Friday Night Listening_002

It’s been an exhausting week, and here late in the afternoon I am thinking about enjoying the evening and unwinding a bit.  Don’t we all?  

Earlier in the week, I was thinking about pulling out some gear and changing things up a bit.  I have had my all original Sansui 4000 on duty for almost a year straight now.  It’s difficult to pull it out, because I am thinking that this is my favorite all round receiver.  The bass, midrange and highs are always a standout performance no matter what I play.  The soundstage always pulls me in.  Always.  Later I will do a post directly comparing the Sansui 4000, to the 5000X, 2000x, which should be fun.

So, being a jazz nut I have the tune Blue in Green. in my head.  Just an amazing performance by Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane with Paul Chambers and James Cobb.  The inter-play, the space, the tone.  Wow. Has there ever been a better jazz lineup?  It’s the perfect album, which will let you segway into, Miles, Coltrane, or Evans seamlessly.  It’s also the perfect set up for listening to the Keith Jarret, or Tord Gustavsen Trio’s.  

With that, one has to decide what drink to enjoy while winding down.  

Something with a blue label seems fitting. Bourbon or Scotch?  Always a tough call.  

For those listening tonight, enjoy the music.  That’s what it’s all about.  Putting together a system and just ‘puts you in the moment’.  It’s surprising, how difficult we make doing just that, and in the end how easy it really is.  

In the coming weeks we will talk turntables, the wonderful Ariston RD11, the predecessor to the Linn Sondek LP12, and yes the LP12 is on the list.  I am looking forward to discussing phono cartridges  and maybe 1/2 track reel to reel decks as well.  I also want to mention pieces that were a huge disappointment, think ReVox, Linn and McIntosh.   More to come!

SUMO Andromeda Power Amplifier -

Being a fan of James Bongiorno, and having spent some hours visiting  with him during a CES show many years back, I actively looked for stereo equipment that he personally designed.  

There is much to choose from,  having been associated with Marantz, SAE, GAS, SUMO and Spread Spectrum Technologies, just to name a few, it isn’t difficult to find something to listen too.  The challenge is finding someone who will sell it to you.  James has a following.  Avid collectors of nearly all of his work, and for good reason.  It’s musical!  No other way to say it.  The stuff James has designed just sings, in a most glorious way.  

When I read the Stereophile's review of the SUMO Andromeda, I knew I had to have one.  It’s a unique looking amp, with a tall face and shallow backside.  Menacing view from the front, but disappointing at first glance from the backside.  Turns out, that this shape is proven to aid in heat dissipation and cooling, especially if the amp reside in a cabinet or rack like mine was.  It’s extremely well made, with heavy robust case work and quite a bit of heft.  

The amplifier has a unique circuitry, which I won’t even begin to elaborate on.  The ground floats, and the amp has four independent push/pull feedback loops which will maintain your speakers in absolute phase of the musical signal without any drift regardless of demand.  This translates into an amazingly accurate soundstage.  Rated at 200 wpc channel into 8 ohms, and 350 into 4 ohms, the amp will drive most anything without any current limiting.  

The dynamic range of this amp is astounding, and the bass response really reaches downstairs.   According to a quote SUMO’s owners manual the bass response  is “unapproached by any other amplifier”.   In my limited hi-fi history, the McIntosh MC2300 is one of favorite high-powered amplifiers.  Just a sonic beast, with no load limitations whatsoever and a thunderous bottom end.  The SUMO however sounds better….   

The bass output, it’s so deep, and solid, but I not talking about exaggerated flabby subwoofer boom bass.  This bass output has tone, texture, depth, and color.  You can hear the wood of a E note on plucked double bass.  You  can feel it too.  It’s very authentic and natural sounding. Piano notes seems to ring with great sustain.  Listening to Michael Hedges and George Winston on An Evening with Windam Hill makes you feel like your center stage.  Jazz Trio's were realistically presented and Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation never sounded better. 

