Ive been wanting an AU717 for a few years now. They were selling for 400-500 back then. I felt that was too expensive. Now they sell for 600-700. Theres only one for sale on the local CL, and he wants $700.
It seems way too high a price for a unit that will need $250+ of capacitors, given its age.
Opinions?
Are there other dual-mono units that are as good, or better without the popularity markup?
I recently picked up a Mitsubishi DA-A30 dual mono power amp, on the cheap. I think it sounds pretty good.
Is the sansui really $600 better than the mitsubishi?
It seems way too high a price for a unit that will need $250+ of capacitors, given its age.
Opinions?
Are there other dual-mono units that are as good, or better without the popularity markup?
I recently picked up a Mitsubishi DA-A30 dual mono power amp, on the cheap. I think it sounds pretty good.
Is the sansui really $600 better than the mitsubishi?
The Sansui AU717 is very good. It was (well, some might debate this though) state of the art and one of the most powerful integrated amplifiers of the time. It's built like a tank and it sounds excellent. 250$ for the capacitors seems way too high, I think you'll more likely spend 70-150 bucks for them if you don't buy hype brand but still good brand capacitors.
For the comparison with the Mitsubishi DA-A30: It got 'only' 75% of the power, it does not have a preamp in it, it got a 'bad' (unpopular) brand, weights 30% less (20 vs. 14kg, which translates in weaker (but still stable) transformator and less solid but still good build quality) and no DC coupling. Which of each of these things is really just on paper or actually an advantage for you is up to you.
In my experience the Mitsubishi is above average to listen to and is just an -more or less- average power amplifier. The Sansui sounds excellent, much better resolution, got pre out/main in plugs, so it's really universally usable. I'd personally prefer the Sansui pretty much sound and looks wise and since most sees it the same, that reflects on the price. 700 seems a bit steep though, 500-600 would be fine by me but that also depends on the condition it's in, 100 bucks for the Mitsubishi seems a bit low though.
There's something you should know though: Both don't like low impedances, like a lot of amps of that time. They are rated 8 Ohm and while they got plenty of power, low impedance speakers and high power demand will demand sacrifices sooner or later. If you got low impedance speakers, I would not suggest to use them with either of these amps. And no, the '8 Ohm' label of the speakers does NOT mean you're safe. They won't burn up to a crisp that quickly but they are not build for high current. I have to repeat, if you got speakers with an impedance dip down to 3,5 Ohm (like most of the 4 Ohm and waaay too many 8 Ohm speakers have), don't use them with high power/volume for more than just a short period of time.
For the comparison with the Mitsubishi DA-A30: It got 'only' 75% of the power, it does not have a preamp in it, it got a 'bad' (unpopular) brand, weights 30% less (20 vs. 14kg, which translates in weaker (but still stable) transformator and less solid but still good build quality) and no DC coupling. Which of each of these things is really just on paper or actually an advantage for you is up to you.
In my experience the Mitsubishi is above average to listen to and is just an -more or less- average power amplifier. The Sansui sounds excellent, much better resolution, got pre out/main in plugs, so it's really universally usable. I'd personally prefer the Sansui pretty much sound and looks wise and since most sees it the same, that reflects on the price. 700 seems a bit steep though, 500-600 would be fine by me but that also depends on the condition it's in, 100 bucks for the Mitsubishi seems a bit low though.
There's something you should know though: Both don't like low impedances, like a lot of amps of that time. They are rated 8 Ohm and while they got plenty of power, low impedance speakers and high power demand will demand sacrifices sooner or later. If you got low impedance speakers, I would not suggest to use them with either of these amps. And no, the '8 Ohm' label of the speakers does NOT mean you're safe. They won't burn up to a crisp that quickly but they are not build for high current. I have to repeat, if you got speakers with an impedance dip down to 3,5 Ohm (like most of the 4 Ohm and waaay too many 8 Ohm speakers have), don't use them with high power/volume for more than just a short period of time.
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Thanks for the input, ICG.
I think your're right about the cost of capacitors not being as high as I stated.
I was basing that on what I spent to replace all the electrolytics in my Sansui G6700. That one is a complete receiver while the AU is an integrated, so it probably has fewer caps. The G6700 has tons of 'lytics in it. I don't use boutique caps either, just Nichicons rated at 105C. I'll use the more expensive "audio" gold nichicon 'lytics only when they are directly in the signal path. Otherwise I use the less expensive black ones. I order everything from Digikey, but it still adds up fast.
The Mitsubishi I got really cheap locally on CL. The seller was asking double what I paid, but he took my offer since like you mentioned, it's not a popular amp. It does have DC coupling on the inputs though! My real problem with it is transformer hum, it's louder than any amp I've owned. The outputs are almost dead silent, much quieter than my G6700 and almost as quiet as my class-a PP tube amp. The xformer hum on the DA-A30 can be heard 5 feet away in a very quiet room. It's a deal breaker for me. Idle and offset are well in spec, too.
I'm not really sure about the actual impedance of my speakers. I currently run a pair of Klipsch Forte IIs. I've read they drop to about 3.5 to 4 Ohms at 100 -200Hz. Are these a less-than-ideal match for the AU717?
I think your're right about the cost of capacitors not being as high as I stated.
I was basing that on what I spent to replace all the electrolytics in my Sansui G6700. That one is a complete receiver while the AU is an integrated, so it probably has fewer caps. The G6700 has tons of 'lytics in it. I don't use boutique caps either, just Nichicons rated at 105C. I'll use the more expensive "audio" gold nichicon 'lytics only when they are directly in the signal path. Otherwise I use the less expensive black ones. I order everything from Digikey, but it still adds up fast.
The Mitsubishi I got really cheap locally on CL. The seller was asking double what I paid, but he took my offer since like you mentioned, it's not a popular amp. It does have DC coupling on the inputs though! My real problem with it is transformer hum, it's louder than any amp I've owned. The outputs are almost dead silent, much quieter than my G6700 and almost as quiet as my class-a PP tube amp. The xformer hum on the DA-A30 can be heard 5 feet away in a very quiet room. It's a deal breaker for me. Idle and offset are well in spec, too.
I'm not really sure about the actual impedance of my speakers. I currently run a pair of Klipsch Forte IIs. I've read they drop to about 3.5 to 4 Ohms at 100 -200Hz. Are these a less-than-ideal match for the AU717?
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