Price Paid:  $100.00 from trade for services

Summary:
This is in reference to a Marantz 2385 receiver. They don not make them like this anymore! I only use the amplifier section, which is wired through an SAE 1800 parametric EQ. driving a pair of 604 Altec Lansing. The sound is awsome. Very crisp, clean. The bass is strong the mids are mind blowing and the horns are pure magic. I have tried all sorts of music and they sound fabulous. I have disconnected my SAE 502 which has loads of power, but not the smoothness or the mellow sound that one always tries to duplicate from a great pair of headphones.

Strengths:
The FM reception is second to none.. very strong signals. The controls are positive, and the bass/mid/treble add a nice touch. Even without the EQ. the sound is dynamic. Could do with more power though, because I like loud music, but clean music.

Weaknesses:
Too Heavy!

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer, in a past life.

Price Paid:  $200.00 from Ebay Auctions

Summary:
I have owned this unit for about 3 months now. Purchased it in great condition from an Ebayer for $200 shipped. I had my Kef C85's running off the receiver in standard 8 ohm mode. I then biamped them, using four channels of the receiver. The sound is simpy MESMERIZING!!!

I have a Denon AVR-3600 that I tried to sell twice to COD'ers who backed out of the sale and had the item returned. UPS dropped the package and bent the speaker terminals some, but that's not any big deal. I decided that since I may have problems selling it now, to use it in a home theater based system when I have space and time to do so. I hooked it up and listened to it for a day, maybe two. I found that it had a little more emphasis on the midrange, but lacked in the bass department.

I then re-installed the Sansui playing the same tracks I was listening to before, attempting to find differences. I learned that the receiver was producing PLENTY of warm midrange, the highs were not overinfringing like was the case with the Denon, and the bass comes through with great impact, in contrast to the Denon's lack of bass.

Overall, the Sansui 'sounds' 3 times as powerful than the 110 watt per channel rated Denon, it sounds much more dynamic, much more natural (Denon is so dry and synthetic sounding compared to the Sansui, as well, the Sansui is just pleasant to listen to against the Denon that was simply unsuitable for my ears after having the Sansui running the Kefs for a while.

It is a shame that these new offerings ($1900 retail price for the Denon) cannot come close to the nearly 20 year old Sansui 9900z. I'm sure glad the Denon will only run my Center and rears in my future surround setup...

Lastly, I do not mean to dog on Denon as compared to other top notch receivers of today, I'm sure the Denon holds its' own very well. On top of that, the Denon is a home theatre amp, so what can one expect in the sq department...though reading reviews of the Denon has many saying how brilliant cd sound is through the receiver (OUCH to the ears).

Strengths:
Power, Power, and MORE POWER!!!

Weaknesses:
None that I have discovered...

Similar Products Used:
Denon AVR-3600, which will be slightly compared in this review.

Price Paid:  $200.00 from ebay

Summary:
The 9900Z is easily the best desgined, best looking, and most reliable "first generation" (circa 1981) all digital receiver of all that I've seen, owned or otherwise been in contact with. Being the top of the *900Z series, it has all the best features that Sansui could pack in, and still make it afforable enough to justfy buying.

Among other things, it is one of the only early 80's units to feature support for three speaker systems, it has a liquid cool heatsink for the output transistors (yes, the output stage is ALL discrete components, all the chips are in the tuner and display logic) and it also has an automatic thermostat controlled cooling fan on the rear panel for those occaisions when you really want to do some serious sonic damage.

This beast can deliver 160WPC at 8 ohms with no effort, and peaks can top 200WPC (by my bench tests) and still stay clean. It also has one of the nicest front panels you'll see on a digital receiver. It has a flourescent blue digital frequency readout, a blue bargraph spectrum analyzer, and a pseudo-analog dial scale (a line of red LED markers that light up in a position that corresponds to the actual frequency for AM or FM). It also has red LED bargraph power meters for both channels. To top it off, the front panel is heavy gauge brushed aluminum, with a beveled plastic dial glass window. A real class looking piece of equipment, that will light up a room.

I own over 50 BIG Sansui components (9090DB, G9000, QRX-9001, TU-919 among others) and yet the 9900Z is the one that always grabs peoples attention most, likely because of the light show it puts on when it is in operation. There's no doubt that this one appeals to the deep human fascination with bright shiny objects.

Many people consider the G9000 to be the last REAL receiver Sansui made, but I consider the 9900Z to be the last breath of 1970's "male-ego" hi-fi because it captures the quality and look of the G9000, while managing to go digital and do it gracefully. I highly reccomend this unit to anyone wanting a digitally tuned receiver with preset capability, but also wanting the build and sound quality that simply cannot be acheived with the current offerings in audio. You will not be dissapointed.

Strengths:
Enormous power, incredible design, and a real beauty to boot!

Weaknesses:
It's all digital, so repairs will be tough when they are finally needed - hopefully never.

Similar Products Used:
Sansui 4900Z, 7900Z, Sansui Z9000X