Description

The Sansui AU-9500 is a reference integrated amplifier, designed to deliver the highest level of audio performance thanks to a sophisticated all-stage OCL circuit and selected components. It delivers powerful, precise and stable sound, with minimal distortion even under full load. It includes many advanced features, such as three-band TTC tone control, active filters, dual tape monitoring system, and the possibility of 4-channel configuration. Solid construction with quality components and a solid aluminum panel.

Type : Integrated amplifier (pre-main)
Music power (IHF) : 260W (4 Ω, 1 kHz)
Effective power : 85W x2 (8 Ω, 1 kHz, single channel) / 80W + 80W (both channels)
Total harmonic distortion : ≤ 0,1%
Passband : 5 Hz – 40 kHz (IHF), 3 Hz – 80 kHz (+0/-1 dB)
Damping factor : 50 (8 Ω)
TTC Tone Control :
Phono equalizer : RIAA ±0.5 dB (30 Hz – 15 kHz), maximum input 300 mV
Phono inputs :
- Phono1: 2.5mV / 50kΩ
- Phono2: 2.5 mV / selectable 30kΩ, 50kΩ, 100kΩ
Other inputs : AUX, MIC, Tuner, Tape Monitor 1/2, 4ch, NR Adapter (100 mV / 50kΩ)
: Tape Rec, 4ch, NR Adapter, Preamplifier (0.8V / 1.5kΩ)
Controls : Loudness (+10 dB at 50 Hz, +8 dB at 10 kHz), active filters (Low 25/50 Hz, High 6/12 kHz – 12 dB/oct), mute -20 dB
Features :
- Separable pre and power section
- Anti-pop circuit at power-on
- Dual monitoring for tape recorders
- Selector modali5-position ty
- Separate L/R microphone inputs
- DIN connector, switchable A/B/C speaker sockets
- 2 headphone jacks, one with speaker mute function
- 4 AC outlets (2 switched, 2 unswitched)
- Two ground clamps
: 58 transistors, 2 FETs, 37 diodes
: 205W (up to 550 VA)
: 500 x 140 x 347 mm
23,3 kg

Specifications

Amplification type	transistor
RMS power per channel	85 W
Reference load	8 ohm
Stadio phono	MM
Analog inputs	Phono1, Phono2, AUX, MIC, Tuner, Tape Monitor 1/2, 4ch, NR Adapter
Harmonic Distortion (THD)	0.1%
Frequency response	5 Hz – 40 kHz
Phono load impedance	50 Ω
Dimensioni	W 50 × H 14 × D 34,7 cm
Weight	23,3 kg
Trim	Black
Electricity consumption	205 W

About the brand

Sansui is one of the most beloved names in Japanese hi-fi. The era that enthusiasts remember spans the 1960s to the 1990s, when the company designed and built amplifiers, tuners, and turntables in Japan that influenced generations of listeners.

Sansui Electric was founded in Tokyo on June 3, 1947, by Kosaku Kikuchi. Initially, it produced transformers. From 1954, it switched to tube amplifiers and preamplifiers, and in 1958, it introduced its first tube stereo preamplifiers and power amplifiers. In the 1970s, it also made a name for itself with quadraphonic audio, with the QS-1 synthesizer in 1971 and the QS Vario Matrix decoder in 1973. During that period, its product line included amplifiers, tuners, receivers, turntables, cassette decks, and reel-to-reel tape recorders.

Then the market changed. The Shin-Yokohama plant closed in 2001, and in the early 2000s, high-end amplifier production in Japan ended. The Japanese company then ceased production in 2014. Since then, the Sansui name has also appeared on products made under license by other companies, which share only the brand name with the historic models.

The AU series is at the heart of Sansui's history. The matte black front panel, typical of these integrated amplifiers, dates back to the mid-1960s. Among the models that many remember is the AU-999 from 1970, a solid-state integrated amplifier without output capacitors. The most famous is perhaps the AU-9500, introduced in October 1972 as the flagship: approximately 75-80 watts per channel and weighing over 20 kg.

In the late 1970s, Sansui introduced the "Diamond Differential" circuit in the power stage, for example in the AU-D607. In 1984, the AU-D907X introduced "X-Balanced" technology, which uses a balanced drive to reduce the effects of mass on the sound. The evolution of these circuits continued in the following years up to the Alpha series models, which remained in the catalog until 2000.

At the end of the 1980s came the AU-X911DG, with a built-in D/A converter for directly connecting a CD player: a sign of how the brand was trying to accompany traditional integrated amplifiers towards new digital sources.

The first thing that makes a Sansui recognizable is its aesthetics. The matte black front of the AU integrated amplifiers has distinguished Sansui from the often silver-colored units of other Japanese manufacturers for decades, and even today, a glance is enough to recognize them.

The second is technical. Throughout its history, Sansui has worked primarily on the power stage: from the capacitor-free output of the AU-999 to the Diamond Differential and X-Balanced circuits, the goal has always been to reduce what comes between the signal and the speakers.

The third is the completeness of the offering. In the golden years, it was possible to build an entire Sansui system, from turntable to tuner to amplification, with a coordinated aesthetic. For those new to the brand today, it's useful to distinguish between the historic models, designed by Sansui Electric, and the more recent products that bear the same name under license.

Audiocostruzioni It is a shop with showroom and listening room in Carpi and an online store on audiocostruzioni.com. For information on Sansui models or for a system consultation, you can email us or stop by the store: in our listening room, we'll help you choose speakers and sources that match your electronics.

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