I could go on, talking about Krell KSA 50 (wow… this one is so sweet), Sansui BA 40, Sansui BA 3000, Phase Linear 400, Series ONE and Series TWO,  Harman Kardon Citation 16A, Nikko Beta ONE (an in depth look at this sleeper amp coming soon), Crown Xli 1500, McIntosh MC-50, McIntosh MC 2105, McIntosh MC 2505, Marantz Model 15, Carver M-400’s  (two strapped in mono), GAS Grandson was close,  ADCOM GFA 555, Pioneer M-22, Conrad Johnson MF 200, etc, etc, etc,  I’ve just never heard a better sounding  solid state amplifier than the SUMO Andromeda.  

The midrange of this amp has pulls you in.  Female vocals are especially good. It flatters any preamp that you use with it.  Personally, I have used a Marantz 7,  Marantz 7T, Marantz Twenty Four, Marantz 1030 (as a preamp), YAMAHA C-2, McIntosh C-26, McIntosh C-28, SUMO Electra, Sansui AU-7700 (as a preamp), Sansui 2000X receiver (as a preamp), Sansui 3300 receiver (as a preamp) Citation 17, and GAS Thalia.  It flatters everything you hook up to it.  Nothing was ever objectionable.  It will even make your Phase Linear 4000 listenable.  

The amp runs relatively cool, the built in fans are super quiet.  Not sure mine ever came on.  I just can’t find any fault with this amp.  

If you’re looking for high power, great texture, tone, muscle  and finesse, this amp should be on your short list.  Mine had never been serviced.  I purchased it from an original owner who really took care of it.  

Looking around at my collection, I decided to start selling off what I didn’t use regularly, and I found myself preferring the magic I get from lowered powered amplifiers.  Something I want to get into at a later date.  So, I listed this amp for sale, and it was gone in a day or two.  If I remember correctly, the new owner was so impressed, he bought a second one from a gentleman in New York  to bi-amp his speakers with.  Hands down a winner, and easily one of the best sounding amplifiers of all time.  More to come.

Sansui 2000X Receiver -

This was the first cap-coupled receiver I ever owned.  I bought it from a collector locally, when I was having my Citation 11 preamp serviced.  When I put it into my system, I was smitten by the luxuriously smooth captivating sound.  Similar to my wonderful Sansui 551 which is a quasi-complimentary amp but with a mellower midrange and more robust bass.  

I used this in my system for several years, and took advantage of the preamp outputs to use it as a preamp/tuner, a roll in which it excelled.   

This  receiver  is  rated at  39 watts  per channel, and  putting  out  considerably more on a test bench, this receiver had more that  enough power for most  contemporary speakers  of the day.   With  the  flood of today’s inefficient dynamic speakers, one will not have to worry. The amp is up to the task.  

Living in the Chicago area, I use my FM tuner often.  There is a Friday evening Jazz station in Joliet, and WDCB in Chicago.  The tuner will pull in stations all across the dial with ease.

Excellent tone controls, for adjusting bass and treble on some older recordings that need a little help.  I’ve never heard a bad phone stage on a Sansui, and this one was outstanding!  I have a couple of stand alone outboard phone preamps, (a couple are quiet expensive), and they pale in comparison to the Sansui.  Lush, is a good word to describe the sound.  

After using this for a few years, I replaced it with a Sansui 9090DB, which I will cover in another post. While I enjoyed the 9090DB immensely, there is just a certain ‘magic’ with these lower powered cap-coupled amps that kept me thinking about it.  Since I had given it to my daughter, I looked for another and came across the feature ladened Sansui 3300 and would switch between that and the 9090DB when I felt the urge to hear that lush, luxurious sound.  

Make no mistake, this little receiver will play your favorite Led Zeppelin LP’s with authority!  There isn’t any genre’ that this amp doesn’t excel at reproducing.  

My unit was completely original and had never been serviced.  Taking it to my tech, I instructed him don’t recap or swap out anything unless it is needed.  He tested the receiver and it exceeded every advertised spec.  Even though he recommended I recap the unit, I told him to leave it alone.  I didn’t want to alter the magic I was hearing. 

