Sansui's best speaker

[JoeE SP9]

I don't care where a speaker (or any gear) is designed and/or made. Either I like it or I don't.

Klipsch speakers in general are less appealing to me than the the NS-1000. So are most JBL's. They have even more of what I dislike in the NS's. Regardless I still think the NS-1000's are slightly shrill and bass shy. A Kleenex taped over the tweeter does a lot toward making them less shrill.

[pivot]

I recall the tissue over tweeter was a trick for fixing the (in)famous NS-10 and was not aware that got suggested for NS-1000 as well.

Our shop had the NS-10 as well and I thought they sounded atrocious. I was amazed they were viewed as "monitors" and got used by pros. I find it odd that the NS-10 and NS-1000 were from the designer.

I listened to NS-1000 quite a bit and with decent amps (McIntosh, Audio Research or modified Dynaco tubes in our shop) I simply did not hear any excessive harshness at the top. I agree they do not do deep bass...and perhaps most listeners expect bass from a 12 inch woofer in a three way sealed box.

[cats squirrel]

if a 'speaker was made to be the best, why are there so many different ones, with so many difference principles of operation. There appears to be so many 'acceptable' designs, but none that are universally 'accepted' as being the best. Doesn't this suggest something?

[gvasale]

IMO, the Onkyo 25 is a pretty good speaker, but details on them have vanished over the 40 years I've had them. About AR3a sized, wickedly heavy. 3 way with a front vented woofer ala Altec Lansing and a rubber surround which still hasn't rotted away. If I can figure out how to put a photo, I might do that.

[BloFish]

I've seen a pair of those back in the day. Very impressive!

[hifiguru69]

OT or what?

[gvasale]

Not quite, but has tended to be a general overview of perceptions on Japaneese speakers. BloFish... What speakers were you referring to?

[PeterW.]

if a 'speaker was made to be the best, why are there so many different ones, with so many difference principles of operation. There appears to be so many 'acceptable' designs, but none that are universally 'accepted' as being the best. Doesn't this suggest something?

I think the OP was concerned after the best Sansui. Not the "best" speaker.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

[Whitneyville]

Long-time "speaker improver" budding speaker designer with his nickel. 90% of what's "bad" about Japanese or "consumer" speakers is poor enclosure design. Most were/are made of less than 1/2" (12mm) particle board or MDF which leads to unwanted resonances. Take a pair of "Japan Inc." speakers, add layers on the sides and back to stiffen them, then add cross-bracing and foam/fiberglas damping material, and suddenly they sound much better. If you measure the driver's impedence swing (all do) and design a custom cross-over for the drivers, a pair of $100 dust collectors may become VERY good speakers. I've sent the cross-overs from some $20,000 a pair speakers to a DIY speaker friend, who re-designed them, and now they sound like they're worth $20,000. No where in audio is there less cost/quality than in speakers. The $20,000 speakers have less than $2200 worth of drivers in the two of them. Any of us can order them by mail. It's not nearly so much what parts you have, it's what you do with them. Sansui speakers have less "bloated" and "sloppy" bass than most Viet Nam era "ship-homes", and if you can find some with non-blown drivers and good cones/surrounds (both can be repaired) for $100-150 a pair and invest some sweat in bracing the cabinets, they can sound quite nice. Martin Logan won't have to worry, but they'll beat anything sold in the big-box store with a yellow tag on the side for 1/10th the price. Personally, I get a kick from buying some old dusty "monkey coffins" at a garage sale for $10,and fixing them up for my cousin next door friends for $40. Now they have some "rock the house" speakers for $50, to go with their $40 Salvation Army receiver and $5 DVD/CD player. Some even have some LP's and a TT too.

[hotpants16]

hello all,

i'll say that the sansui sp-x6000 speakers, in my care have,... kicked ass!
30 -40 year old bins with 4 way sound, with no power? ( 40 watt amp? min.)

KABUKI! BABY!

16


http://stjohns.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell ... Z405949729

[spiceyokooko]

...looking to find the best speaker ever sold.

If you're looking for good speakers, what an earth are you doing looking at Sansui?

With one or two exceptions (there are nearly always exceptions to the general rule) the vast majority of speakers originating from Japan and the far east are junk and not worth bothering with. There's far too many alternative speakers that are sonically far superior at the same price points.

In any case, you shouldn't be starting with speakers to build a system, systems should be built incorporating all the components together, not in isolation. A systems sum of its parts is far greater than the individual components.

[BloFish]

if a 'speaker was made to be the best, why are there so many different ones, with so many difference principles of operation. There appears to be so many 'acceptable' designs, but none that are universally 'accepted' as being the best. Doesn't this suggest something?

I think the OP was concerned after the best Sansui. Not the "best" speaker.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

Yes, I was interested in Sansui speakers specifically.

[rhomanski]

In it's day, the Sansui SP 200 and 2000 were considered very good. As desirable as the Pioneer CS-99A's.

Regards,

Ron.

[pivot]

Desirable by whom?

They are classic Kabuki Krap right down to the latice work grill. I am sure heard them at the time as I haunted a few HiFi shops that sold Sansui. Maybe somebody liked, or likes, 'em but there are those of us who would not cross the street to set a pair on fire.

There are so many decent box speakers worth time and effort to restore from the mid to late '70s, AR, EPI, Advent, Dynaco, ADS, etc. etc. why the fascination with these things?

If you gotta have mass market Japanese speakers the Pioneer HPM series of approximatly the same vintage are not hideous.