Sansui 221 and 331 Stereo Receiver Review, Sound Comparison, Budget Vintage HiFi Audio amplifier

A look at two mid 70's Receivers from Sansui, both nigh on identical
but the 331 just wins in the sound stakes.
But on a budget the 221 is still a good buy.

[@VinylsFinal]

Hi Micheal, i just got a fully serviced, recapped, rebulbed with LEDs and cleaned 221 for £120. The seller is a tech and did the restoring himself. I brought him down from asking £150 to £120. It seems i over paid but i guess it is not so easy to find vintage audio gear restored on the cheap. I am also a vintage audio gear collector :) Please do have a look at the few videos i have on my channel. Thanks Micheal for doing a great job in all your videos.❤

[@MichaelYates]

I think that £120 is a good price for a recapped 221. Not sure how much a service and recap of a 221 would cost from a shop or private these days, everything seems expensive now .I will check your channel out when I get a chance next week. Just got a few things to do around the house for the boss (wife) over the next few days.

[@VinylsFinal]

@MichaelYates Thank you Micheal. The Boss is always right - even if wrong, she's right :)

[@paulturner6336]

I just picked up a 221 and it sounds amazing. I also have a Sansui 7070 that sounds great as well.

[@MichaelYates]

Thanks for the comment, 221,331 and 441 all nice receivers at a very reasonable price 2nd hand, never heard a 7070 in action, but look forward to one day that I might

[@rossparry3168]

Going for about the same price when new.

[@AudioElectronicsChicago]

not powerful but the sound quality is there

[@treadmillrepair754]

Last week I fix one 221, sounds very good. Best Regards.

[@dynacoman7363]

Would be nice for you to review each of the 221 to 881 range.. noting changes in quality of sound. I have 881 and my Tech's 221 seems smoother. He said it's just his cheap spkrs roll off the high end. Wonder what British spkrs you are using in your reviews.. Spendor, Proac, Rogers.. ??? Thanks for posting.

[@MichaelYates]

Thanks for the question, So far I have had the 221,331 and 441 and are all nice little receivers, which are all pretty close in the sound department, these are all STK amp on a chip amps and these seem to give a slightly sweeter smoothing sound I will endeavor to get hold of the rest of the range in time. As for speakers as my channel is a budget channel all my speakers I have acquired have fell in the £10 to £100 bracket, the ones tested with these and other amps have been all the speakers in my other reviews, such as Ditton 15xr, Ditton cs5, Ditton 3 & 4, Wharfedale Glendale XP2, Diamond 3, Diamond 9, Mordaunt Short Ti55, Ti35, Ti25 and so on. The Spendor, Proac etc would properly fall above the budget that I am limiting the channel on at the moment but over time I dare say this will change.

[@milanbogovac]

Thanks for great review

[@joegreer9584]

I think your videos are right on the money. I have the 551. I've compared it to the super scope 340b and the Yamaha cr440. It has the most open sound of the three with a clean midrange. However, there's slight harshness in the treble region that I can't dial back without making the music sound lifeless. The phono preamp isn't very good either so I would suggest people use an external phono preamp with that receiver. The Yamaha sounds dry and lifeless compared to both the super scope and the 551. The midrange of the super scope sounds strained compared to the 551 but it lacks the harshness and has a great phono preamp. So far my favorite vintage receiver is my Harmon Kardon 330a. However it isn't perfect either because the bass is a little bit softer than the other vintage receivers I have. I would describe the 330a as laid back yet detailed.

[@MichaelYates]

Thanks for the comment. Funny you mentioned the slight harshness in the 551 top end, I just rotated round to my 331 and it seems the top end has slighly moved to a little harshness. I have had it 3 years and maybe some caps need replacing now, though not to keen as some people say it can make units sound even brighter so I will hang fire and hope it does not get worse. On the other hand the 441 is holding up well. I missed a few cheap HK330's over the last few years for one reason or other, now they have crept up to over £200 last time I looked. The 221,331,441 can still be got for around the £100 mark when they pop up at auction.

