And the craze of market and emotional value.
For my first set I have a new wxa50 amp and Wharfedale Evo 4.2 loudspeakers.
For my second in the bedroom I got a pair of Denton 85th anniversary loudspeakers and equally beautiful looking Pioneer SA5300 in great condition and recapped. The reason I like it is because it doesn’t have an integrated tuner (those became bricks in the Netherlands when the fm signal stopped) It also doesn’t have a dozen of knobs and dials that are hardly of any use anymore these days, which also made amps heavy . A nice and light brushed steel no-nonsense amp. Great look, nice solid feel in use.
Now there is a thing in that I think that the Sansui Au 101 would be a better match from the “furniture point of view” as the black and woodgrain would be complimental as a set
Now the rabbithole…
I also read about the sound of the Sansui being warm and tube like. The idea I’ve heard was that early developers used tubes as their reference point. I think the combination of looks and reviews kind of pushed market prices. I have heard tubes and my Yamaha has the enhancer setting that adds a bit of comparable coloration (emphasis in midrange, great female vocals etc) (which I use all the time and purists from all sides might hate this, screw me
)
Since I can’t seem to do any audition a AU 101 nearby it is a little challenging to make choices. Given my Pioneer, I’ve read that the latter is a bit more clear sounding. But someone else also described the sound as tube-like. I think the human definition is quite broad.
Now I feel the AU101 should be right for prices like 150-250 euro with the max at 250 being fully recapped. Just given its optical qualities of metal and wood and care for detail. Not unsurprisingly the buzz around them seems to drive the price up. And now people are offering for 350 till 400 euros.
At which I don’t really know if I should do it. I might like it but also end up thinking that the high prices are a bit off. Sansui used to be a bit of a hidden gem and I somehow feel the Wxa50 is the current hidden gem and when it is purely about the tube sound, then another Wxa50 would probably make more sense when entering the new Sansui occasion budgets. When it is about a bit of antique design and the sound in combination, the Sansui could be a candidate. But at which price tag will it land that it still makes sense is the question
Any input and whether to cut a rope or not is welcome
For my first set I have a new wxa50 amp and Wharfedale Evo 4.2 loudspeakers.
For my second in the bedroom I got a pair of Denton 85th anniversary loudspeakers and equally beautiful looking Pioneer SA5300 in great condition and recapped. The reason I like it is because it doesn’t have an integrated tuner (those became bricks in the Netherlands when the fm signal stopped) It also doesn’t have a dozen of knobs and dials that are hardly of any use anymore these days, which also made amps heavy . A nice and light brushed steel no-nonsense amp. Great look, nice solid feel in use.
Now there is a thing in that I think that the Sansui Au 101 would be a better match from the “furniture point of view” as the black and woodgrain would be complimental as a set
Now the rabbithole…
I also read about the sound of the Sansui being warm and tube like. The idea I’ve heard was that early developers used tubes as their reference point. I think the combination of looks and reviews kind of pushed market prices. I have heard tubes and my Yamaha has the enhancer setting that adds a bit of comparable coloration (emphasis in midrange, great female vocals etc) (which I use all the time and purists from all sides might hate this, screw me
)Since I can’t seem to do any audition a AU 101 nearby it is a little challenging to make choices. Given my Pioneer, I’ve read that the latter is a bit more clear sounding. But someone else also described the sound as tube-like. I think the human definition is quite broad.
Now I feel the AU101 should be right for prices like 150-250 euro with the max at 250 being fully recapped. Just given its optical qualities of metal and wood and care for detail. Not unsurprisingly the buzz around them seems to drive the price up. And now people are offering for 350 till 400 euros.
At which I don’t really know if I should do it. I might like it but also end up thinking that the high prices are a bit off. Sansui used to be a bit of a hidden gem and I somehow feel the Wxa50 is the current hidden gem and when it is purely about the tube sound, then another Wxa50 would probably make more sense when entering the new Sansui occasion budgets. When it is about a bit of antique design and the sound in combination, the Sansui could be a candidate. But at which price tag will it land that it still makes sense is the question
Any input and whether to cut a rope or not is welcome
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