The new Sansui SS-100 Thread
Sep 18, 2009 at 8:08 AM Post #46 of 246
Quote:

Originally Posted by IceClass /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The search continues...


I found that sources with warm sound singature or slight roll-off in mids / hights are really great companion for these cans.
I've tried them with following DACs CEC DX51, DIY NOSDAC TDA1543 and EMU 0404|USB.
The last one is so far IMHO the best for SS-100. You don't loose high details and air but sound is wormer. I guess it gets the sound towards T50v1. Unfortunately depth of sundstage on EMU is slightly reduced comparing to the others.
 
Oct 2, 2009 at 3:45 PM Post #47 of 246
So far, the Aural Audition powers these babies the best for me.

Edit: The newly acquired Woo2 takes the Sansuis to an entirely new level. I'm feeling most vindicated for hanging onto these. I could always sense that there was more to be had from them - a lot more and today I've gleefully proved myself right.

The Woo adds wonderfully to the wide soundstage and drives these things with reckless impunity at the 2 O'clock mark. Dunno why but these SS-100s really take a lot of cranking. Maybe someone smart could explain that to me.
Detail and resolution are excellent. High hats shimmer with detail but no splash. Electronica loses some of the bass impact of the DX-1000s I was just using to listen to "GusGus-On Thin Ice" but make up for it with speed and somehow the bass does not in any way feel lacking. I would even stick my neck out and say all things considered, the Sansui now offers a wonderfully well balanced and more realistic presentation.
The SS-100 were always my fave orthos for percussion impact, speed and detail and had way more bass than any of the electrets I've owned in the past. The Woo takes the bass deeper and adds liquid textures to the endless mids. Highs shimmer with smooth easy detail.
Acoustic strings are have always been captivating with the SS100s. Now Ali Farka's guitar is right in front of me.
Just some off the cuff impressions for now.
Listening to Gus Gus 24/7, North Mississippi Allstars Shake Hands with Shorty, John Hiatt Xing Muddy Waters and Ali Farka Toure Green.

Sansui produced a way better headphone than the market and probably most owners at the time really knew. I can't imagine that many pairs were used with a seriously beefy headamp in the 80s and frankly that's what these things take.
There is simply no comparing listening to these plugged into a receiver or a Woo2. It's flint axe to rocket ship stuff.
I can now say without a doubt that I've yet to hear a better ortho can.
These things scale like crazy! Anyone got a Woo 5 they want to loan?
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Nov 22, 2009 at 1:02 PM Post #51 of 246
Scouring the various Ebay sites for a while is my best suggestion.
 
Nov 22, 2009 at 7:49 PM Post #52 of 246
I also have recently rediscovered SS-100
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. And I noticed similar thing. My humble OTL (rare design, based on 4 russian military radio petodes completely disregarded in audioworld
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) makes the sound more airy, spacious and smooth comparing to transistor amp.
I wish I had a chance to listen SS-100 with the Woo2
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if you say that "this is it".

Before I mentioned that my amp give distortion when loudness set to higher level... but recently after, at low sound level, it was able to stand the load of 16 Ohm (russian TDS-15 headphones) I noticed that what I heard must have been caused rather by DAC than OTL.
So both SS-100 and OTL are back
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and I really enjoy them together. Additionally I noticed that the Sansui are the most comfortable hps of all I have at the moment, esp. headband resting on head softly as pillow
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.
 
Nov 22, 2009 at 8:29 PM Post #53 of 246
Quote:

Originally Posted by Sim1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I wish I had a chance to listen SS-100 with the Woo2
smily_headphones1.gif
if you say that "this is it".



Quote:

Originally Posted by Sim1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Before I mentioned that my amp give distortion when loudness set to higher level... but recently after, at low sound level, it was able to stand the load of 16 Ohm (russian TDS-15 headphones) I noticed that what I heard must have been caused rather by DAC than OTL.




The SS-100s have improved quite dramatically with each incremental step up the ladder in amplification; to the point that I had a hunch these cans were highly amp dependant.
The Aural Audition is no slouch and was a good step up from the PPX3 but it simply doesn't have the sheer *Ooomph* and grunt that the Woo can provide.
The Audition firmly but still a little casually invites the Sansuis to sing along in a nice detailed soundscape with well articulated bass and a pleasantly wide soundstage. A great improvement from previous amps but still not enough to make the SS100 my go to phones for anything other than what I've identified they happen to excel at - which with the Audition they *really* started excelling at.
The Woo however is an entirely different tramp. She walks in, pulls on her head to toe leathers, eight inch heels and knotted bullwhip. Then with no fuss or undue ceremony, professionally yet mercilessly bitch slaps the SS-100s around the room until they're begging to be the main course at the next Houston 500.
There is no slop or indecision here any more. What was slight is now defined and fully present. Control over the diaphragm feels total and almost casual. The Sansuis take a LOT of cranking the attenuator but now they are almost explosively responsive and can get a lot louder than before without distortion.

I now can't help but picture my SS-100s as eagerly and happily gagballed by their favorite dom.