Beautifully made, handsome walnut cabinets and solid aluminum knobs and face plate.  A quick Google search confirms what I was hearing.  This is one of those Special receivers.  Find a clean one and enjoy a receiver that absolutely is absolutely superior to most anything you can purchase today. Very highly recommend! 

Sanusui AU-777 Integrated Amplifier -

I really enjoy the idea of an integrated amplifier.  Basic, simple and like a receiver, just one unit. To date I have owned nine different ones that I can think of.  High power, low power, lots of features, no features.  Loved them all.  

I have  discovered that I especially enjoy listening to low powered early transistor amplifiers, ones that are capacitor coupled.  They have such rich tone, with a silky midrange and robust but accurate bass.  The highs are super smooth and not harsh.  I think that this is because in the early transistor days, manufacturers paid attention to ‘voicing’ their amplifiers.  Especially Japanese manufacturers.  

The Japanese are music fanatics.  It’s such an intregal part of their lives.  Plays, musicals, concerts, and today the many Jazz Kissa coffee shops and pubs.  Music is in the streets and literally into every retail space you go.  I am not talking about MUZAK here, but real music being selected, played and enjoyed by all and usually in the analog format.  

One of the finest listening experiences I’ve ever enjoyed has come from my Sansui AU-777.

The AU-777 is Sansui’s first transistor amplifier, coming right after the all tubed Sansui AU-111.  

Rated at 25 watts per channel into an 8 ohm load, it has plenty of power to drive most any speaker system to an uncomfortable level.  It’s true, that 90% of the time we listen we use little more than maybe 10-12 watts per channel.  The AU-777 is a masterpiece of design and execution.  This amp is loaded with character.  It’s sonic bliss, and soupy sweet.  The amp throws a deep, wide and coherent sound stage, with precise placement of instruments.  Female vocals are especially pleasant.  Jazz trios are live in your living room.  Solo guitar and piano pieces can fool you into thinking you’re at a live event, with its three dimensional tone. 

The build quality is superlative.  I have included some shots of the switching gear and tone controls.  Yes, those are all individual resistors wired in. 

The elegant black front face is engraved and painted in Sansui green, off-white and pure white.  Delicate, intricate and beautiful.  You just don’t see details like this anymore.

These amps come up for sale on occasions, but this one here is from 1967 and has been kept in exceptional condition.  I had the unit recapped by hi-fi guru Nabeel in Crest Hill Illinois.  His talents for restoring audio equipment is unmatched.  

I recommend this amplifier without hesitation.  Unquestionably one of the finest amps I’ve ever owned, and sonically nearly identical to the Sansui AU-111.  Obviously these were ‘voiced’ by the same engineering team.  Sansui later continued this with the AU-777A, with triple tone controls.  Also an excellent sounding unit, but some of the later ones have standard pots and controls.  Not that there is anything wrong with that, but they don’t have the same tactile feel that the AU-777 has.  

Just a joy to own and listen to.  Another amp I kick myself for selling for all the reasons listed above.  More to come!  

SONY TC-377 Reel to Reel Tape Recorder -

SONY really made its mark in the tape recorder market during the 60’s.  Their machines are easy to use, sounded great and though expensive, were less money than the US competition from Roberts, Ampex, Concertone, and Viking.  

All of these companies had consumer and prosumer machines, with mechanical transports and single motor designs.  Viking and Ampex also offered two head machines, capable of making good though not excellent recordings which allowed the stereo enthusiast to enter the tape field without spending a months salary on a machine.  

Many opted for the two head machines just to play the wide variety of popular open real music tapes available from the top recording companies of the day.  You could find any contemporary, jazz, classical, pop and rock albums on open reel tape, for not much more money than the standard LP.  

The SONY TC-250 from about 1966 was sold in large numbers to the home stereo lover for just that purpose.  It also allowed them to record their favorite LP’s and play them back in full length without having to flip the record every 20minutes.  

