Glen

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $500.00 from Ebay

Summary:
I own two of these receivers, both in perfect blemish free cosmetic and mechanical condition. #1, from Ebay in 2003, (U$275) #2 from Ebay during 2006 (C$500). One sits in the living room and is hooked up to a Roku (radioroku.com) which is linked to the mp3s on my office PC and to about 10,000 radio stations via the web. The second unit is part of my home theatre set up.

The sound quality is simply phenomenal. For that single reason, I strongly recommend these vintage receivers.

Strengths:
Deep rich sound typical of high power 1970s receivers
Sound is full even at very low volume levels, something you don't get with new recievers.
Relatively inexpensive compared to modern big box recievers which are feature rich but sound poor
Made in Japan
Since this is the NON db version, there is no obsolete dolby circuitry that is prone to breakdown.

Weaknesses:
Minor Weakness:
Lack of a remote control. Fortunately, the Roku includes a remote, which does allow me to stay seated for longer periods of time - which in turn gives me more time to stuff down potato chips and swill beer.

Functionality limitation:
Vintage audio is not convenient to use with a 5 speaker home theatre set up. I have a coupe of other vintage amps hooked up to drive the rear and centre channels. The DVD player includes the DSP and offers 5 channel analogue outputs. Sound is great, but the inconvenience of adjusting the speaker volumes would be unacceptable for most users.

Similar Products Used:
Sansui 881, a smaller but phenomenal Sansui receiver, only $100

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Brian9090

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $225.00 from craigslist buy

Summary:
I'd bought my Sansui 9900Z in my early 20's but was never quite happy with it. I'd always though it was mostly the speakers (Realistic Mach Ones). Sounded muffled at low volumes with "muddy" bass. They didn't start sounding "good" 'til I put about 100 watts to 'em. Well it just died. ANOTHER output transformer, the last was $275 to fix. Time to look for something else....
I found it wasn't the brand, it was the year of it. I read th 70's era ones were supposed to be better. After arguing the wisdom of buying an OLDER receiver with my wife, I found a Sansui 9090 on craigslist for only $225. After hooking it up, I found how wise of a buy it really was. WOW (you'll heard this alot in the 9090 & 9090db reviews) it was a whole different stereo. The same ol' Mach Ones were suddenly crisp and bright sounding! Even at low volumes. The drums sounded like...well...drums, instead of the muffled thump it used to be. Although the newer 9900Z was rated at 160wpc I'd regularly would turn it up half volume. My "new" older 9090 (rated at a true 110wpc) was almost frightening at that level! I'm sold. I'll never buy a "new" stereo again.

Strengths:
Crystal clear highs and mid-range. If you previously had a newer econo-box stereo, you'll hear things in your old cd's you didn't even know were there. Tight bass even on my cheap Mach Ones. They are known for having "muddy" bass already, the Sansui 9090 cleared that problem up. Despite what you were taught in the 80's, a hundred and ten watts of clean power is LOUD. Most newer stereos give you a maxium rating that just isn't true. Obvious excellent build quality. Everything looks and feels sturdy. Looks like it could actually drop a short distance and survive! Lots of buttons and knobs to tweak the sound if you wish.

Weaknesses:
Well geeze, I can't think of much besides the obvious. It's BIG and HEAVY. It's OLD, so it's going to be tough to get it repaired. It does have a "dated" look after all it is actually from the 70's. I prefer it by far to newer blackface models myself. Lots of "unecessary" dials and buttons might be confusing to some. Accidental volume increase could cause heart attacks for the elderly. :)

Similar Products Used:
Sansui 9900Z 160wpc (1980-82 I believe). It was a Sansui - but not even close
Scott 120wpc (around same era). Crap. Had a major breakdown within 2 yrs of ownership.

