![[Under Construction]](images/undercon.gif){kind=small}
Tube Gear
It is well known that Sansui started its business as a transformer manufacturer. When I was a teenager, I could not afford Sansui transformers simply because they were too expensive for kids. I remember that I bought Tango power and output transformers instead. Another premium manufacturer for transformers was Luxman.
The primarily reason why I have started looking for Sansui information last year (2001) was to find transformers for my tube projects. After twenty some years of absence in audiophile, I did not know why I could not find any Sansui transformers. After extensive search in Sansui information, I found one Japanese Web site that showed off an old Sansui and Luxman sales brochures. I wrote an e-mail to this Japanese gentleman, and after several exchange of e-mails, he kindly mailed the original copy of those brochures to me.
His name is Mr. Satoshi Suzuki in Yamagata, Japan, and his UAL is http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~suzukipc/index6.htm. This Sansui brochure helped me to identify Sansui prime product line in the early to middle of 1960's. This was the very last product line of the matured tube technology, and those units are still premium even compared with today's products. I still can not find any amplifier that sounds as powerful as AU-70 when playing old rock 'n' roll or classical orchestra music. I can not find any amplifier that sounds as smooth and warm as 1000A(SAX-1000). The sensitivity of 1000A tuner will blow your mind off when compared with today's tuners that can not pickup any stations without antenna!
Now-a-days, everybody who is interested in tube amps talks about triode connections. Sansui experimented this concept more than thirty years ago with SAX-300. Finally, the very last tube master piece from Sansui was famous AU-111. It was very ironic that Sansui has moved away from the high end audiophile market after the reproduction of Vintage version of AU-111 in 2001.
Here are the copies of Sansui brochure gifted from Mr. Suzuki.
Sansui Brochure Front, Sansui Brochure Back, Front Cover of "Newest Stereo"
