A High Value, True Heavyweight Tuner from the Golden Era of HiFi
Why, in the age of streaming, would anyone buy a radio tuner? For me it has to do with several factors.
1. The quality of good analog FM broadcasts. Granted the quality for many stations has fallen, but there are still good ones, including many NPR and independent stations.
2. Discovering good music (& other content) that is new. There are still some wonderful curated music shows that expand not only one’s experience of genres and titles, but the hosts add a wealth of knowledge.
3. Elegant industrial engineering and build quality. To be honest, aside from the great performance of the Sansui TU-717, it is beautiful with solid controls that are a joy to feel and use. It is built like a tank and after over 30 years, it will last many more.
Referring back to my first point - the first time I turned on this receiver and tuned to one of my favourite stations, my body literally relaxed because of the audio quality. The sound is full and balanced throughout the frequency range. There is bass (!) providing a foundation for the full range. The first impression that came to mind was “Solid!”
As with any high fidelity audio component, regular maintenance and service are necessary - you don’t have to throw it away when something goes wrong. My unit is no exception. Some of the lights on the beautiful front panel are out, and I suspect some of the capacitors and filters should be replaced. In fact, I have a whole list of tweaks for my service shop to perform; I got those from the FMTUNERINFO website
In a good system with a good antenna, this tuner is just wonderful. There are others that no doubt surpass it, but certainly not for the price this Sansui normally fetches. Frankly, I would have one in every one of my systems if the mood struck me and money weren’t a factor. If you value well reproduced music and the joy of over-the-air radio, the Sansui TU-717 is worth consideration.
Although this item is over 40 years old, it is still a highly rated and sought after tuner by audiophiles. Compared to my previous tuner the sound quality is richer and has more depth.