It’s obvious I am a fan of Sansui. As a musician, I absolutely love the voicing of their amplifiers. Regardless of price, I have yet to hear a modern day amplifier which pulls me into the music the way that Sansui does. There is just something about the tone, texture and depth of the sound. Of course I am talking about all gear manufactured prior to 1978. But there have been some nice pieces built after that date that come close.
Sansui built tube amplifiers, capacitor coupled amplifier, quasi-complimentary amplifiers, fully complimentary amplifier and directly coupled amplifiers, and they all have a similar character to them. To me, they all have what I call a sweetness to their sound and they all have beautiful tone. The bass is deep, the midrange is sweet and the highs are liquid, never shrill.
I have owned quite a number of Sansui pieces over the years, favorites that immediately come to mind are the AU-7700, Sansui 551 is so amazing. The AU-111, complete magic, the AU-777 likewise incredible. The complete 1000-5000 series, for that matter the entire XX1 series are all gems. Of course, the 9090 and 9090DB.
Having owned nearly everything that’s been listed, the Sansui 4000 somehow set’s itself apart. It’s the only receiver in the 1000-5000 series that was never upgraded. The 4000, has always been the 4000. No 4000a or 4000x.
Although the face of the 4000 was lent to the 2000a and 2000x, they are different electronically, especially the phono section, which is were the 4000 pulls away from the pack. All of this series are cap-coupled and are very robust sounding, similar to a tube amplifier. I am certain that these were voiced by the same team that gave us the 707, 1000 and 1000a tube receivers, as well as the top of the line AU-111 integrated.
Directly comparing 4000 to the 2000x (a favorite of mine) and the. 5000x, I find that there is NO appreciable volume difference in any of these, and sonically the 2000x and 5000x are nearly clones. But the 4000 has a little more magic in the midrange. I tell everyone that the 4000 sounds more like a tube amp than any tube amplifier I have ever owned, including the AU-111.
My 4000 is a late model being manufactured in August 1972 towards the end of the production run. I am surprised to see that my unrestored unit has some paper in oil capacitors in it. My 2000x and 5000x never had them and I wonder if that is the difference I am hearing? My unit has been to a tech, and it’s still in spec. He really wanted to recap the receiver, which I told him to leave alone unless a cap has drifted out of acceptable tolerances. None were changed.
I love rotating gear, experiencing different preamps and amplifiers, but the minute I pull this one out of the cabinet I miss it and look forward to brining it back. With 45 WPC on tap, (if it’s even that much.. this is before the 1974 FTC power rating guide), I never really seem to want for more power. It drives my 1990 Definitive Technology BP10’s (these are modified from the production units) with ease. The have a nominal 3ohm rating, so not so easy a task.
I also love the quality of this receiver. You can see it when you pull the cover, you notice it when you oil the wooden cabinet, or turn one of the solid metal selector knobs. This was seemingly built with no cost objective in mind. It’s every bit as well made as my MAC 1700 was. It was certainly as powerful, actually it sounded much more powerful than the MAC, but I believe that to just be the voicing difference between the two. The Sansui is absolutely colored in the sound department and it’s a beautiful palate of colors. It’s not cool and sterile, it’s warm and liquid. The MAC, well, that’s a lot more black and white when it comes to music. The 4000 has an elegance to it, that few receivers from this period have. It reminds me of the build quality that Marantz used to have in the mid-sixties when Saul was in control.
Sonically the 4000 throws a huge deep wide soundstage. But the first thing you will notice when comparing this to Pioneer, Kenwood, Marantz, Yamaha, Harman Kardon etal, it's the tone in the bass. You don’t just hear low frequency you hear tone. Rich, glorious tone. Listen to any jazz trio notice the double bass, to resonance of a well recorded piano. Diana Krall has some of the finest studio musicians on the planet working on her records. Put on one and listen to them.
When a classic rock fan is over I am quick to put on my 1975 copy of Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac and watch their jaws drop. McVie’s bass is in the room with you. So is solo guitar or piano LP from my Windam Hill collection will like wise leave listeners in disbelief. Close your eyes and you are THERE. I could go on and on and on.
I have many friends who call this mid-fi, then they play their latest overpriced under engineered built in China integrated or separates. I recently listened to a new good looking Yamaha integrated amp. I was impressed and walked up to it to rotate the selector switch and couldn’t believe that at more that $5000.00 is was made of plastic. The sound? Vanilla comes to mind.
I am always looking, always listening but for me at this time, this is the most musical receiver/amplifier I have ever heard.
I have had my engraved face, Marantz 1030 integrated and my Project/ONE MKXXI integrated sitting on my living room floor now for over a year waiting to be listened too and I just can’t bring myself to pull the 4000 out of the stand. Not to mention a stack of amps and preamps in the basement waiting their turn. It’s gonna a while. More to come!
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