[@joegreer9584]

I forgot to mention it earlier, but I have all of my gear hooked up to Celestion 7 bookshelf speakers on a proper stand about 3 or so feet away from the front wall and at a near unilateral triangle so that the speakers can sound their best. Sounds like a re-cap may be in order for my 551. I know I make it sound like the Sansui was bad but it really isn't. I may be extra sensitive to harshness. I consider vintage audio an insane value to start and I try to get my gear as cheap as possible through thrifting or even flea markets. I really get great joy in how cheaply I am acquiring such outstanding gear. That being said, it pains me to spend the money to service it. I will admit it is my own stubbornness. Thanks for the word of warning regarding a re-cap possibly changing the sound for the worse. I picked up the 551 due to Stereo Review X's videos BTW. I was lucky enough to stumble upon a Sansui 8080db. I haven't listened to it for a while but I just hooked it up. The 8080db seems to grab a few more details while not sounding as rough around the edges when compared to the 551. They are both fun to listen to with great grunt in the bass FWIW. Regarding the HK 330A, when I stated it was my favorite vintage receiver, I didn't mention that I did tone down the treble slightly. The thing is, I can get the treble to a level where I have no harshness while still having a musical sound that I greatly enjoy. I am unsure but the sweet sound of the unit may be due to the fact that it is cap coupled. From reading the audio karma forums, I found that the 330A and 330B were both cap coupled which attributes to a more tube like sound that many prefer over the 330C. I will say that the 330A has a unique sound when compared to my other vintage receivers (in a good way). My particular 330A also has two other really cool features for a receiver so low in the range. It has both left and right treble/bass controls which I use to balance out the sound due to uneven acoustics in my room. Lastly, it has a jumper separating the pre-amp and power amp section which gives great flexibility. Lastly, maybe I was a bit too harsh speaking about the Yamaha CR-440. I will now explain two things that I really like about it. The more I listen to it using the built in phono preamp, the more I appreciate it. It has the only phono preamp out of all of my vintage receivers that beats my separate phono preamp (admittedly a budget oriented DJ ART Pro II). Secondly, as an experiment, I hooked my Pixel phone to a dongle DAC I had lying around, which is going to a RCA Y splitter into my receiver's AUX. I have attempted this with all of my vintage receivers (including the 8080db) and they all sound slightly strained except for the CR440 which actually sounded pretty good. I am unsure why the CR440 performed so well but I am guessing low levels of distortion. I really don't know. Like Stereo Review X, I really enjoy your videos. I really hope you keep them coming. @@MichaelYates

[@MichaelYates]

@@joegreer9584 Thanks Joe the extra information, pretty much started my channel after listening to Stereo Review X, shame he has seemed to have stopped for the moment. He was one of the only channels on here to have an unbiased opinion with a very accurate reviews. As he crept up in the price range I though I could keep it low and add a few easy repaires as well with my videos. Like you I like to pay as little as possible for items, just the feeling of getting something good for next to nothing is a good buzz. Though these bargains seem harder to find these days.

[@MD-ww4bh]

Thanks Michael. I've just picked up a 221 and need some lamps for it. Where do you find these in the UK?

[@hhvictor2462]

you can find them on eBay.

[@AlexMitchell-sj4sb]

Absolutely agree with your review Mike. Thanks to you, I finally got one!! I would say the same, good bass and a rich sound, smooth and airy sound. Totally non fatiguing and like you said, can listen all day. Goes well with some Mission 760 speakers, the 331 does.

[@MichaelYates]

Good you have finally had a chance to hear one as you have gone through a lot more units that me in your time. I think this is as near as best you are going to get for a bottom of the range Receiver. People should just not over pay for one. StereoNiche has just reviewed a 9090 Receiver now thats the one to get. But alas out of my price range. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKjaeKGkisaif6s

[@AlexMitchell-sj4sb]

@MichaelYates I agree, it would be hard to top. Have to be looking more at expensive gear from Luxman, Quad, Cyrus 1 etc to go up in the sound quality area.

[@MichaelYates]

@@AlexMitchell-sj4sb I was looking about at Luxman myself, but even low in the line models are in the couple of hundred. Might get lucky one day though. Be interesting how much better they might sound.