The SONY TC-350 (the TC-250 with three heads) was SONY”s entry level deck featuring three heads.  Single motor transport, the machine was crude even for a mechanical single motor deck, but offered incredible sound for the money.

The SONY TC-355 was a definite step up and many of these machines are still in service today.  I had a 355 and it was an excellent machine.  Which is why when I seen an add for a one owner TC-377 for $90.00 I snapped it up.  I figured that it is always nice to have a second or third deck for dubbing or switching out when servicing whatever happens to be in the stereo stand at the moment.  

My TC-377 was placed in an oversized breakfast cereal box, actually two cut and taped together.  It was just barely the same size as the machine, and then shipped through the US post office from North Carolina to the Chicago area.  I had requested that the unit be double boxed with additional packing materials and offered to pay extra for this.  My request was ignored by the seller and the machine arrived about three weeks after purchase.  An entire corner of the box was missing, and the machine was exposed.  Absolutely no packing material were used at all, and it was evident that the deck was thrown around repeatedly.  The righthand spindle was bent almost in half.  I was able to slowly bend it back in place, and I can’t believe it didn’t break off in the process.

At any rate, whenever I purchase something like this, I always do a clean and mild service before using.  I opened it up and lubed all the necessary areas, and I believe I was the first to ever oil the capstan.  After cleaning the heads, demagnetizing, and treating the pinch roller with several applications of Fedron rubber revitalizer I fired the old girl up.  Purred like a kitten.  All controls were smooth and operated properly.  I put on a tape I knew all and the machine sounded wonderful.  

That was ten years ago.  Since then I have regularly used the SONY at my office, in my home system and alternate it out with my Akai 4000 from time to time.  The SONY has excellent Ferrite & Ferrite head stack, which means even after all these years the head look and perform as new.  

The TC-377 is often considered an alternative to the Akai 4000DS.  Both share many similarities.  Single motor mechanical transport, robust design and multiple speeds.  Both have sound on sound and sound with sound capability for the home recordist.  The SONY is a bit larger and heavier and has some advantages for the end user.  All of SONY’s mechanical transports feature a single lever action for play, record, fast forward and rewind.  The Akai uses two.  The SONY has three speeds and adjustment are made by rotating a speed selector for the desired speed.  With the Akai, only two speeds are available and one must unscrew a capstan sleeve to mechanically change the speed.  Not nearly as convenient as the SONY.  The SONY is also easier to thread.  Just take the tape from the supply reel on, under the head stack to the take up reel and you’re done.  You have to do the same with the Akai, but you must also thread under the tape tensioner arm near the take up spool.  Both machines feature automatic shut off, but with the Akai you must then be sure to use the play lever and move it to ‘stop’ to disengage the pinch roller.  With the SONY, everything disengages automatically.  

Both decks can be used in the vertical or horizontal positions, but the SONY has a slight tilt to it in the vertical position.  This actually make is a bit more pleasant to use.  Further, to use in the horizontal position you  remove four screws on the sides and rotate the machine 180 degrees in the case.  Here the deck now has a slight angle to it making is easier to use in this position as well.  

One can see why this machine was so popular.  It also had better wow and flutter, frequency repose and signal to noise ratio than the Akai 4000.  I can tell you, without question the machine is capable of superb recordings.  I never felt the need for any type of noise reduction system for either of these decks.  While I personally favor the Akai, I could just as easily live with the SONY TC-377 without feeling the need to have any other machine.  My love for the Akai, is the sound and the size of the machine,  but the SONY is easier to use and sounds just as good.  

I have several three motor machines and I can tell you quite honestly that these mechanical single motor transport decks from Akai, SONY, Ampex, Tandberg, and Roberts are just indestructible and perform so well.  I have never had a mechanical issue with a single motor mechanical transport machine.  Not ever.  That’s something I can't say for their more elaborate counterparts.

I highly recommend the SONY TC-377, and if you pick one up that needs serving I have a SONY expert in Indiana I can steer you too.  Find a clean one, and buy it.  You will not be disappointed.  

Soon I will talk about another favorite SONY of mine.  The TC-755.  More to come.