What ever happened to ~ *SANSUI* (1 Viewer)

[Geoff L]

What happened to Sansui in the audio market. In the 70's they had a strong presence in the mid to upper high fi market and then appeared to started going down hill produceing low end stuff, plastic fronts, poor electronics in the (mid 80's) if I remember my time frame correctly.
I've seen one piece carrying thier name a year and a half ago, a Dolby Prologic reciever ~ DD ready, 5.1 discrete in with (pre-outs for all chanles) and in a heavy chassie, along with a real golden silver brushed metal face. Lighted volume control and excellent panel layout. If they still are building recievers this was probley one of the lower end pieces given power rateings on this piece, (100 to the fronts and 35 to center and rears). Power is good and no trouble driveing his 4-ohm loads. Very nice looking piece, {but was sold threw the Daymark catalog}. A friend took a chance a bought one (199.00 + 12.00 shipping) and turned out to be a excellent unit and is still being used. Terrible owners manual, nearly worthless. Those nowing nothing of setting up HT recievers would be pulling there hair out.
So dose anyone no anything about the Sansui Corp?
Are they still around?
Did someone buy them out and still markets them under the Sansui logo?
I've scoured the web and found next to nothing dealing with them aside from info on OLDER products, speakers, amps, tuners, etc, but no current info on them the company, or if they still produce anything. ~~~~ I thought they where gone forever till the (AV-Receiver) appeared in Daymark a year and half ago. The reciever says (Sansui Corp) on the back but no address or phone # for service, just PO box mailing address for warrenty card.
So what gives!
Anyone with info on this once big player (SANSUI) in audio that seems to have just disapeared...
It's to bad as they built some pretty decent stuff in the id and late 70's
Geoff

 

[Danny Tse]

Sansui, in the form of a HiFi manufacturer, is still around in Japan. Check out the following link....
Link Removed
However, I believe the brand name Sansui in the US is no longer owned by the HiFi manufacturer. That's sad because looks like Sansui is still making some serious 2-channel gear.

 

[Mike_Ped]

I know that name is slapped on some REALLY crappy TV's at Best Buy!
Mike

 

[Scotty Parish]

Guess I'm showing my age, but Sansui provided my first experience with "real" hi-fi equipment. I had their SP3500 speakers and their model 7000 receiver. These are 1971 vintage. The speakers were awesome. They had horn tweeters, cone midranges, and 14" ported woofers. The cabinetry was beautiful on these babies. They were about 17" wide and 35" tall as I recall. I sold them and bought the original series of 901s.
I still have that receiver though. I will never part with it. It has no digital anything, of course, and it sounds sweeter than, in stereo, than my Denon 3300. Even has a microphone input with full 1/4" jack on the front. Beautiful with brushed gold colored aluminum front and real wood side panels above the headsinks that are mounted on either side. It puts out a true 70 watts/ channel 20-20k. I know because I measured it on a bench using a ceramic 8 ohm resistor. The resistor was about the size of a cigar in order to handle that wattage.
At that time, they took pride in calling themselves an audio only company. But like so many companies, they had to start making mass market merchandise and video stuff. It's just not the same company that it was then. But neither is Klipsch or Marantz for that matter.

 

[Geoff L]

That would suprise me that SANSUI is building tvs and there being sold at BB. I've never seen any tv set of any kind in BB carrying the Sansui name. Can anyone confirm this, BB carries Sansui tv sets!!???
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Are you sure the name is Sansui???
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Thanxs for the site Danny,
Though I dont read that funny print they use, the site proves thier still alive and kickin. Some nice lookng stuff thier... I must assume pricey to boot. Would appear still mid to upper end stuff.
Anyone else have anything on Sansui? Sites showing anything dealing with them in todays market.
Im still have a hard time with the BB tv thing..... Maybe, but just think you may have read the brand name wrong, as there are alot of overseas imports in the market from japan and china. Alots names sound an look similar.

 

[Jake_L]

Have a look here:
http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=...cat=24&scat=27

 

[Danny Tse]

I did a search on google.com using Sansui, and aside from the link I provided above, the following is what Sansui has become....
http://www.orionsalesinc.com/sansui.htm
I have seen Sansui's name/logo on cheap TVs, VCRs, and now DVD players. I wonder if the company the markets Orion-branded TVs/VCRs owns the Sansui name/logo in this country.
I really think the Sansui in Japan is a whole different company. Whenever I visit Japantown in San Francisco, I always head for that huge bookstore there and check out the Japanese HiFi magazines. Since I can't read Japanese, the photos will have to do. And my impression/assumption is that Sansui is still making some serious pieces, including an huge tube amp with a polished-metal cage atop the tubes. Their current products don't look bad either.

 

[Russell _T]

I still have a 2 channel receiver from the early 70's and a pair of beautiful teak speakers with teak grill inserts in a diamond pattern. They are like new to this day.
Russ

 

[Russell _T]

About the TV's, he's probably thinking of Samsung, and they aren't crappy. They are actually a pretty good buy for the buck. Sansui never made TV's.
Russ

 

[GregJ]

Boy that brings back some memories, I had a Sansui receiver in the late '70s myself. It was a good dependable player during my miss spent youth and the many noisy parties. I guess times change and Sansui missed the boat on the digital revolution and went by the wayside, to bad.
Greg

 

[Graeme Shiomi]

TVs with the Sansui badge are definitely available. I've seen them at Costco here in Canada, and they are cheap. Definitely NOT mixing them up with Samsung.
Graeme