Sansui 17 series compared

摘要

I read Tim Jarman's review of the Sansui AU-317Ⅱ in the June issue with great interest. Some three and half decades ago I bought its bigger brother, the AU-417.I generally agree with Tim's assessment of the '317Ⅱ in that the AU-417 also sounded 'neutral', 'dry' and 'matter of fact', in fact slightly lean. This suited my taste quite well and I took to it initially. However, I did not think that the AU-417 sounded 'vivid and fast', which was Tim's description of the AU-317. This was revealed when I used it with KEF 101 loudspeakers. The KEF speaker was as difficult to drive as the ubiquitous, yet insensitive, BBC LS3/5A. I found the sound flat and uninvolving and certainly not 'full of life', as Tim found with the AU-317, though the KEF sounded wonderful in the showroom, being driven by a beefy pre/power amp. I thought it a mistake for not getting the well-reviewed AU-317.