bachandel

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
4.33 of 5, 6.00 votes

Price Paid:  $150.00 from audiogon.com

Summary:
This receiver just killed all my desire to join the audioholics upgrade ratrace. For the price of a cheapo NAD integrated, I've got sound that rocks anything under $1000, maybe more! I've been all over the audio map before. Starting with an NAD 304 after reading Stereophile, I went on to many other sources of amplification. I was into semi-vintage Marantz gear from the 80's, exotic European integrateds from Ensemble, Sugden, Exposure, Naim, high-powered American separates from Krell, Threshold, Spectral, Coda, Motif, some really lovely tube gear from Conrad Johnson and Audio Research, then back down to real-world components from Jolida, McCormack and Llano. OK, if you're like me and just want to find a nice comfortable place to settle down for the rest of your life, then the Sansui 9090 is just about the best place I have found so far. It has power and grace, dynamics and clarity, and musicality galore. It can be outdone in each category by one component or another, and it can be totally outclassed if you have a 2nd mortgage and the will to use it. But for $150, this brick from the 70's just blows 95% of the competition out of the water. I can't praise it enough. And on top of a killer amp, it has an amazing tuner section that no modern tuner section from a receiver can touch. This thing is built like a granite tabletop, and it should outlive every piece of plastic in your audio rack. Furthermore, I think the 9090 in particular is extra special. I'm going to rant and rave about other vintage receivers from the late 70's in other audioreview reviews. But at least right now, I think the 9090 edges out some stiff competition. I have the 9090db which has more power, but maybe the one I have is not quite as powerful-sounding in the punchy and accurate bass dynamics, matched with balanced mids and highs. I also have the legendary Marantz 2270, which is possibly smoother and more musical in the mids and highs. Also, the 2270 has unstoppable bass that booms and thumps and kicks you in the chest. But the 9090 seems significantly more accurate. Much as I *like* the 2270, the 9090 is the keeper if I had to make a choice. Lastly, I had a Pioneer SX-850 which I really enjoyed. It was good enough so that I want to get the SX-1250 beast to compare to the 9090. But if the sound is along the lines of the 850, I know I'll love the luscious highs and beefy lows of the 1250. It'll be everything I like about those old tube amps from CJ. But perhaps it'll be a bit too warm and fuzzy. I'm not sure. For now, the 9090 is the one for me.

Strengths:
Power, accuracy, balance, musicality...all for a price that's shockingly low!

Weaknesses:
The thing is HUGE and not too pretty. It won't impress your friends (until they listen), and will become an issue with your spouse. Perhaps *most critically*, these vintage units are easy to damage in shipping, and many are misrepresented by owners who just picked them up at a garage sale or who want to sweep sonic issues under the rug. So, the biggest problem is getting one in perfect working order into your hands. I would strongly suggest paying the extra bucks on ebay or wherever to buy from someone with the HIGHEST reputation. Don't ever buy "as-is". Always get a guarantee that it'll work as stated when you receive it. Or, buy one locally that you can test. Be willing to drive the distance for it...it'll be the last time you'll need to hassle with amplification!

Similar Products Used:
Sansui 9090db Marantz 2270 Sansui 7070 Sansui 7000 Philips 7851 Pioneer SX-850

Price Paid:  $0.00 from friends storage unit

Summary:
helped a friend move crap out of his storage unit one weekend and found this old receiver sitting in there. He told me to take it cause it was old and outdated and he didn't think it still worked....took it home...cleaned several years of dirt and grime off the thing...plugged it in....stood back and turned it on.....well the room lights dimmed as this beast fired up...all I can say is holy crap....what an amp....however....I believe all controls and switches could use a serious cleaning because the left channel is there sometimes and then fades away....then comes back....nothing major..just a good cleaning should cure it up.....but oh my...the sound is incredible and the power...damn...I have an old pair of polk audio monitor 10's and I've never seen those woofers move like this ever.....deep bass and clear highs and midrange....makes the new stuff sound muddy.....

Strengths:
looks cool in the dark and has power to spare....sound is crisp and clear...even FM sounds good....

Weaknesses:
well...I have to get up from my couch to adjust the volume....

Similar Products Used:
denon...akai..kenwood

Price Paid:  $200.00

Summary:
The 9090/9090DB are great receivers. My 9090DB has a "presence" unmatched by todays receiver offerings. It can sound live, rock'n roll with Ted Nugent,AC/DC. Led Zeppe;lin, etc., really "hum" with the sweet quitar of Earl Klugh in "Midnight in San Juan", cry with the guitar of Eddie Hazel in "Maggot Brain", give the "Big Texas Beat" with just the right amount of delay to sound live, stir your soul with Sade's "Is it a crime?", etc, etc. This receiver really has no equal. (I can equal it with my $10,000 rack, but that is another story). My east listening setup: 9090DB Self designed-built direct reflecting ducted/tuned ported corner horns (1975) (these have approx. 85-90% the presence of Klipschorns in 1/2 the space) each has 15" woofer, 6" midrange, 3"x7" midrange horn crossed @1650 HZ, 4" dome tweeter crossed @ ~ 3500HZ. (Full frequency response, loud volume @ 1 Watt RMS) These (2) items (9090DB, Horns) can handle any component I choose (Cd, tape, phono, etc.) BTW, the power rating of the components in each speaker totals approx. 350 Watt RMS. The poster who rambled about power minimum/maximum is full of it and needs to read "How To Build Speaker Enclosure" by Badmaieff/Davis, ISBN 0672205203 or some other manual that discusses the facts of power RMS ratings, efficiencies, and amplification.

Strengths:
Keep it clean and it will NEVER let you down.

Weaknesses:
None