I can remember the day my father bought his new AM/FM Stereo Receiver, the Sansui 7070.
I knew nothing about technology but I did know from the look of it, this stereo receiver was beyond awesome! And it was probably one of the first major electronic purchases by my father.
For those not familiar with Sansui, the company was founded in Tokyo in 1947. It manufactured transformers but then it would jump into amplifiers and tuners from the 1960s and 1970s.
But in the ’80s, due to competition against Sony, Pioneer, Matsushita’s Technics, the company began focusing on high-end components in Japan, forever changing its corporate identity.
But for those who grew up with parents who were audiophiles in the ’70s, Sansui audio products were must-buys.
For me, the Sansui 7070 was just amazing to look at. Dim the lights and watching the blue lights, with amber and red. And just being hypnotized by the twin power meters.
I remember being amazed by its visual aesthetics. But also remember my father reminding me over and over to not touch it, but yet I had to find out for myself what happened when I pressed one of those silver buttons.
The Sansui 7070 has 65 watts, both channels driven into 8 ohms at 1000Hz and my father had two full-sized speakers to go along with it. But then adding an amplifier and then having a total of four full-sized speakers as he blasted Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Seals & Croft, Queen and of course, because it was the ’70s, I would often hear the Commodores, Bee-Gees and disco music playing when they hosted their well-attended parties.
While I blew out something on the radio, my dad ended up purchasing another stereo in the ’80s to take advantage of CD technology.
Recently I came upon my dad’s stereo manuals. Not sure why I kept them, but sure enough…what a blast to go back through memory lane and remember the days when my parents would blasted their music loud, throw parties and pump this AM/FM Stereo Receiver.
But now these Sansui’s are collectors items. The 7070 was a popular receiver, but it’s 9090 version was the flagship of the AM/FM radio receiver from Sansui, which pumped out 125 watts per channel unlike 7070 which only did 60. So, while the 9090 was the most desirable, the 7070 was the most affordable at around $500+ back then.