Whether or not "this is it", only time will tell.
Still, I'm now hellishly keen to plug into something even beefier.
 
Nov 22, 2009 at 9:12 PM Post #54 of 246
Wow, IceClass that was a rather..erhmm strange comparison!!

Great to see the improvements though. I dont have the SS100, but similar headphones. When you say this: "There is no slop or indecision here any more. What was slight is now defined and fully present.".
Did you mean the sound was soft? (the typical kind of underdamped ortho), and now it feels like its jumped out and is more defined (sort of like you get with extra damping, but this without losing soundstage or bass)?

Thanks.
 
Nov 22, 2009 at 10:38 PM Post #55 of 246
Quote:

Originally Posted by Kabeer /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Wow, IceClass that was a rather..erhmm strange comparison!!

Great to see the improvements though. I dont have the SS100, but similar headphones. When you say this: "There is no slop or indecision here any more. What was slight is now defined and fully present.".
Did you mean the sound was soft? (the typical kind of underdamped ortho), and now it feels like its jumped out and is more defined (sort of like you get with extra damping, but this without losing soundstage or bass)?

Thanks.



Yeah, I'd say that reflects my impressions somewhat.
I'd add that percussion impact is way up with more definition. The tendency to distort easily has been tamed. Generally there's a lot more snap to the sound.

This is not a headphone one needs to be nice to. Clearly it likes a bit of rough.
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Nov 22, 2009 at 11:36 PM Post #56 of 246
Quote:

Originally Posted by Kabeer /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Did you mean the sound was soft? (the typical kind of underdamped ortho), and now it feels like its jumped out and is more defined (sort of like you get with extra damping, but this without losing soundstage or bass)?


It is not the case of SS-100. SS-100 are dampened well... I'd say perfectly. Maybe thare are some peaks in hights but this is their beauty rather than disadvantage.
A very simple experiment proves my argument.
Try to close cans in NAD RP-18 with your hands. Sound changes much enough to say it is completely different. Headstage is getting narrow, resonances and echos are almost gone. It will probably get close to damped YH-100.
The same operation on SS-100 gives really very slight difference. Comparing to this operation done with my T50v2 I'd say nothing is changing.

I guess that means the Sansui are really masterpiece regarding proper damping and in my opinion they don't require any more.
 
Dec 13, 2009 at 10:26 PM Post #57 of 246
IceClass, have you ever tried to change the jack into balanced connection in SS-100? The cable contains 4 wires going from drivers to the plug. Recently I had a chance to try 2 SS-100 (balanced and normal) connected into one headphone amp with both sockets. There was quite big difference and obviously the better set was balanced connection. That must have been mainly because of differences in aplification units for both connections but (the same amp!) difference was significant. Sound was more dynamic, more details, more space and even stronger bass.
 
Dec 18, 2009 at 9:45 PM Post #58 of 246
Just thought I would post this here before anyone bids on it

Sansui SS-100 Omni Dynamic Stereo Headphones - eBay (item 260524739893 end time Dec-23-09 12:01:10 PST)

That guy and I exchanged a few emails, I planned on buying the headphone and then he threw it up on ebay. Apparently he just used my interest to see how high he could start the min bid. On top of that, part of an email I just got this morning(which he also didn't mention until after I said I would buy) "Just one chrome piece which outlines the play part is missing on left ear. It's not noticeable. I'll send a picture of that next." which he conveniently leaves out of the picture and description on ebay. + no returns. So be careful dealing with him.
 
Dec 18, 2009 at 10:27 PM Post #59 of 246
Quote:

Originally Posted by Pyriel0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Just thought I would post this here before anyone bids on it

Sansui SS-100 Omni Dynamic Stereo Headphones - eBay (item 260524739893 end time Dec-23-09 12:01:10 PST)

That guy and I exchanged a few emails, I planned on buying the headphone and then he threw it up on ebay. Apparently he just used my interest to see how high he could start the min bid. On top of that, part of an email I just got this morning(which he also didn't mention until after I said I would buy) "Just one chrome piece which outlines the play part is missing on left ear. It's not noticeable. I'll send a picture of that next." which he conveniently leaves out of the picture and description on ebay. + no returns. So be careful dealing with him.



Yes he told me about that badge too. And even the headband doesnt looks in great condition. Not really good that he is describing them as excelent condition...
 
Dec 21, 2009 at 6:05 PM Post #60 of 246
Quote:

Originally Posted by Sim1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
IceClass, have you ever tried to change the jack into balanced connection in SS-100? The cable contains 4 wires going from drivers to the plug. Recently I had a chance to try 2 SS-100 (balanced and normal) connected into one headphone amp with both sockets. There was quite big difference and obviously the better set was balanced connection. That must have been mainly because of differences in aplification units for both connections but (the same amp!) difference was significant. Sound was more dynamic, more details, more space and even stronger bass.


I have never tried the SS100 in balanced as I don't have a balanced amplifier.
It is however good to know that it's not a difficult headphone to rewire for balanced configuration as I'm vaguely considering a Woo22 at some point in the near future.
 

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