Sweet rich midrange with soaring highs paired with rich bass the AU-X1 is as advertised, a excellent sounding and performing machine that you can listen to for hours on end. It doesn’t have tone controls but in my view doesn’t need them!

Heavy and hard to find

Sansui Top of the line. A true statement build. The best amp ever built by Sansui and just maybe the best sounding integrated amp ever to come out of Japan. I’ve owned various TOTL Sonys, Accuphases, Kennys, Luxmans, other Sansuis (and McIntosh/Classe/Primare/Arcam/MF/Simaudio Moon/Hegel/Plinius/etc etc etc - over 500 integrated over the years!). None can rival the AU-X1. To me, the best amp ever produced. Period.

Build is notorious among the early 110 v units (tend to oscillate). Class A phono boards tend to get very hot and are best renoved.

incredible punch, outstanding sound, power, reliebility (unfortunately not all, though)

heavy, rare, increasing prices

Got two of these beasts and use them as power amps only in a bi-amping configuration, one to feed a complete channel/loudspeaker.
Extremely fast, strong and punchy with sweet midrange and high frequency. Rugged product, had no problems during the last 10-12 years... and the amps have been built around 1980!
Maybe the best among Japanese amps of its time and even today a surprisingly very, very good sounding amp.

Similar Products Used:

Sansui BA-F1, AU-710, AU-517, AU-317, GAS, Carver