Sansui TU-9500 recap

ALL212

Still got your tuners handy? I've a couple and this one tops them all. 1970's era. It's a fairly easy recap but these boards aren't very heavy and it's easy to delaminate a run with too much heat. Only had a few scares but nothing serious.

Ready to go.


A bit dusty. Every board has a cover that's grounded. I don't think there is any plastic in the chassis anywhere.


Covers off - board reveal.


recapped board - Nichicon Muse or FG caps used.


recapped PS.


Done - covers going on.


Board covers dusted and mounted.


Back in it's home. It's got bass...never thought I'd hear bass from a tuner!


The jar is getting fuller.

pitdogg2

Well Aaron i have a Sansui TU-719 I've wanted to do for a few years. Them suckers have like 9 miles of string
Nice job I have come to really like the Sansui tuners. I have had my fair share of older Yamaha and newer. Carver TX 11b was a good tuner but my Sansui TU-719 ran circles around it in both sound and ability to reach out and grab stuff clearly.
Once again very nice.

sucks2beme

The issue with touching tuners is ruining the alignment.
Not many out there with that skillset anymore.
I guess you are fortunate that it stayed on track.
Me touching a tuner=mess. Thats why I just stick with old
integrated amps.

ALL212

The Sansui line of tuners is highly regarded. The x17 and x19 line are both very good. Someday I'd like to get my hands on something 517, 717 or 919. If you want the top 'o the line find a TU-X1.

If you're into tuners the Tuner Information Center web site is probably the defacto authority on these things.

http://www.fmtunerinfo.com/sansui.html


If you're careful and don't go past your skill level you can easily recap most equipment. Tuners can go sideways on you but just go easy and watch what you're doing.

pitdogg2

The only other site i belong to.
fmtunerinfo.com
Excellent folks there

Jetmaker737

I have a TU-9900 currently in the hands of Joseph Chow for complete set of mods and service. Can't wait to get it back.

pitdogg2

Ooooo those are sweeeeeeet

mpitogo

Nice repair you should get many more years out of it! Inheriting my Dad’s Sansui got me rooted in audio. It was sad to see it broken so I repaired it.

pitdogg2

Very nice

ALL212

Last time I looked the pic didnt show - that was a lot of work! Nice job. Breaking the bigger ones free of the glue is an interesting venture...

mpitogo

Glue on mine was brittle. I was already deep into fixing the DC protection issue and decided to go all out. Think it was $260 in parts from mouser.

ALL212

I think that series are some of the coolest looking amps ever done regardless of brand.

mhardy6647

FWIW, a few, lesser Sansui pieces lurking here.

DSC_0328 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
Sansui 5000A front by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
SansuiTA500f by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

Also a TU-717 which didn't really light my fire in terms of audio quality.

DSC_6978 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

Clipdat

Can you do an Onkyo Integra A-8250 next and then sell it to me?

ALL212

Clipdat wrote: »

Can you do an Onkyo Integra A-8250 next and then sell it to me?

How long do you want to wait and how much up front cash you got?

Clipdat

PM'd

ALL212

I recapped a 3900- can’t see model on the pic but either that or 4900. Not a lot of power but a nice sound.

717 is supposed to be at least in the court of the king tuners. Never had one. Maybe it needed a rebuild?

honestaquarian

@ALL212 I’ve seen just about every Sansui you mentioned for sale on eBay very recently. Including a mint Japan 100 volt TU-X1, which I currently have on my watch list.

honestaquarian

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sansui-TU-X1-Tuner/183292183857?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

honestaquarian

Wow I just found another TU-X1 for sale in Germany!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SANSUI-TU-X1-High-End-Super-Integrated-AM-FM-Stereo-Tuner-in-Best-Zustand-BDA/253987830567?hash=item3b22dabb27:g:atAAAOSwiqNbvJhD:rk:2:pf:0

honestaquarian

https://youtu.be/8pwvtqo5Hwg

This is a YouTube video that one previous auction for this tuner had a link to.
UIt's a two parter.

pitdogg2

Carlton while those are excellent tuners and I'd love to have one, they are a status piece plain and simple. There's just not enough quality radio stations anymore to justify a 25-3000.00 tuner. Yes this is my biased opinion. The TU-919 or the 9900 are my top end even if I fell into a billon dollar powerball winning ticket. The day's of yesterday radio that actually put out a good quality full bodied signal are no longer in my area at all. They have all been swallowed up by large corporate radio that compressess the snot out of the signal now. 20 yrs ago about everybody actually made a dedicated FM long range antenna. The dedicated FM antennas now are a far cry from quality booms and elements made by the likes APS. Anybody even remember the APS 13 and the smaller attic friendly APS 9. Those had great range and side rejection of multipath signals. Heck Channel Master hasn't even made the deep fringe antenna i had for at least 18-20 yrs. The multiple use antennas UHF/VHF/AM/FM never were liked by the true radio crowd but mine on a 40 aerial with a quality rotor did a darn fine job for my use. Some nights while DX'ing with my Sansui TU-719 I could pick up stuff from Europe and from all educated guesses south of the equator.

