Author Topic: SAKURA AMP (Read 325809 times)

Zitr0 · « **Reply #780 on:** Jan 18, 2007 at 07:51 AM »

Sansui, lam ko na sabi m sa mga unang post that this sounds smooth, more musical, and with finesse.

Pano bro ung soundstage, Depth of music, separation, detail?

TNX!

sansui · « **Reply #781 on:** Jan 18, 2007 at 08:31 AM »

Ric999, when I first listened to this amp using a cd of bossa nova solo saxophone music, I was amazed. I heard the raspiness, and the full bodied sound of the sax. I never heard that sound in my other amps before. I can also hear the subtlety of the singer breathing in some of the passages. Classical guitar solos (I am a classical guitarist) sound crisp and clear. Pinoy boy band recordings sounds good too (I am used to hearing live jamming sessions since my brother is the drummer of the bands "Sandwich", "Pedicab", and the now defunct "Teeth"). In acoustic recordings, I can easily imagine where the players are playing because the sound is distinct enough to let me hear the details. And it definitely does'nt sound boomy or muddled nor too forward. When comparing the sound using a few amps I own (Pioneer, Konzert, Hyundai, and this Sakura), this Sakura easily stands out. The other amps sound almost the same, mababaw at dry ang tunog compared to this Sakura. I am not saying that this amp is best. But for its price and sound, it is the best bang for the buck among the sea of chinese amps.

Zitr0 · « **Reply #782 on:** Jan 18, 2007 at 11:19 AM »

Thanks bro.

Ill try to check this out, sana lang makadaan ako dyan sa south, sa may llanas n sinasabi nyo... hehehe!

reynold · « **Reply #783 on:** Jan 18, 2007 at 11:36 AM »

Sir Sansui,

That was a great review

Actually i'm planning to get a sakura 387a but now, parang nagdadalawang isip ako and also based on my experience din, tama ang sinabi mo that if it's good in music, it's also good in movies... I went to raon yesterday but i found nothing of this model and it seems that no one (sakura sellers in raon) knows of this model <very sad and disappointing, distributor pa man din sila ng sakura, hehe

>

Anyway, i hope you post some reviews pa and more power... pa-post din sir kung may iba pa kayo alam na nagbebenta nitong model na 'to.

Thanks and God Bless =)

av_phile1 · « **Reply #784 on:** Jan 18, 2007 at 11:45 AM »

Quote from: sansui on Jan 17, 2007 at 08:40 PM

Ric999, the Sakura brand when you do a search in Google is different from the Sakura that we know. I was browsing some of my old magazines last week when I discovered where this particular Sakura amp's physical design was copied: Forseti intgrated amp made by a company named Alchemist. Halos sakto ang pagkaka gaya ng face plate and knob controls. The magazine where I saw the ads is: F1 The Magazine of Music and Sound- issue December 1997 (Paul McCartney is on the cover). When I searched Google this afternoon for Forseti integrated amplifier, this came up:

www.alchemisthifi.info/ranges/forseti/alchemist_forseti_apd15rc_integrated_amplifier.htm

The physical design of these Forseti series of the brand Alchemist is what this Sakura AP-009 looks like. Hope that helps you ric999 and juric.

Wow that's a very interesting find. The Forseti has an idle power consumption of 100 watts which reveals its class A/B topology must be biased close to a Class A amp. If the Sakura model copied this Forseti lock stock and barrel, including the circuit but for 6 channels instead, I have to say you have an integrated amp with a real killer value.

juneaki · « **Reply #785 on:** Jan 18, 2007 at 01:54 PM »

I think i saw this amp in one store at Raon. Just can't remember the name of the store but it is the one immediately before DEECO when you come from Quezon Blvd sa right side. I just dont know kung meron pa silang stock o kung nandon pa yun. March of last year pa kasi ng makita ko 'to when i was looking for a set of sound system for my child's school.

vergel · « **Reply #786 on:** Jan 18, 2007 at 02:12 PM »

up ko lang mga sir!!!

baboinsky · « **Reply #787 on:** Jan 18, 2007 at 02:41 PM »

at the risk of sounding stupid. Can you use these amp with your AV receiver (Bi-amp)?

sansui · « **Reply #788 on:** Jan 18, 2007 at 04:21 PM »

