160W (clean!) into 8 Ohms High quality construction Excellent FM stereo reception Beautiful when "powered up"

25 years old! (Noisy pots/switches) Very heavy -- not necessarily bad Quite large (room placement) Not likely to be found cheap

They just don't make them like this anymore! (Okay, they do, but today's MSRP on similar quality amplifiers/receivers is insane.) Essentially, the Sansui G9000DB -- my model -- delivers righteously clean power, beyond what the normal consumer will ever require, without breaking an electronic sweat. The analog tuner is of high quality, the pre-amp section is transparent, and even the most ineffecient speakers can be driven with ease. My G9000 is hooked to a set of vintage Alect Lansing "Fives" and a pair of old school Realistic Mach Ones: all refurbished. Without question, any sonic limitations here are from the vintage loudspeakers, not the amp. (Although I love the "vintage sound" of '70s gear, I'm certain today's high-end loudspeakers would have less coloration.) In any event -- getting back to the G9000 -- outrageous power, glorious sound reproduction, excellent FM reception, and tank-like construction are the mantra of the day. A thorough cleaning every few years, to eradicate scratchy pots and switches, and this monstrous beast will have you set! It far surpasses most "consumer electronics" available today. Original list price, in 1979, was ~$1,000.

Similar Products Used:

MCS, Pioneer, Sanyo (vintage)

sound reproduction ,looks,quality & POWER!

will ruin your back

A blast from the past! I love just looking at this beast. I remember seeing these @ the PX overseas but couldn't swing the $1000. While surfing eBay this one caught my eye. Absolutely mint orig. owner buy it now for $125 !! Done deal. The seller was close by so I was able to pick it up. Good thing it weighed 60 lbs! Horsepower? 160 watts per channel. After hooking it up the left channel was DOA. A little Deoxit sprayed in the tone switch & presto no worries. The next event was accidental while powering it up after my daughter had played with the volume 'n left it @ max. Well, those speakers are in the dumpster. At any rate Im no audiophile but I couldn't be more impressed

Accuracy, Clarity, Power, Quality, Looks, Functionability, etc...

ENORMOUS, Usually expensive, did I mention ENORMOUSLY HUGE?

This is the stuff you read about and think to yourself "does this EVER happen???" I'm a skeptic, bigtime, but I finally hit the jackpot. I am a long standing fan of the best receivers from the receiver wars of the 70's. I had owned most of them (besides a G9000 and SX1980) and have been happily using a mint 9090db, which replaced a rack of seperates that was worth roughly 15 grand, for some time now. So here's the story on the G9000... I went out to lunch with a gay friend in the gay district here in Chicago, and he wanted to stop at a resale (thrift) shop afterwards. I figured what the heck, hadn't been in one for many years so I went along. Upon entrance I saw a huge stack of old electronic equiptment, shelves full of all sorts of junk. As I drew closer I saw what appeared to be a G9000 or a big silver Pioneer, I peeled back a pile of beat up VHS machines and sure enough it was the filthiest G9000 I have ever seen (externally as I now know). It had 15 supermarket style gun dispensed pricetags on top all reading $16.00 (I thought $160 at first, and had already made the effortless decision to buy it immediately)... I decided to be funny and just nonchalantly ask if they would take $10 for it at the counter. The 20 year old or so clerk saw it as an old receiver, probably like the beat up Pioneer SX-828 his dad had in the basement, and agreed to take $10, plus tax, but with no return accepted. It came to a hefty $10.88, I had my friend wait by it as I fetched the car and laughed all the way home. Anxious to pit it up to my beloved mint condition 9090db I immediately, and lovingly began cleaning the G9000. It turns out the thing was mint minus two 1/4 dings in the edge of the woodgrain cabinet. It was filthy though, it took hours, a year's worth of Q-tips, and a case of beer... but what results. I can't believe I purchased a nearly mint G9000 for the price of a cheap lunch. So I set it up with my mint mirrored Dynaco a-25's for the first listen, and let me tell you. As much as I hate to admit it, this receiver blows the 9090db away in clarity, and the 9090db is better than any of the collections of seperates that I have ever had. This receiver for $10, or $1000, is in my opinion the best money can buy. True, I haven't owned an SX1980 Pioneer, but I have owned an SX1250 and I was not terribly impressed. Take my word and buy one of these if you can find one (they are not common). Cheers!

