wasn't nearly as loud - did you actually use both at the maximum possible volume? The position of the volume knob is irrelevant. It could be a difference in input sensitivity, or how the volume pot worked, etc. 85 watts. I don't think that you've actually "used" all of the power it outputs - it is a lot. I recently discovered that I only use about 0,01 watts on normal listening levels. This of course depends on your speaker sensitivity and room size, etc.

Try this out, and see for yourself:

A Test. How much Voltage (power) do your speakers need?

2. Sounds like defective transistors in the pre-amplifier. Can it be separated? Try using another pre-amp and see if the problem persists.

[Damqik]

The Sansui AU-717 is a very well built Amp with Dual power supplies and huge heat-sinks I'm not at all surprised it has more grunt than a higher powered most likely STK chipped Sony intergrated Amp!

I really think you get the Sansui restored to a like new condition it will be well worth the effort, one of my biggest regrets is letting go of one some many years ago after it faulted!

An Amp of this age will need a full re cap, but start by getting it going first.

Start by checking the obvious things fuses etc, then check for voltages using the good channel as a reference see how you go.

[snhaqua]

contact snhaqua@hotmail.com
for further detail about sansui au-717

[sakis]

Originally Posted by snhaqua

contact snhaqua@hotmail.com
for further detail about sansui au-717

That sounds very helpful and also very promising for others to read and learn ...

[sakis]

Originally Posted by DanMorgan

I will be asking a lot of newbie questions for a while until I learn. Please be patient with me.

1. My Sansui amp is rated at 85 watts per channel. (When it worked) it seemed much louder than that rating. Was it because of the quality of the amp? I later had a Sony tuner/amp that had a higher wattage rating, but was not nearly as loud.

Why?

2. The Sansui amp has some problems. It started popping when you'd adjust the volume. I was able to temporarily fix it with electronic contact cleaner. That quit working. Now (if memory serves) it has totally dropped a channel. I will dust it off and document all the problems soon.

Where do I start?

--
Dan

when a sansui of that era is rated at 85 w if you measure you will probably find that the rating is very accurate now if the systems you listen too before that was rated 150W but actually was 20 then yes the 85 watt of the sansui will be club sound .

Now in >25 years machine expect a number of problems not just only one ... to be able to restore it since this is what is needed and not just a simple repair you either need to have skills and tools or the ability to follow precise instructions and procedure

kind regards

sakis