Hanson Monitor update.

 

  They're finished in oak veneer. One inch mdf box with heavy internal bracing, lined with grey camera foam and rubber mats. The Hansons employ rare and excellent Dynaudio D28 tweeters between 2 SEAS H352 P17RCY 6.5" woofers (a D'appolito configuration), ported at the back. The speakers have bi-wire terminals that only accept banana plugs. They have black wooden pedestal stands threaded to the underside of the speakers (that can be sand or lead shot filled). They weigh around 60 lbs each.
  When I first heard them, connected to the Sansui AU-8500, I was seriously disappointed. The sound was lifeless and opaque. This with the same amp that had been making beautiful music hours before, driving the ADS L810s. The same amp about which I'd just said "this awesome Sansui is just what I need to drive whatever cool speakers show up this winter."
  I don't have a lot of powerful amps sitting around these days. I hooked up my trusty Arcam Delta 60 and was amazed. It was as if I was hearing a completely different speaker: lovely tonality, tight, deep bass, stunning imaging, great detail. I'm told these speakers (which can easily handle 250 watts/channel) have a dip in their impedance, and the Sansui, I suppose, just isn't a modern enough design for beasts like these. I'm not saying the Arcam is the last word in amplification for the Hansons, but now I'm really enjoying their good qualities. More to come.

ADS L810 pictures.

The cabinets restored nicely, except for the typical plant pot stain, which lightened considerably (and may benefit from more bleach and patience in the future).

  I'm excited about these. As good as the Braun models with the same model numbers are, I've suspected for a while that the ADS models are more solidly built. They sound incredible as I write, driven by the Sansui AU-8500.
  The pair in the picture aren't mine. I have to sand the cabinets (one has a terrible plant pot stain on top) and redo the grill cloth, but they're going to clean up beautifully. Pictures soon.

I'm back.

  I was out of Canada all of October, and was glad to see fall leaves still on the ground when I got home. Now it's getting cold fast, and this awesome Sansui is just what I need to drive whatever cool speakers show up this winter.
  The AU-8500 is rated at 60 watts/ channel, and is the little brother of the AU-9500, which some consider the finest solid state integrated amp Sansui ever made.
  Yesterday I compared it to a Nikko Alpha 230/Beta 30 amp/preamp combo, rated at more than twice the power, and the Sansui was better in every way (the best aspect of the Nikko gear is the Beta 30 phono section), and sounded much more powerful.