Similar Products Used:

The thunderous voice of God, Sansui 9090db, Pioneer SX1250, Pioneer SX1980

I have some work to do on my G-9000 before I'm in a position to write a review. The unit powers up, but with no sound. I've been told by an electronics repairman that it needs to have a transistor replaced in the amplifier circuit. He quoted me $200 to replace just this one this part! If anyone knows of a good place to find parts for these great old receivers, please fill me in. MrGlock2@satx.rr.com Thanks, Tom

Not yet tested

Not yet tested

After purchasing the G-9000, I noticed that one of the channels did not function properly and I had it repaired (left pre-amp relais) and cleaned for further 120 €. The finish of the case was changed to a x-rare Thuja - Rootwood - veneer, which makes the unit a real eyecatcher. The front face has been restored (brushed,polished and scratches have been partially covered with a special foil).Now it looks not only better than new, it plays like new again. I´m really proud to have this rare piece of receiver. It once belonged to a US-Army - Officer, who lived in the Rhein-Area. These Sansui were mainly sold to US-Soldiers in Germany. They have not been officially imported to Germany by Sansui. Therefore it´s mega-rare.

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2 Marantz 2285B (US and European version)and a 2265B. Restored and in perfect shape.

Several inputs for all electronic needs. Extremely sensitive tuner, I've personally listened to stations 500 miles away on a good day. More power than most people will use.

The weight, 60 pounds really puts a stress on an entertainment center. It also blows internal explosion proof fuses if you push it too hard. It will blow out speakers if you're not careful.

When I saw the ad for this receiver in the paper, I immediately called the guy. He said it was an $1,100 receiver when he bought it in 1979. I bought the receiver and took it home. I hooked it up to all of my stereo equipment up and turned it on. I was impressed right away. The tuner was extremely sensitive, I could pull in stations 125 miles away. The power output is unreal, I've had people tell me they've heard it 1 1/2 miles away. I have a surround system hooked up through the 4 ch/nr adapter for a complete surround sound system, I have a Dual turntable, Sansui CD player, and Pioneer tape deck, along with my video equipment all running through the receiver. This is the best receiver I've ever owned. If you ever get a chance to purchase one, by all means do so, you'll be in for a surprise.

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Sansui 707A.

Bone-smashing power to drive the most power-hungry speakers to their limit. An absolutely gorgeous unit that is extremely rare.

I don't think there's an entertainment center made that'll cover its demensions. You'll have to go custom, or whatever. Also, combined, the units weigh around 120 pounds.

THE SANSUI G33000!!!! I know this review site is for the G9000, but they don't have a G33000 area for review, so this'll have to do. I just got this Sansui G33000 on E-Bay. I had been in the market for a G33000 for quite some time, but the price was always out of reach for me on the few times I had the opportunity to score one. They are, and always have been, quite rare and highly sought after. So I bid to the max, and wound up having to cough up 2 Grand, plus shipping. I had my serious doubts about going for this unit...that is, until it arrived!The one I got is about as pristine as one could find, and works beautifully, albeit it needed its switches and pots spray deoxed to take care of some scratchiness in the volume knob and selector switch especially. That did the trick.That, plus a thorough cleaning and polishing is all it required! This is, for those of you who don't know, the strongest, best built, most powerful and beautiful receiver Sansui ever made. It puts out 330 Watts per channel continuous RMS; it'll peak at much higher than that, far more power than most sane people could ever find any use for. But that holds a coolness factor and "braggin rights" that can't be found in any other unit of this type. It is truly a unique classic that will only increase in value as time goes by. It comes in two pieces: The receiver/preamp module, and the power amp section. The power amp section weighs 70 pounds, and the preamp/tuner/receiver module weighs 50 pounds. Each unit is 25 inches wide, 3 inches wider than a G9000!It took 3 of my friends and a keg of Heineken to get this thing set up! I'm going to have to get some larger speakers for this animal to reach its full potential (it is currently driving 4 Sansui SP 3500's, and it does so effortlessly, with the volume knob only slightly turned up to reach adequate loudness...gotta be careful...it'll blow the 3500's to smithereens if I'm not careful!) The sound quality is rich and full and far beyond my expectations. It is a rare and true find, and I will NEVER part with it! Simply put, if you want the biggest and baddest receiver ever made by Sansui ( or anybody else, to my knowledge) and have the bucks to shell out, I just can't EVER recommend this unit(s) enough. And thats the absolute bottom-line truth, my friend.