Oh well enough ramblings

tonyb

Sansui, like most other vintage pieces of that era, will all need some work done to bring them back to life. If you have a vintage tuner and it isn't ticking your fancy, chances are it needs some work done. Sound quality takes a nose dive as the decades march on.

Ivan, I hear ya on the antenna thing. Was looking last year to cut the cable cord and go over the air, but finding a good long range antenna isn't easy these days. Ones with great reviews anyway.

Any suggestions ? Maybe PM me that answer so we don't derail the mans Sansui thread.

mhardy6647

@tonyb There are still store-bought options for FM Yagis (albeit not world-class ones, any more), and rotors are still available (plus, there are those of us who have... spares). There are more or less straightforward DIY options, too.

You're right, though, "we" don't need to pollute this thread which is more about Sansuis and/or capacitors than the vicissitudes of frequency modulation.

So... Why don't we start an FM thread?!
I mean, heck, if freaking cassettes can mount a comeback, why couldn't FM?!?

Srsly, I'm up for it.
No static at all, you know?

https://youtu.be/HV3zWSawJiw

ALL212

tonyb wrote: »

Sansui, like most other vintage pieces of that era, will all need some work done to bring them back to life. If you have a vintage tuner and it isn't ticking your fancy, chances are it needs some work done. Sound quality takes a nose dive as the decades march on.

Ivan, I hear ya on the antenna thing. Was looking last year to cut the cable cord and go over the air, but finding a good long range antenna isn't easy these days. Ones with great reviews anyway.

Any suggestions ? Maybe PM me that answer so we don't derail the mans Sansui thread.

Derail away!

Tuners are no good without a good antenna

mhardy6647

DSC_9169 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

honestaquarian

I'm still using my two Radio Shack Archer FM Stereo supreme antennas that I bought more than thirty years ago to pull in HDRadio now!
I agree radio sound quality ain't what it used to be back in the days when I used to love to DX. I kinda reached the end with my last Carver TX-11a when I realized no one was broadcasting AM stereo anymore. I wanted to get a TX-11b, but didn't see the point.
Does anyone remember the natural atmospheric phenomenon which happens only a couple of times a year where something changes in the ionosphere and causes radio signals to bounce back down instead of traveling through?
It would allow you to pick up FM signals hundreds of miles away, but only once or twice a year though.

pitdogg2

honestaquarian wrote: »

I'm still using my two Radio Shack Archer FM Stereo supreme antennas that I bought more than thirty years ago to pull in HDRadio now!
I agree radio sound quality ain't what it used to be back in the days when I used to love to DX. I kinda reached the end with my last Carver TX-11a when I realized no one was broadcasting AM stereo anymore. I wanted to get a TX-11b, but didn't see the point.
Does anyone remember the natural atmospheric phenomenon which happens only a couple of times a year where something changes in the ionosphere and causes radio signals to bounce back down instead of traveling through?
It would allow you to pick up FM signals hundreds of miles away, but only once or twice a year though.

What you are referring to is when highly energized particles is the ionosphere allowing station signals to bounce or skip off them. Now shortwave radio signals do it all the time regardless of most weather conditions, but some conditions are much more favorable.

tonyp063

^^^
this

Depending on the time of year, the ionization layer, & the sunspot level you can get F2 skip of over 2000 miles. Most often it's sporadic E skip between 600-1200 miles.

Bunch of interesting info here.
http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html

txcoastal1

pitdogg2 wrote: »

honestaquarian wrote: »

I'm still using my two Radio Shack Archer FM Stereo supreme antennas that I bought more than thirty years ago to pull in HDRadio now!
I agree radio sound quality ain't what it used to be back in the days when I used to love to DX. I kinda reached the end with my last Carver TX-11a when I realized no one was broadcasting AM stereo anymore. I wanted to get a TX-11b, but didn't see the point.
Does anyone remember the natural atmospheric phenomenon which happens only a couple of times a year where something changes in the ionosphere and causes radio signals to bounce back down instead of traveling through?
It would allow you to pick up FM signals hundreds of miles away, but only once or twice a year though.

What you are referring to is when highly energized particles is the ionosphere allowing station signals to bounce or skip off them. Now shortwave radio signals do it all the time regardless of most weather conditions, but some conditions are much more favorable.

On the west coast the same effect during the height of the aurora borealis---sometimes you can hear "come in Tokyo"

Jetmaker737

Those of you considering a vintage tuner should be aware of the IBOC issue:

http://www.ham-radio.com/k6sti/hdrsn.htm

Joseph Chow has designed an IBOC filter for my TU-9900. Some tuners already can filter it out. Coincidence of their design. Scroll to bottom of the linked article for a list of such tuners.