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Bryston, Sansui or NAD..which amp to recondition?

I love my NAD 2200 with 1155 pre that i've had for past 4 years.
but then i bought a Bryston 3B and hooked it up to my 1155 pre
oh my.. so much horsepower, such a great rock amp. it likes its mids.
but then i picked up a really nice Sansui AU-719
wow the imagery over the Bryston is amazing, the bass is smother( yet not as powerful. the highs seem more "technical" (?) its really, really nice to listen to.

Bryston factory will do full recondition of the 3B for which i would hope to gain cleaner mid and more delicate highs with tighter bass. But is 400 beans plus shipping.

The NAD was re-capped locally 6 months and sounds pretty good. i was really impressed with the quick, punchy bass and nicer highs that came with the new Elna (?) caps. I haven't done the pre-amp yet.

And then there is my new favorite toy Sansui AU-719. Its really quite different from the Bryston. I'm hoping that a renovation would really open it up and make the bass more controlled and take the highs up a notch, but i could also enjoy it as is. I'm speculating of a great gain when the 30 year old caps are replaced though.

Where would you spend your money if you could only recon one of them?
Im looking for musicality and re-sale for the next time i decide to trade again. Damn, this hobby is starting to get expensive but it sure is fun.
fivefasts
7 responses Add your response
fivefasts OP
27 posts
 
Now I've purchased a Yamaha R9 and a set of KEF 104/2's.
i like those speakers.

I really appreciate how "clean" (?) the Yamaha sounds.

The Sansui and the Bryston 3B seem more "colored" (?) - i actually don't mind the sound of either of them. They are more alike than the Yamaha although still both different.

I opened up the Yamaha and Sansui to clean the switches. Im surprised that the Sansui looks to be twice the piece of equipment while the Yamaha sounds like its a more expensive component.

i should have taken pics
timlub
1,649 posts
 
Just a opinion... all of these can be beat by fairly affordable gear today. If you'd like to keep any of the pieces forever, I would consider having them up graded. If not, I would do as earlier suggested and possibly sell off pieces and replace them. The Sansui is the only that you might have a chance to recoup any of your money if you sold it later... Good luck, Tim
schubert
4,867 posts
 
The Sansui, yesterday, today and tomorrow !
AU-719 and 919 were among the most musical pups ever birthed.
runnin
397 posts
 
In the initial post it seems that none of the amps need any repair. It's therefore hard to say whether any of them are operating out of spec. So how they sound now may be as good as they are going to get, sonically speaking. At any rate, it sounds like he just got the Sansui so more time getting used to the sonics of it may be in order.
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mesch
1,679 posts
 
I agree with Kotta. Enjoy the Sansui as is. At most, recap the NAD pre. Usually hard to get replacement transistors for older solid state gear. Better to upgrade to newer used integrated than spending on the Bryston.
yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
2,678 posts
 
Is that Sansui an integrated or basic amp? If it is an integrated you can't really compare them unless you can separate the amp and pre amp on the Sansui!
kotta's avatar
kotta
638 posts
 
I personally wouldn't spend the $ on the Bryston because you'll not get the money out of it. I'd sell the 3b and get a 3B-ST. (Sell the 3b for $400-500 and get the ST for $800-900. Money better spent IMO.) I own an early 80's Sansui AU amp and it is a really nice piece. However, yours is older. If you put money into it who knows if anything else will go wrong? Why don't you recap the 1155 and then decide...maybe the 2200 would be perfect for your tastes. You'll have matched pieces as well. It sounds like to me you like to experiment.
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