I went and tried finding this particular model at Raon twice and found none. I asked the owner of the store where I bought it why there is none in Raon. He said since it is priced a little on the high side (compared to Konzert 302 and 502A and other Sakura amps), the dealers do not want to stock them for fear they might not sell fast. Since December 2006 the store sold 3 of this amp. There is one on display now and it is for sale. BE WARNED though that there are 4 models of these Forseti looking amps. I checked model A006 and its finish is not as finesse as the AP-009. Also, the A006 uses an ordinary transformer, not the torroidal type found in both the power amp AP-009 and its matching preamp AK-008. As to whether Sakura copied the circuitry of the Forseti, I cannot tell though I've examined the innards of this Sakura amp and have seen that of the Forseti in the internet (I'm no engineer). I can say however that I find the Sakura's circuitry neat and elegant looking. The name of the store in Sucat, Paranaque is BN Electronics. Owner is Bert Figuracion. It is located near the Lopez area and in-front of Mercury Drugstore. It's a small store so look carefully so you will not miss it.

reynold · « **Reply #789 on:** Jan 18, 2007 at 07:47 PM »

Thanks Sansui for the info, it'll help a lot

Signal2Noise · « **Reply #790 on:** Jan 19, 2007 at 09:49 AM »

Puwede 'yon, basta wag mo lang bibiritn iyong amp. Tamang listening level lang and you will bring back the glory days of your system.

Regards,

vergel · « **Reply #791 on:** Jan 19, 2007 at 01:37 PM »

ok salamat sir, siguro hindi ko na lang lalakasan masyado kasi hindi nmn pang malakasan yung speakers ko,
may ma iirecommend ka ba na speaker set for this sakura 387a para pag uupgrade ko...thanks in advance

vergel · « **Reply #792 on:** Jan 20, 2007 at 12:34 PM »

or available pa ba itong ganitong model sa raon? anybody???

Signal2Noise · « **Reply #793 on:** Jan 20, 2007 at 01:58 PM »

Quote from: vergel on Jan 20, 2007 at 12:34 PM

or available pa ba itong ganitong model sa raon? anybody???

I've seen several loudspeakers at Raon, brands like: Phaser, Tamashi, JBC, Magnum, Promac, Dai-Ichi...etc. But only one brand produced
a good quality sound and also the built...For me.....the name Crown.

I bought a pair of Crown sat speakers last 2000 (for only Php1000/pair - 40w @ 5 ohms 91dB) and until now maganda pa rin tumunog. There were times na if I don't want to listen sa Monitor Audio S6 ko, I paired it with my tube amp and acceptable ang sound delivery nitong Crown sat.

Try to look for this brand and auditioned and you will be surprised...sa price tag, built quality and sound....Reasonable ito.

With regards sa Sakura amp, marami nang model ang inilabas nito and I guessed mas refined na ang sound quality compared sa 387. You can check other models baka meron ka pang makita na mas maganda compared doon sa 387.

Regards,

lotus · « **Reply #794 on:** Jan 22, 2007 at 03:41 PM »

is it recommended for HT set-up... does it have 5.1 inputs? or may i say 5.1 ready?

sansui · « **Reply #795 on:** Jan 24, 2007 at 02:33 AM »

vergel · « **Reply #796 on:** Feb 01, 2007 at 01:24 AM »

salamat signal2noise
hanap na lang siguro ako sa raon pag may time, auditioned ko na lang din with other sakura amplifier, siguro nga may mas bago ng labas na model, maraming salamat for your help esp. sa mga baguhang katulad ko,any help i can offer to you just in case you need sa mga hobbies ko,
isa pang tanong, anong brand magandang sub sa raon na affordable ang price pero quality maganda,,thanks in advance..
vergel

Signal2Noise · « **Reply #797 on:** Feb 04, 2007 at 06:36 PM »

Quote from: vergel on Feb 01, 2007 at 01:24 AM

salamat signal2noise
hanap na lang siguro ako sa raon pag may time, auditioned ko na lang din with other sakura amplifier, siguro nga may mas bago ng labas na model, maraming salamat for your help esp. sa mga baguhang katulad ko,any help i can offer to you just in case you need sa mga hobbies ko,
isa pang tanong, anong brand magandang sub sa raon na affordable ang price pero quality maganda,,thanks in advance..
vergel

I've seen a 12" Konzert passive sub worth Php6K only somewhere in Raon. But I would suggest na i-check mo iyong mga tindahan ng mga loudspeakers doon at baka makakita ka pa nang mas maganda at reasonable para sa price tag nito. Better look for active subs, iyong powered na, it's a matter of bargaining para at least kung makatipid ka ng worth P500, may pang-taxi at pang-meriendang chami or lumpiang sariwa doon. OK

Voltraizer · « **Reply #798 on:** Feb 04, 2007 at 06:41 PM »

Quote from: Signal2Noise on Feb 04, 2007 at 06:36 PM

pang-meriendang chami or lumpiang sariwa doon. OK

alam ko yan , yun globe na lumpia

DTS · « **Reply #799 on:** Feb 15, 2007 at 08:02 AM »

Hi Sansui, how's the AP-009? It's been almost a month since your last update.