Similar Products Used:

Sansui's 4000, 5000X, 7070, 9090DB, 990DB,G9000, G9000DB, G901DB, and now the last word:The G33000!!!

Power, Power and more Power. Plenty of inputs and outputs. Best sound ever reproduced electronically. Good looking appearance.

Controls need to be cleaned frequently (about every 5 years.)

I am the original owner of my G-9000. In my opinion, there is not another receiver ever made that comes close to this unit. The specifications of this unit are awe inspiring and accurate. For example, the frequency response is rated from 0hz-200,000hz. Several years ago I hooked up my dad's audio generator to the auxiliary inputs. Although the speakers I was using at the time stopped responding below 25hz, the power indicators continued to respond down to 10hz (the limit of the audio generator.) This indicated that sound was being produced from the G-9000 but the speakers were incapable of reproducing it. On the high end, the unit responded all the way up to 200,000hz, (I didn' hear it but our poodle was sick for a couple of days.) Since the advent of the CD it has been my goal in life to accurately reproduce Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overature on my sound system. Now that I have 2 G-9000's driving four Cerwin Vega LS-15's I have come pretty close. I have yet to reach the limit of these receivers. The system is rated at 160 wpc. However, when the cannons go off, the power meters peg at over 300 wpc without distortion. Also, when the unit peaked the lights in my living room dimmed. The panel lights of the unit stayed steady. WOW! The G-9000 is also very pleasing to the eye. The controls are very user friendly and the side inputs are convenient. There are adequate inputs for just about anything you'll ever want to plug into it. As a matter of fact, I have used this unit for a keyboard, PA and electronic drums. It does it all!

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Nothing ever came close.

more power than you'll ever need, reliable, looks gorgeous, pre/power amp can be separated. Best bang for your buck when looking for a serious, well-sounding amplifier on a budget.

selector switch needs cleaning after all these years A remote would be nice - but who cares when the sound is right?

I was looking for an affordable high power amplifier to drive my Magnepan 3.5Rs (another ebay find). Once I saw the G9000s and learned more about them, I bought two of them on ebay. I planned on bi-amplifying my speakers with one G9000 acting as the pre-amp, and each G9000s power amp to be placed after the Magnepan crossover to drive the spakers. However, afterfter 30 minutes of quick and dirty testing, I had blown the fuse in one of my speakers tweeters, and that at 40% volume setting... This receiver delviers RAW POWER, effortlessly driving my speakers to distortion (and these ain't no small bookshelf units but 74" tall planar speakers that generally are considered power-hungy). As for the sound - if you feed it the right source material it will make the speakers sing. If it's a crappy DVD player analog out, it will expose that, too. Heavy unit - I had to buy a serious equipment shelf rated for 350lbs per shelf, and it still seems to bend that shelf! Input and speaker hookups on the sides of the unit comes in handy if you have a lot of sources to swap - it does have ample inputs for any regular user, though. I'd like some better speaker connectors than the old clip deals, but that can be manually upgraded if desired. Not a reason to dismiss this receiver for a serious setup. Both of my G9000's (DB units I guess, since they have this FM dolby thing), have occasionally slight problems with the source selector switch - it is improving with use, but a good cleaning may be in order. It's 25 years old for cying out loud, and that's the only thing I noticed that wasn't perfect on eihter unit (bought from totally different sources, but their condition was identical, showing how well-built these receivers really are).

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Onkyo 504/304 power/pre amp, Onkyo SV70 AV receiver, Rotel power amp/ pre amp.

LOOKS, POWER, BEAUTY, SOUND QUALITY, RELIABILITY......

NONE. IT WEIGHS A LOT, SO YOU BETTER HAVE A STRONG BACK OR HAVE SOME HELP!!

I own the Sansui G-901DB model, which is very similiar to the G-9000. All I can say about this receiver is that IT IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST LOOKING, BEST SOUNDING, ALL-IN-ONE receiver I have EVER listened to. The sound quality with music is absolutely superior to just about anything made today. A REAL MUSIC ORIENTED piece of audio equipment. A+++.

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TECHNICS SA-1000, PIONEER SX-1250, SANSUI 9090 and 9090DB, KENWOOD KR-8050 and 9050.