Power & style

Large & HEAVY.....no remote......but what did back in the 70's

I play this "Everest" of a receiver with a 1973 Double Large Advent system.....simply nothing comes close in terms of clarity & bass response

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Pioneer surround Dolby Pro Logic 100 watt receiver

everything about this stereo is perfect.Bass,tone everything.

none come to mind

This system is the bomb!!!! It is a stereo that has stood the test of time.I am 13 years old and I got this sansui 9090db for Christmas last year and I must say I have fallen in love with it. This is my second stereo I did have a Pioneer sx-990 which had about 30-40 watts per channel and that did me for about 3 years.After that I needed somthing more (i just got some Speakerlab sevens which can handle 250 watts pre channel),What I needed was real power and I can now say that I have found it.125 watts per channel is all the power I will ever need.My friend and I where talking one day about stereos an I had asked him what he had for a stereo and he said "I got a sony 5 cd changer with 7 watts of pure raw power"and then he asked me what I had and I said "I have a sansui 9090db" and he said "Man those are junk, why are you wasting your time with a worthless piece of crap like that?" I did not say anything else until one day he came to my place and said "So dude where is this Rad stereo that I have heard so much about?" I said "right here" and I pulled the curtains up around my sansui and played some tunes.My friend was in awe.could not belive the pure sound my sansui could belt out.Anyway I love this thing so much, I well never need another stereo as long as I live.

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pioneer sx-1280

Extreme Power, Mid-Range Control, Metal Knobs, Wood Cabinet

None

I had been searching for this model for several years, and one day I just happen to be in a thrift store and there it was! I immediately snatched it up without even thinking!! It is in excellent condition and plays well, it even has the original black phono plug caps still on! I am not sure why anyone would get rid of such a high quality machine in this condition, but someone else's loss is my gain!

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Pioneer SX-950

Bass capability. Solid harmonics across the spectrum with little distortion.

Weight!! This puppy is heavy!

I have had my share of high end receivers in the past 35 years and this is certainly right up there with the high end Pioneers and Marantz's. After cleaning the dust out of the pots and other orifaces, it has played well and the bass is superb. I have it coupled to a set of JBL studio monitors and they "sing" when turned to about the two o'clock position on the volume knobs. These are beginning to show up at flea markets and in the shopper ads for a song and a dance. Don't pass on getting one just because they are heavy. You won't regret it.

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Carver receiver 150w per chan.

warmth, presence, charm, power, good and sensitive tuner, reliability, very solid overdimensioned construction

none by now - well, weight when you transport it

How is it possible that something that old sounds and works so great ? When I saw and heard the Sansui receiver for the first time (I think it was the 8080) I knew that I will never be buying a new plastic-fantastic receiver of the modern age. Sansui looks great and sounds amazing. I am quite a critical listener, but its sound was immediately appealing to me - did they put the spell on this device? I use the active studio monitoring system Genelec 2029A and a sub 1091A so I can unfortunately only use the tuner and the preamp of the 990 (black version). I am planning to buy the passive Tannoy monitors 1200 for my Sansui in a distant future. Where is there a logic - 1500 dollars speakers coupled with 200 dollars receiver? I thought I needed better CD player (I use Marantz CD-67SE) because it sounded to harsh and lacked the air and midrange in classical and other acoustic music that I listen to most of the time. I used the coaxial digital output from CD, now I connected the CD to Sansui aux and routed the signal to my Yamaha digital mixer which sends digital signal to the Genelecs - I got the desired warmth and depth. It was an amazing discovery for me that a 26 years old equipment can work so much better than most of the things available nowadays - except the very high end ofcourse. My dream (but possible) set up for the living room would be a new Cyrus CD7Q, my Sansui 990 and a pair of Tannoy 1200 studio monitors. Pretty excentric, huh ?

