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My new Sansui find!....AU717

96.41.81.214
Posted on April 17, 2017 at 09:52:15
TWB
Audiophile

Posts: 7408
Location: Long Beach, California
Joined: January 5, 2001
 A Sansui integrated amp.... I think it is 100 x 2? Not sure... It's a beast to be certain! This guy is selling it for $400. Unfortunately it does not have the vintage esthetic of the Sansui 5000x. I like the kind of "McIntosh look" of those units... Any thoughts?

 

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RE: My new Sansui find!....AU717, posted on April 17, 2017 at 12:37:27
airtime
Audiophile

Posts: 11287
Location: Arizona
Joined: February 4, 2003
 I had that amp, not bad but it does need a refreshing of caps and a good cleaning.

I found the larger Sansui's to have a nice mellow sound. Pair them up with the right speakers and you're in audio heaven!

 

RE: My new Sansui find!....AU717, posted on April 17, 2017 at 16:49:09
merdy
Audiophile

Posts: 1625
Location: New paltz,ny
Joined: July 25, 2001
 My dad got that in 78 after his fisher 500 died ,as us kids blasted zeppelin and Floyd 8 times a day.,
They were hooked up to initially jbl l 100 and they rocked ,
About 2 years ago I got a qr 5000 and realized what amazing amps sansui made ,please tell us what speaker you would use,
I used mine with some bozak and Frazier till I sold it
Silence is golden duct tape is silver

 

RE: My new Sansui find!....AU717, posted on April 17, 2017 at 19:52:50
Al Nico
Audiophile

Posts: 2094
Joined: December 27, 2003
 I replaced more output transistors in Sansui 5000's than any other receivers. Motorola HEP707 as I recall.

 

RE: My new Sansui find!....AU717, posted on April 18, 2017 at 07:02:32
mark.korda@myfairpoint.net
Audiophile

Posts: 1253
Location: Maine
Joined: August 16, 2011
 Hi TWB,
I can't really judge my older Sansui integrated amp I had in 1976 because cd's had not arrived yet and I was using a BIC 960 turhtable with the lowest cost Grado of the day. All I can remember were the great times it provided in my first apartment with much less worry about white glove treatment that I have morphed into today.
You mentioned the look, a McIntosh like look. The faceplate was this beautiful black almost bakelite with the lettering etched so that it would last forever.
The switches were the best! Compared to pushing a rocker switch like I had on my Dyna SCA-80Q integrated which came a little later in my life, the Sansui's switches were like pushing the switch to launch a Saturn 5 rocket which of course I see all the time? Those switches had to cost some bucks.
That Sansui changed my mind then about Japanese build quality as I had grown up with the idea that a small Japanese transistor radio was the poster child for cheapness. Boy has that changed.
The Sansui was built like a tank and had a beauty all it's own. As I type there is a Sansui 212 turntable I found recently on Craigs list for 30 dollars. I've never seen a new Rega except in pictures but I bet this table might match one in build quality.....Until I discovered tubes and Dynaco, the black faced Sansui's were my McIntosh's....Mark Korda

 

AU717 - a sleeper,, posted on April 18, 2017 at 09:47:43
M3 lover
Audiophile

Posts: 6604
Location: SW Mich
Joined: May 29, 2005
Contributor
  Since: July 4, 2007
 at least with the right speakers.

In the late '70s I was out of work and had to down-size my system. I'd read positive comments in British mags about the AU-717 so bought one from a local discount house (another story in itself). I matched that with a pair of used Magnepans and could not believe how great it all sounded.

I do agree the cosmetics were not up to the standard of earlier Sansui products. Later I had their 9900 tuner which did resemble the Mac look.

I've not followed pricing but $400 seems high unless it has been updated by a good tech. Old electrolytics need replacing at the very least.

"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing, if you can fake that you've got it made." Groucho

 

RE: AU717 - a sleeper,, posted on April 18, 2017 at 11:09:28
TWB
Audiophile

Posts: 7408
Location: Long Beach, California
Joined: January 5, 2001
 How would I find out a reasonable price? The owner says he is the second owner and will go through it and throughly clean it... I was thinking around $300. was closer to the mark...

 

not a sleeper at all -- check the prices!, posted on April 19, 2017 at 18:20:49
mhardy6647
Audiophile

Posts: 16018
Location: New England
Joined: October 12, 1999
Contributor
  Since: October 23, 2016
 It's no secret that the AU-717 was a pretty darned nice (not to mention attractive & well built) integrated amplifier.

The ONLY reason there isn't one here is that I've never found one, in any condition, that wasn't expensive.

No sleepers these.

scan0004a
scan0005a
all the best,
mrh

 

RE: AU717 - a sleeper,, posted on April 19, 2017 at 20:07:44
MannyE
Audiophile

Posts: 2088
Location: Miami Beach
Joined: March 4, 2001
 I would say that's a good price because "going through and cleaning" isn't going to fix components that are out of spec and you're going to spend another 3 to 500 to have a good tech really "go through, measure and set the bias, etc". Then you will have a superior integrated!

 

I have a Sansui AU717, and I read on the asylum that one had to watch , posted on April 20, 2017 at 20:33:39
alaskahiatt
Audiophile

Posts: 7508
Joined: December 9, 2000
Contributor
  Since: November 1, 2005
 out for PCBs that were contaminated by the glue used to secure the capacitors. My unit has just this problem, and I understand that it takes some careful hard effort to clean up the boards. Of course, I have never gotten around to doing all this, but here is a good link about it.

 

RE: not a sleeper at all -- check the prices!, posted on April 22, 2017 at 15:54:18
Crazy Dave
Audiophile

Posts: 14371
Location: East Coast
Joined: October 4, 2001
 Those tuners were nice too!

Dave

 

RE: AU717 - a sleeper,, posted on April 25, 2017 at 02:12:46
akolegov
Audiophile

Posts: 979
Location: Russia
Joined: July 1, 2010
 Judging by the AU-517 that I have, the AU-717 should be a very musical, lively and dynamic amp.

My AU-517 does everything a tube amp should do, but sounds more involving.

 

RE: My new Sansui find!....AU717, posted on May 23, 2017 at 16:21:58
BeatleFred
Audiophile

Posts: 27
Joined: August 1, 2000
 The AU-717 is 85 Watts, and a very popular Sansui model when introduced in 1977. Better build quality than its follow-up model, AU-719, in 1979, though the bigger AU-919 is an awesome amp. Looks even better with rack handles and a Sansui GX-5 rack. Matching TU-717 is awesome too. The circuit board glue is a well-known issue, but it can be taken care of, with some upgrades of the components inside, can operate better than new.

 

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