[denox]

Thanks for your input.
I did another another ear session this morning, still I preferred SA-8100 sound signature over au-7500, after switching back and fort over few songs, Zach voice on Take The Power Back from RATM sealed the deal.
I have put Sansui on local NYC CL and FB marketplace, hopefully someone snatch it soon and I can move on to next integrated.
I will definitely consider 505 on my next list to try.

https://imgur.com/gallery/yWQSdOf
https://imgur.com/gallery/Ms5tCkg

Haven't powered up the La Figaro 339 for a while so it's now next to the Sansui AU-505 for a direct comparison. Tubes on the 339 were the Mullard EF86 and Svetlana 6H13C. I could have use my GEC 6as7g for power tubes but I'm done with swapping tubes. Done too much of that.

The real surprise here is I prefer the sound of the Sansui over the La Figaro. It's more open from mids to the top end and the 505 has a very nice deep bass that is not too pronounced. La Figaro on the other hand sounded more focused (close in) in the mids and have a 'thinner' sound compared to the Sansui. Which is a surprise because before the Sansui arrived, I had always thought that the LF 339 sounded wide and open.

I find the Sansui AU-505 more 'musical' and prefer listening to it. At this stage of my head-fi journey, I've heard and owned some great gear in the Glenn OTL, Woo Audio WA5LE, Schiit Ragnarok, Feliks Audio Euforia and the La Figaro 339. However this recapped $350 Sansui AU-505 is a little 'gem' that has me listening to all my music again all week. When it's daylight, it will go out to the lounge for me to try it out with the big speakers again.

So @denox, I do like the Sansui AU-505 very much and it's a tiny fraction of a cost compared to the other amps I've tried (and that includes the Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP - owned this in the past).

 

[UntilThen]

I'm almost tempted to buy the AU-7500 but the next Sansui will probably be the x701 or a 907.

Both those 2 amps are in very good condition from the photos and both are very nice looking vintage amps. You should have no problem selling the Sansui.

As everyone have their own preference, you did the right thing. Keep the one you prefer, based on sound.

 

[richard51]

Haven't powered up the La Figaro 339 for a while so it's now next to the Sansui AU-505 for a direct comparison. Tubes on the 339 were the Mullard EF86 and Svetlana 6H13C. I could have use my GEC 6as7g for power tubes but I'm done with swapping tubes. Done too much of that.

The real surprise here is I prefer the sound of the Sansui over the La Figaro. It's more open from mids to the top end and the 505 has a very nice deep bass that is not too pronounced. La Figaro on the other hand sounded more focused (close in) in the mids and have a 'thinner' sound compared to the Sansui. Which is a surprise because before the Sansui arrived, I had always thought that the LF 339 sounded wide and open.

I find the Sansui AU-505 more 'musical' and prefer listening to it. At this stage of my head-fi journey, I've heard and owned some great gear in the Glenn OTL, Woo Audio WA5LE, Schiit Ragnarok, Feliks Audio Euforia and the La Figaro 339. However this recapped $350 Sansui AU-505 is a little 'gem' that has me listening to all my music again all week. When it's daylight, it will go out to the lounge for me to try it out with the big speakers again.

So @denox, I do like the Sansui AU-505 very much and it's a tiny fraction of a cost compared to the other amps I've tried (and that includes the Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP - owned this in the past).

What a testimony! These varieties of experience with some other very good gear confirm my experience with my Sansui...Thanks very much for these impressions that speak volume...At least to us vintage afficionados...

 

[kid vic]

Haven't powered up the La Figaro 339 for a while so it's now next to the Sansui AU-505 for a direct comparison. Tubes on the 339 were the Mullard EF86 and Svetlana 6H13C. I could have use my GEC 6as7g for power tubes but I'm done with swapping tubes. Done too much of that.

The real surprise here is I prefer the sound of the Sansui over the La Figaro. It's more open from mids to the top end and the 505 has a very nice deep bass that is not too pronounced. La Figaro on the other hand sounded more focused (close in) in the mids and have a 'thinner' sound compared to the Sansui. Which is a surprise because before the Sansui arrived, I had always thought that the LF 339 sounded wide and open.

I find the Sansui AU-505 more 'musical' and prefer listening to it. At this stage of my head-fi journey, I've heard and owned some great gear in the Glenn OTL, Woo Audio WA5LE, Schiit Ragnarok, Feliks Audio Euforia and the La Figaro 339. However this recapped $350 Sansui AU-505 is a little 'gem' that has me listening to all my music again all week. When it's daylight, it will go out to the lounge for me to try it out with the big speakers again.

So @denox, I do like the Sansui AU-505 very much and it's a tiny fraction of a cost compared to the other amps I've tried (and that includes the Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP - owned this in the past).

Thats how it seems to be, no matter how good a headphone amp is, regardless of the price a vintage integrated is as good or better and oftentimes cheaper!

 

[KG Jag]

One thing you don't get with vintage is a balanced output--at least not from the headphone jack.

