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Picked up a Sansui TU-9900!

98.203.184.62
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 17:12:29
popsy
Audiophile

Posts: 1238
Location: seattle
Joined: March 4, 2007
 Just picked up one of these for a trade for some tubes. Pretty big and heavy unit! Will be interesting to see how it does sound wise against my Scott 350B. The Sansui is suppose to be a great DX'er so that will be fun to try out also...

Also will need to read the manual as it has all kinds of buttons and switches and jacks in the back.....:)

Come to the Darkside. We have cookies.

 

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RE: Picked up a Sansui TU-9900!, posted on March 1, 2011 at 15:04:32
Marantzguy
Industry Professional

Posts: 2820
Location: Berkeley, CA
Joined: June 21, 2002
 Hi, popsy:

I still own a TU-9900. I hope that the illumination on your unit is working properly, but even if lamps have burned out, you can sub miniature incandescants.

This is a great sounding tuner. It is not complicated to operate, but just ignore the Dolby FM option, since broadcasters abandoned that format many years ago. Note that there is genuine glass in that front panel dial and that the entire front panel is made of a piece of heavy extruded anodized aluminum.

The construction quality is quite exemplary, to say the least, typical of most Sansui products of the late seventies.

Years ago, I picked up one of my TU-9900's in a flea market for $12. The one I still own cost me perhaps $30. I sold the first unit and kept the other one, purely for the fun of ownership.

Enjoy yours!

Richard Links
Berkeley, CA

 

RE: Picked up a Sansui TU-9900!, posted on March 2, 2011 at 09:34:40
Nglazer
Audiophile

Posts: 301
Location: New york
Joined: June 22, 2003
 Funny, I just did too. It is on the way to be modded before I debut it at home.

I have two modded 919's by different modders and both have told me a properly aligned and modded 9900 will outperform the 919, which would be quite an accomplishment because I love the 919's! Sound my better than my prior Mac MR80, which I thought was outstanding.

Will report further as I will do a side-by-side comparo when I get the 9900 back.

Neal

 

RE: Picked up a Sansui TU-9900!, posted on March 2, 2011 at 10:45:09
Neff


 
I modded a Rotel RRT-950BX thus I am on the dark side tuner wise.

 

Congratulations!, posted on March 5, 2011 at 18:05:13
1973shovel
Audiophile

Posts: 4671
Location: Greenville SC
Joined: February 25, 2007
Contributor
  Since: June 17, 2009
 Sansui was never a favorite of mine, years ago. Don't take that the wrong way. It stems from my mid-fi days, back in the early 1970's, when Marantz, Pioneer, and Sansui ruled the roost. Everyone had their favorites, mostly based on looks. What did high school kids know about circuits? I was in the Marantz camp.

Would I take that Sansui TU-9900 now? You bet! Quality like that is hard to beat.

Congratulations again. I hope you enjoy it and keep us posted on how you like it.

~~~~

 

Good news/bad news..., posted on March 5, 2011 at 18:51:21
popsy
Audiophile

Posts: 1238
Location: seattle
Joined: March 4, 2007
 Good news is that this machine in incredible, especially in pulling in those far far away stations! Bad news is that because it so good my recently arrived, aligned and modded by Terry Dewick Scott 350B tuner with nice wood cabinet needs to go :( While it sounds fantabulous it just does not pull in the stations like the Sansui does. Of course living between an air force base on one side and an army base on the other does nothing good for tuners!
Come to the Darkside. We have cookies.

 

Just as not having a good antenna can do nothing good for a tuner, posted on March 6, 2011 at 02:14:17
Timbo in Oz
Audiophile

Posts: 14980
Location: Canberra - in the ACT - SE Australia
Joined: January 30, 2002
 Even that top Sansui can not reject multipath.

Further, out of band overload of an FM tuner's front end is very likely with two such military bases nearby.

JBTW valve front ends are intrinsically far better at rejecting / ignoring strong out-of-band signals, not that SS tuners can't be / aren't filtered.

A better, directional antenna, would be the next step, as I've put to you before.

A tuner is just one part of a 'radio receiving system', the antenna is the other vital part. It has to be suitable for the job it faces wherever you are.










Warmest

Timothy Bailey

The Skyptical Mensurer and Audio Scrounger

And gladly would he learn and gladly teach - Chaucer. ;-)!

'Still not saluting.'

 

What Tim said..............., posted on March 13, 2011 at 08:51:58
Cleantimestream
Audiophile

Posts: 5653
Location: Kentucky
Joined: June 30, 2005
 Furthermore, the aerial would allow Popsy to discern if the Scott SOUNDED superior to the Slamsui. {Tim} you have always stressed this point and when I upgraded to a highly directional {I live in the hills of Kentucky}the results astounded me. I still don't understand receiving FM 90 miles away when I read years ago 60 miles was the limit.
The Mind has No Firewall~ U.S. Army War College.

 

RE: Picked up a Sansui TU-9900!, posted on July 16, 2012 at 07:34:41
Springbok10


 
Can you tell me who modded your 919s, please? I just bought one and it sounds leaner than my modded 9900. It sounds leaner than my Accuphase 101, too. I think I need it upgraded.

 

RE: Good news/bad news...and a secret, posted on July 16, 2012 at 08:05:38
Neff


 
The trick tuners are not tubed Scott. The hot tuners that sound better than Scott tube type stereo tuners is the Scott LT-112B or 312C. These are solid-state tuners. These SS Scott are not quite up to the sensitive reception of the Sansui, but better than tube stereo tuners and many other SS tuners. The Scott multiplexer is quieter than the Sansui & most newer SS tuners.

 

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