I might be going to the Sucat area on Saturday and plan to drop by BN to check out this amp.

Has anyone else experienced using this amp?

jerix · « **Reply #800 on:** Feb 15, 2007 at 11:00 AM »

if this model is good why is this not popular in the market?

ATJr. · « **Reply #801 on:** Feb 15, 2007 at 02:44 PM »

4 amp fuse means power islimited to 880watts,this is huge......

sansui · « **Reply #802 on:** Feb 17, 2007 at 02:07 AM »

Hi DTS! I'm still enjoying this Sakura amp. And I would say that you get a lot of performance and sound finesse for so little money. Another plus is the attractiveness of its physical design. Everyone I know who see this amp is impressed. So far, my average daily music listening with this amp is about 4 hours daily. Have not experienced any problem. Very much satisfied.

DTS · « **Reply #803 on:** Feb 18, 2007 at 09:31 AM »

Hi Sansui. Before I begin, let me first thank you for telling all of us here in this community about the AP-009.

Anyway, I was able to drop by BN yesterday. I asked to see the AP-009 and the accompanying AK-008 preamp. The only thing that disappointed me was that the 5.1 inputs were in the amp and not the preamp. This is because all I needed was a 5.1 capable amplifier and do not really fancy karaoke, meaning I would only need the 009 and not the 008. But as you already know, they don't sell it separately.

Proceeded to audition it anyway. I consider myself "maarte" with audio, but not to the extent of being an audiophile. It just has to sound good and clean, and the 009 seems to do so. I didn't get to test it much as I forgot to bring my own CDs. As for power, the 009 seems to have substantial amounts of it as it was driving BN's huge speakers quite easily.

I told the lady about my predicament and asked Sakura had a 5.1 amp. The lady didn't seem very well versed on the Sakura products and as we looked in the brochure, I had to point out to her that they did have a 5.1 amp, the AP-007.

They didn't have one in stock, so I placed an order for one. They're supposed to call me when the unit arrives at the shop, hopefully this week.

Anyways, could you help me on something? How would I know if this amp has torroidal transformers as opposed to regular ones? I'm really hoping the 007 is just the equivalent of the 009 without the need for a karaoke preamp.

Weng! · « **Reply #804 on:** Feb 18, 2007 at 09:47 AM »

sir,

have you tried pairing the A009 as a power amp to an entry level AVR for HT?

OK kaya ang sound nito compared to the built-in discrete amps ng mga entry level AVR's?

sansui · « **Reply #805 on:** Feb 18, 2007 at 01:43 PM »

DTS, have you seen the AP-008 on display? I checked it with the intention of buying but decided not to go with the sale after I inspected it. The reasons: 1) Non-torroidal power supply, 2) The fit and finish is well below the high quality I find the AP-009 to be and, 3) the remote control supplied appears flimsy and with the letterings seemingly just letter transfers that will flake off on normal handling (although its to Sakura's credit that the remote control housing is made of brushed aluminum). As with the AP-007, I don't know. I can only surmise that it's the same as with the AP-008 being a lower model to both the AP-008 and AP-009. I think you're better off buying the AP-009 and its mandatory karaoke preamp. If you will not be needing the preamp, I guess there will be interested buyers for it. You cannot really properly audition the amps in their shop because of the noise in the street. I bought this AP-009 almost blindly and was just impressed by its looks and hefty weight (compared to other chinese amps). But I am pleasantly surprised well above my expectations once I set it up in my house. It's one of those "blind buying" that turned out to be a really good discovery. I will be happy to hear from you again.

sansui · « **Reply #806 on:** Feb 18, 2007 at 01:57 PM »

Hi Gnew! I have not yet tried the home theatre capabilities of this amp since I only use it for listening in stereo music. I have a Hyundai home theatre with its own discrete amp. I have not yet found the time to set-up this Sakura AP-009 for home theatre duties. Anyway, there are four volume control knobs in its front, one each for: Rear, Front, Sub, and Main Volume. There is a push button switch for listening to stereo or multi-channel surrounds.

sansui · « **Reply #807 on:** Feb 18, 2007 at 02:05 PM »

Sir AVphile, I would like to ask for your respected opinion / answer. I've been using this Sakura amp almost daily at normal room listening levels. It does not get hot nor really warm unlike the Konzert or the Pioneer amps that I also own. It has no fan and its heatsinks also do not get warm. I am just wondering why? Thanks in advance.

DTS · « **Reply #808 on:** Feb 19, 2007 at 09:10 AM »

Hi Sansui. How can I see if the power supply is torroidal?

sansui · « **Reply #809 on:** Feb 19, 2007 at 10:45 AM »

DTS, you can peek through the vent holes at the top of the amp. They are numerous and large enough so it is easy to view its innards.