 

[kid vic]

One thing you don't get with vintage is a balanced output--at least not from the headphone jack.

You'll get enough power out off the headphone jacket and if you need more than that theres always the speaker taps...

 

[UntilThen]

One thing you don't get with vintage is a balanced output--at least not from the headphone jack.

I've owned Yggdrasil and Ragnarok in the past. Yggdrasil is still with me. I've sold off my brand new Ragnarok. Both my HD800 and LCD-2f have balanced xlr cables and in this setup, it is very good.

However the Sansui AU-505 with 1/4 inch jack sounds better with those same headphones to my ears. I don't miss the balance output. The AU-505 with the headphone out drives those headphones with authority and power galore. Just be careful not to turn the volume up too much.

 

[UntilThen]

You'll get enough power out off the headphone jacket and if you need more than that theres always the speaker taps...

You were faster with your response than I could post. I agree completely. The headphone out is so powerful. I don't see how I could need the speaker taps unless I have a HE-6.

 

[UntilThen]

What a testimony! These varieties of experience with some other very good gear confirm my experience with my Sansui...Thanks very much for these impressions that speak volume...At least to us vintage afficionados...

Just feel a bit sheepish to have stumbled on vintage amps after 3 intense years in head-fi (and spending a lot on headphone amps both ss and tube amps) but it's not too late.

 

[KG Jag]

Not knocking the sound of vintage amps or my silver faced top of the line or nearly so Sansui and Sony receivers. Nevertheless my experience with my best headphones (e.g. HE-6 & similar Focal & Senn HD 800 flavors) is that they perform best from balanced in and especially balanced out from my Cavalli & Auralic dedicated headphone amps.

Speaker taps certainly deliver the power, but it's a bit like playing with nitro.

 

[richard51]

Speaker taps certainly deliver the power, but it's a bit like playing with nitro.

I try the speaker taps of My Sansui Au 7700 with my hifiman he 400.. But the headphone out was so good that it seems preposterous to going on with the speakers out and the less volume flexibility+ the possibility of explosive error in volume adjustment...The sound coming from the headphone out was the sound of the amp,minus some resistance,then more than good for me and like some testimonies here confirm that,better it seems than many headphone amplifier...

The best solution, if I had money, would be to drive the amplifier not from the electrical grid of my house(already cleaned tough) but to buy some big lithium battery and connect the amplifier to it, with some other cleaning solutions applied to the battery, this out of the grid solution will transform the amplifier and would put it to another level...But the price will be more than 1000 bucks, too much for me...Luckily my electrical grid is cleaned...But I think battery+cleaning method would be better.... My dac is driven with lithium battery and it induce a lower noise floor and that is astounding difference compared to a transformer connected to the wall even cleaned...

Then the greatest upgrade is always: use a clean electrical grid or better than that go off the electrical house grid with a battery and clean the audio grid also....You will listen after that to the true quality potential of your amplifier or dac, this is THE UPGRADE, especially if you had already good dac and amplifier... But generally instead of thinking, we almost all want a one simple solution that is: supposedly buying the best gear,most of the times the costlier one...In reality it is not so simple and we must think to find solutions ...

 

[kid vic]

Not knocking the sound of vintage amps or my silver faced top of the line or nearly so Sansui and Sony receivers. Nevertheless my experience with my best headphones (e.g. HE-6 & similar Focal & Senn HD 800 flavors) is that they perform best from balanced in and especially balanced out from my Cavalli & Auralic dedicated headphone amps.

Speaker taps certainly deliver the power, but it's a bit like playing with nitro.

HE-6 off the taps is a dodge viper on premium, my HE-500 off the taps can't be that far away. Never owned a Focal or Senny can but what yours ear tell you may be more important than the things you read online; nevertheless, your in the wrong thread to win this argument via popular vote

 

[mark-g]

HE-6 off the taps is a dodge viper on premium, my HE-500 off the taps can't be that far away. Never owned a Focal or Senny can but what yours ear tell you may be more important than the things you read online; nevertheless, your in the wrong thread to win this argument via popular vote

+1 kid vic. I can't get enough of my HE-500's on the pioneer amps and receivers I have. Think I favor them most off the SX780 for sound even though I know the SA8800 is a better amp. I had a play around making the speaker tap box they sell for the HE-6 and in the end managed to find one. I tired a few different resistance combinations but don't think I could really tell much difference. Its hard to A/B them. That was the next part of the project I never got round to was making it selectable on a dial/switch etc. I also found the only time I can really enjoy the Sen HD650's was from the vintage gear.

 

[UntilThen]

Now that you mention HD650, I just realised I haven't tried that headphone with the Sansui, so out it comes and it's very good ! I have a modified HD650 and this is one of the best I've heard HD650 sound - listening to one of my fav test track 'Private Investigations' - Dire Straits. Those drums have impact ! and the guitar twang and zing like it's on fire !

 

[SpeakerBox]

HD600s sound great on this. The best I have heard them.