Sansui AU 217

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Hello friends,
i am decided to buy Sansui AU 217 vintage amp. Any reviews about this amp?
 
Firstly, please check what is the condition, cosmetic & working - both as plenty of sansui and other old makes available through various channels (dealers/individuals) but 95% are either in as is where is or not worth buying due to lots of issues. Get it checked by a competent technician who will give you status of what needs to be done to make it sound as desired. Next is price, as now a days all asking for unreasonable prices for these old makes. Ultimately, 9/10 times it is not worth the effort to buy these old amps as you will spend more time getting it in shape than actually listening to music. Suggest you keep the above factors in mind before deciding to buy or rather go for something new to begin with if you are not well versed with electronics. Best of luck!
 
Yea, this is very true. People do a search on ebay and then price. This is not realistic. When pricing used amplifiers, always factor a round of recapping. Also cosmetics are very important, if this is bad, then the price falls by a greater margin. On the other side, it its something rare and you must have it, then price obviously is not a consideration :)

Performance wise, Sansui made some great amps back in the day, personally i would have gone for the NAD 3020 instead. The beauty of this amp is it still sounds really good.
 
Quite a few vintage amps, especially the likes of Sansui AU series doing rounds among re-sellers and being sold at exotic prices. Be wary before buying.
I doubt after so many years, if they will still be in original condition. Be wary before buying. Anything above 5k would be a luxury for that amp
 
Quite a few vintage amps, especially the likes of Sansui AU series doing rounds among re-sellers and being sold at exotic prices. Be wary before buying.
I doubt after so many years, if they will still be in original condition. Be wary before buying. Anything above 5k would be a luxury for that amp
Yes Very much abused ones, I got an Au series from a user (not reseller) at under 15k, in pristine condition ; well maintained with original Box and Manual , its slightly recent with Torroidal transformer and Banana Plugs, Sounds pretty well with my Rig. Model Number is Au-x9500 ( I couldn't find much info).
For vintage amps, I check with Headphones if it has a Socket , and if there's no Distortion or channel mismatch , I consider buying.
Once I was told that, Au= Gold series Components , Better quality , usually last long.
 
A friend of mine bought a used AU317 from Delhi. The seller who claimed to be a devotee audiophile convineitly forget to mention anything about amp having issues. My friend lives in a town nearby Delhi so he had to go to Delhi everytime the amp developed issues. After having made multiple trips to multiple technicians, he was finally told by an old tech that it can't be fixed. It needed major PCB swaps, the tracks of many PCBs had corroded so no recapping or no fixing.

Stuck with something which plays too good to throw but is moody. At times won't play music at all. Don't buy without very through and prolonged listening.
 
For vintage amps, I check with Headphones if it has a Socket , and if there's no Distortion or channel mismatch , I consider buying.
Once I was told that, Au= Gold series Components , Better quality , usually last long.

Good idea to test with Headphones before buying. Thanks.
 
Thanks for the advice. What about the sound quality of sansui au 217
Hard to say unless someone who has heard it can comment.

I have heard Sansui's of the same Japanese pedigree company of 3 eras. The late 60's, early 70's and late 70's to early 80s when the revered Alpha series was launched when Sansui again unsuccessfully tried to capture the market..

The 217 was they basic model from the post 1977 era and should be comparable to the entry level branded amps of today. It wi;; still have a bit of the famous Sansui warmth in the mids but will be a little more on the clinical side.
 
There is one au 217 for sale on the forum.The owner is a gentleman.Buy from him.At 15 K the amp is steal.I controlled myself as I have AU 317 and AU 555 with me.
I have Parasound 2.1 and Jolida 1501 but 90 percent of my use is these sansui one.
AU 555 as Preamp and au 317 as power amp.
JBL 321 Bee speakers.
Sound fantabulus.

You prefer the 217 above the Jolida hybrid...........different people, different tastes.
317 and au 555
 
A friend of mine bought a used AU317 from Delhi. The seller who claimed to be a devotee audiophile convineitly forget to mention anything about amp having issues. My friend lives in a town nearby Delhi so he had to go to Delhi everytime the amp developed issues. After having made multiple trips to multiple technicians, he was finally told by an old tech that it can't be fixed. It needed major PCB swaps, the tracks of many PCBs had corroded so no recapping or no fixing.

Stuck with something which plays too good to throw but is moody. At times won't play music at all. Don't buy without very through and prolonged listening.
Trust me : Vintage audiophiles contact him for repair or service with best repair solutions: Davinder Singh, Address: WZ-H-81, Sant Nagar Extn, Tilak Nagar New Delhi 110018, 9818995322.
He is one of the well-known technicians in New delhi for vintage devices. Many dealers across India send vintage amplifiers for repairs or service to him. AKA : Disk electronics : Davinder Singh , 9818995322
 
Trust me : Vintage audiophiles contact him for repair or service with best repair solutions: Davinder Singh, Address: WZ-H-81, Sant Nagar Extn, Tilak Nagar New Delhi 110018, 9818995322.
He is one of the well-known technicians in New delhi for vintage devices. Many dealers across India send vintage amplifiers for repairs or service to him. AKA : Disk electronics : Davinder Singh , 9818995322

Well I did some R&D on my own and tracked the fault to following

1. By separating preamp and power amp found that output of preamp had DC that going all the places, triggering protection circuit.
2. Preamp PCB had lifted traces. Glues the buggers back in.
3. 2 faulty transistors were replaced
4. Many caps replaced.

so far so good. Will create a thread when able to completely fix it.
 
Thanks for the advice. What about the sound quality of sansui au 217
@kvijay.svg ,

keep in mind the 217 usually has tons of glue holding parts in place. You will need to remove that glue, since it becomes conductive over time.
As for the SQ, stock they are OK, but not great. If you add some bypass caps to these units, they really come to life. Very listenable amp.
Somewhere I have photos on the units I upgraded. One of my favorite lower powered SS amps from that era.
 
@kvijay.svg ,

keep in mind the 217 usually has tons of glue holding parts in place. You will need to remove that glue, since it becomes conductive over time.
As for the SQ, stock they are OK, but not great. If you add some bypass caps to these units, they really come to life. Very listenable amp.
Somewhere I have photos on the units I upgraded. One of my favorite lower powered SS amps from that era.
Could you please elaborate the position where one meeds to add by pass caps.

Regards
 
Have an untouched AU217 which I would love to have serviced and recapped if required. Any pointers to a technician who could do the same.
It runs fine and sounds warm.
 
A beautiful, well-constructed speaker with class-leading soundstage, imaging and bass that is fast, deep, and precise.
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