Oh it depends on the Sansui item itself. Some of their speakers got a bad rap because of lack of bass. But their Amps and Receivers have that "Smooth Analog Sansui Sound" !! I have a pair of Japan only Sansui SP5000 speakers which are crazy efficient (weigh 100lbs each). Im talking "Who" level db with ZERO distortion. And the sound is crazy good. And some of the SP series speakers where made in collaboration with JBL. Have a pair of SP3500's which are a JBL/Sansui design. Those do lack some in the bass. But when paired with a sub, well they shine. But you have fan boys of all makes. I love all my Akai R2R decks, have several Pioneer TT's but my main TT is a Kenwood KP1100. But I have several higher end Pioneer Receiver's which just dont reach my Sansui 9090db's level of performance. They are nice, but not quite there. But overall sound is relevant to each listener. A simple test.. Listen to any song through speakers (not headphones). Dial in the "bass, mid, and treble to your liking. Now for the fun part. Grab the back of your ear and push it forward just a little. What happened ??? The overall bass, mid and treble changed !!! As the shape of ones ear is manipulated the overall eq of the song changes. So what I find pleasing, may not be pleasing to you, because of the shape of our ears. I do favor the new Yamaha AV Receiver's, but for music.. Its all vintage for me.