[SpeakerBox]

I have Fisher 400 tube receiver too, but after a few hours the reception cud shift.

I have one too. Known to sound very good with LS3/5As (mine are clones but still sound fantastic with the 400). If you want to fix yours there is a kit produced by an outfit called Metalbone. Worked wonders for my 400.

 

[Rossliew]

I'm looking at a used AU517 and in totally stock form without any servicing done. Seller looking to sell the amp with the matching TU517 tuner for roughly US$550. Reckon this is a good price?

 

[UntilThen]

Looking at ebay price, that looks reasonable but get it recapped and restored. Assuming it's in physically good condition? The AU-517 would be as good as the 717 but with less power. Still 65w is a lot and ample for most needs.

I got my 717 from skippy124 who did this restoration video back in 2013. You will see him active in auddiokarma. Having met him personally, he is a very nice person and one of the best in Sansui amps restoration, if not the best.
https://www.stereo.net.au/forums/topic/55836-another-sansui-au-717-restoration/

The last few nights, I'm amazed at the musicality of the 717 driving my LCD-2f. Quality bass that is deep and low. The lushness of midrange. It's a great tone. The tone controls and loudness switches are not gimmicks. They are actually fun to experiment with but generally I left them off. When I tried them, I couldn't help smiling.

Another picture of the insides of my 717. Skippy has completely overhaul it.

 

[Rossliew]

I envy you for having specialists around that you can reach out for help. It's pretty much a gamble here as most are not really specialists per se but perhaps merely technicians who are jack of all trades but master of none.

 

[williamhifi]

I have one too. Known to sound very good with LS3/5As (mine are clones but still sound fantastic with the 400). If you want to fix yours there is a kit produced by an outfit called Metalbone. Worked wonders for my 400.

Fisher has a very warm nice sound, one of the top brand in the 60s and 70s. I followed some of the discussion in Audio Asylum years ago, some of the old timers said Fishers original dedigners were German engineer that knows the tubes very well. Those engineers perhsps were with Siemens or telefunken that produced some of the best tubes in the world

 

[williamhifi]

Looking at ebay price, that looks reasonable but get it recapped and restored. Assuming it's in physically good condition? The AU-517 would be as good as the 717 but with less power. Still 65w is a lot and ample for most needs.

I got my 717 from skippy124 who did this restoration video back in 2013. You will see him active in auddiokarma. Having met him personally, he is a very nice person and one of the best in Sansui amps restoration, if not the best.
https://www.stereo.net.au/forums/topic/55836-another-sansui-au-717-restoration/

The last few nights, I'm amazed at the musicality of the 717 driving my LCD-2f. Quality bass that is deep and low. The lushness of midrange. It's a great tone. The tone controls and loudness switches are not gimmicks. They are actually fun to experiment with but generally I left them off. When I tried them, I couldn't help smiling.

Another picture of the insides of my 717. Skippy has completely overhaul it.

Wow look like new to me, as if it was just made yesterday!
I have opened up a few amps to restored and modified, except just to admired without working on it.. as they are a piece of history!
The last one I struggled but not succeeded was a pilot el 84 pp power amp.
I hv no reservation in tweaking amps in the 90s, including Mark Levenson, McIntosh, Jeff Rowland, Gryphone... if they are commercially available, they hv weak point to take care of...

 

[williamhifi]

I envy you for having specialists around that you can reach out for help. It's pretty much a gamble here as most are not really specialists per se but perhaps merely technicians who are jack of all trades but master of none.

Am not familiar with the new format in head fi now... I assume this post is for me?
In Audio Asylum and some other hifi forums there are lots of experts that I learnt a lot from. I think I hv spent 5 years reading and asking questions to the experts on different fields.
I love electronics myself since young, i guess it's in my blood and I cud still sit down to do soldering for 5 to 10 years, even after 50+ years, even with the tiny surface mount devices..
Well that's why I studied physics and electronics engineering...

 

[Van Isle]

I'm looking at a used AU517 and in totally stock form without any servicing done. Seller looking to sell the amp with the matching TU517 tuner for roughly US$550. Reckon this is a good price?

Problem with that series is the glue used to hold the caps in place has turned corrosive over time and may have damaged traces, etc. So a recap job may turn into requiring a lot of restoration and be far much more $ than initially expected.

 

[UntilThen]

I have always felt that the prodigious gobs of current instantaneously available from a receiver/integrated amp/amplifier renders far more dynamics and presence that the current-starved tube/op-amp/discrete crop of headphone-specific amps. And if you thought the Pioneer sounded good, you should hear some of the more respected names in components. MacIntosh, Denon, and NAD spring to mind.

Well said. I must read this thread in it's entirety. I'm still gobsmacked at what I'm hearing from the HD800 and LCD-2f, powered by the AU-717.

 

[denox]

I will have a chance to scoop recapped AU-505 soon, seller asking for $300 shipped, as I understand this is a fair price for recapped 505 in excellent condition, am I right?
I ended up keeping my AU-7500 and added Conrad Johnson PV5 tube preamp few days ago, using 7500 as amplifier with PV5, sound deliciously liquid.

 

[DRHamp]

The noobiest Sansui noob here and my first Sansui amp. Got it today and it looks pretty clean. Haven't applied any power yet, but will do that soon.
$160 plus $40 shipping -- that may be way too much, but I'm happy.

 

[UntilThen]

I love the AU-505. The bass is even more pronounced than 717, albeit more compact. 717 has more body and presence.

 

[denox]

I love the AU-505. The bass is even more pronounced than 717, albeit more compact. 717 has more body and presence.

That is very interesting.
I bought 717 few months back unfortunately unit was not working properly upon arrival and sold it quickly, I did not have a chance to hear it in it's glory condition.

 

[UntilThen]

DRHamp, that's a very new looking AU-317. Pete can tell us more about it. He's the Sansui man.

 

[Rossliew]

Problem with that series is the glue used to hold the caps in place has turned corrosive over time and may have damaged traces, etc. So a recap job may turn into requiring a lot of restoration and be far much more $ than initially expected.

Thanks for the good advice there. Would never know until the amp was opened up. Guess I'll just stick to my NAD 3020 for now.