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TR 808 drum machine (just kidding) none of the kind - maybe my first serious hi-fi amp by Rotel, but no, it was not in the same league

no need for the eq, sounds great straight

none

By far the best unit I have ever heard, alot of control, warm everything.

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ar inc Fisher 500 sansui 5050

everything!!!

No weaknesses...

I was looking for a Sansui receiver and I found a 9090DB that I can say with all words; ( 9090db IS THE BEST!!! ), and I say more. My 9090DB is new!! The old owner didn't use practically. I feel happy for having bought.

Deep strong clear bass,nice warm mids and clean crisp highs in a very attractive unit. Plenty of power to spare(125 watts RMS per channel). Excellent quality. Built in "Protector" circuit that will keep relay from kicking in if there is a faulty componet. Keeps you from damaging your speakers. Sounds as good as or better to comparable Marantz units for about half the price.

NONE! This receiver spoils you. Everytime I buy a new vintage piece it sets me up for disappointment! I go back to my Sansui wondering what I was thinking! I guess I thought I was missing something.

To me the Sansui 9090DB is one of the best sounding receivers ever made. I love them so much I've got 5 of them! (It's a sickness!) Back in '76 I bought a 7070 (wanted a 9090 but couldn't afford it)still have the 7070. In fact I also have the complete Sansui series from 5050 to 9090DB. These receivers are from the golden era of audio from the mid to late 70's. These units rock! The only thing I have that compares to the 9090DB is my Marantz 2330. To be honest the 2330 may sound slightly better but not much. To me nothing else I have listed comes close to the 9090DB. Sansui built lots of these and they are still readily available used. It just goes to show the quality that was built into them. If you are considering purchasing one, it will be the best money you will ever spend. Considering they sold for $900.00 new back then, and you can pick them up now for a couple of hundred bucks, it is an excellent bargain. See if any of todays plastic junk is around 25 years from now.

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Marantz Models: 2325,2330,4240,4300, Pioneer SX-1980, Lafayette 5555, and amps; Scott 440A, Kenwood KA-6100.

Great sound, great bass, great everything.

The fact that the volume+balance are basically the same knob caused a few problems. If you turn the volume up too high on mine, the left channel goes out.

Love it to death. My dad bought it in the army a while ago, and I just found it in his closet a while back. Took it home, hooked it up to 2 Pioneer CS922's. Best sound I've ever heard.

Fantastic looking black face with walnut case. Strengths are definitely it's looks. Adequate power for most casual listeners and some audio enthusiasts. Sansui did come out with the best machined knobs ever on these bad boys.

Bass somewhat muddled (compared to my other systems). FM reception not what I expected. Other than that it is great.

This review is actually for the 990db, which is the rare anodized blackface version of the 9090db - all specs and cosmetics are the same except for the faceplate and pushbutton color. As an audio enthusiast, I have been through many a stereo - usually I will get on a kick and see something that I want and go buy it. Fortunately most times these are vintage items and stuff that I can now afford. I have had my hopes on getting a 9090db or just plain ole 9090 for sometime now - watching e**y (you know where) everyday for the right pristine 9090db to appear - for a decent price. The other day, I happened to be scanning the classified ads and lo and behold - someone had a 990db for sale for $200! I immediately pursued (and bought). Well, this is not my first sansui, but it may well end my yearning for that "highly sought after" sansui flagship of the late 70's. I have to honestly say that I am a little disappointed in the sound quality of this unit - it does sound good, but it just does not produce like I imagined it would. If I would have known, I would have invested my money into another Pioneer SX-1010 which so far to me has had the most fantastic tonal control (super bass) of any receiver I have thus far owned. I now have my "absolutely mint" sansui flagship receiver, but I guess this will probably be the last one I own.

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Pioneer SX-1010, SX-1050, SX-1080, SX-980 Sansui 3900Z, 7900Z, G8000 Kenwood KR-??? Harman Kardon AVR-20, AVR-70 Onkyo TXDS-777