[@AlexMitchell-sj4sb]

@MichaelYates I was scouring ebay one day Mike and saw some Rogers LS3/5A for £800 and a nice 70s Luxman amp for £450. I would love to own something like that or a pair of Tannoys from 1970s or some Spendor BC1. Also I really like Rotel, so either the Rotel RX 1203 or the RX 1603 although I don't need all those watts!

[@MichaelYates]

@@AlexMitchell-sj4sb Would be nice Alex, some people would be lucky enough to buy that set up no problem. But all to do with earnings and commitments for me these days and I like finding a real bargain. I would go with the BC1 or Tannoys maybe over the LS3 I think going but Kelvin and Kevin as Ditton Works thoughts.

[@roypledger77]

I got 331 for £5, cracking little amp 👍

[@MichaelYates]

Best £5 you will probably spend apart from a winning lotto ticket maybe. wish I started the channel 4 or 5 years ago, some of these items were going for next to nothing.

[@charlesscottkelly]

Brilliant, I just been watching your channel, thanks lots of good viewing.

[@MichaelYates]

Thanks for watching!

[@srichards5512]

I have my Uncles Sansui 221 that I've connected to a Sony Tv via a cheap Techole DAC (£10). I’m using my old Kenwood LS-27 speakers and they sound good. I also connect my Iphone or laptop to it using headphone to RCA cables for music and again the sound is really good. All budget and old equipment , but suits my needs ( and my wallet). Love the sound and the retro look of these Sansui’s and it sounds and looks cooler than my mates more modern and expensive equipment.

[@MichaelYates]

The 221 and 331 are very good Receivers that give a great sound for the low budget items they were and get overlooked these days against the Marantz and Pioneer's. You have a nice little Receiver. I have the 331 and 441 now, but wish I kept the 221 as well

[@rafaelleonalcolea3967]

NICE SANSUI ANY MODEL

[@matracehaken6094]

Dear Michael, Thanks for Your detailed review! I have a 221 which I must say sounds gorgeous, precisely as You have said, with almost any pair of speakers. My older vintage AQ 141, which I hadn't been using for a long time, as I thought these were nothing special even with extra damping, with Tesla /TVM drivers, do really sound like never before. Especially music from those times sound gorgeous! I was convinced also by Stereo Review X, and exactly confirm Kelvin's and Your words, that this is a kind of a musical gem. Vivid, musical, enjoying. Thanks a lot for Your review, keep on going! Milos, Your fan from Czech.

[@MichaelYates]

Thank you Milos, yes a loverly receiver

[@rainroosileht7017]

Hi Michael! Have You ever had any experience with low power Leak Stereo 30? Or maybe other older British transistor amps like Sugden A 21, Ferrograph F 307, Quad 303 (rather powerful vs others)? If so, how does these compare to the little 1970s Japanese amps and receivers? Best wishes!

[@MichaelYates]

Hi Rain, at the moment I kind of went straight in and bought quite a few budget Japanese amps and receivers, so still working my way through them at the moment. But as soon as I get pass them I will be looking at some early budget British makes that is for sure.

[@brianrichards5702]

I have a 221 are advent speakers ok with it?

[@MichaelYates]

Yes I think most are 8 ohms and will handle the low wattage output of this Receiver

[@PasqualeGalasso]

Grazie, il tuo canale è importante, mi iscrivo subito.

[@MichaelYates]

Sono felice che ti piaccia e ti sei iscritto al mio canale. Grazie

[@PasqualeGalasso]

​@@MichaelYatesgrazie a te, il tuo canale mi piace molto, merito tuo.

[@PasqualeGalasso]

Ora cerco un 331 apoena lo trovo al giusto prezzo, ti abbraccio.

[@MichaelYates]

Buona fortuna se ne dai la caccia a uno, dovresti prenderne uno a un prezzo ragionevole ed è un ricevitore molto sottovalutato. Quando ne trovi uno, torna e dicci cosa ne pensi

[@PasqualeGalasso]

​@@MichaelYatessto vedendo anche per il 221 le mie casse sono 107db (Klipschorn)