Sansui RA-700 Reverb/Amplifier

[kfbkfb]

https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/sansui/ra-700.shtml

Anyone use one or more of these devices to (try) to create fake surround sound from stereo?


Kirk Bayne

 

[par4ken]

IMHO, that is a very crude way to get surround sound. While reverb was always a cool effect when added to electric guitar to use for surround produces an effect that could hardly be called hifi! I had an amplifier "Sears Electronics" that had a built in reverb. Those early units used a spring for delay (as does the RA-700), as I said a very cool effect when added to a guitar but very artificial added to recorded music.

As quad faded companies came out with "Bucket Brigade" type delay circuits. They were meant to add reverb to stereo, also a waste of time IMHO they didn't seem to last very long in the marketplace. Digital circuits also appeared, perhaps producing better sound quality but still the entire premise is flawed!

 

[Sonik Wiz]

https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/sansui/ra-700.shtml

Anyone use one or more of these devices to (try) to create fake surround sound from stereo?


Kirk Bayne

Spring reverbs have such a twangy distinctive sound they are unusable unless you are looking for that specific effect. I had a similar Pioneer reverb that had a mono reverb but mixed it in with the stereo signal. Best thing about that unit was gutting it & I built a 2 band Variomatrix decoder in the box.

I also had a newer all electronic bucket brigade Pioneer reverb. Again it didn't last long in my set up. I hooked it the decoded rear outputs but all it did was blur the sound image.

I've noticed most all of these units by Sansui/Pioneer etc had extravagant visual displays to portray what was being done to the sound. That was the funnest part.