Sansui SE-7 Black 10-Band Stereo Graphic Equalizer, Japan

A black-faced ten-band-per-channel graphic equalizer from Sansui’s strongest years, built in Japan between 1979 and 1982, and a far more serious instrument than the tone controls it was meant to replace.

Twenty sliders in all, ten to a side, at 32, 63, 125, 250, 500 hertz and 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 kilohertz, each offering twelve decibels of cut or boost. Ten bands per channel is what separates an equalizer you can genuinely solve a room with from one that merely tilts the sound. With roughly an octave between centers you can pull down a boom at 63 hertz without touching the weight at 125, or lift presence at 4k while leaving sibilance at 8k where it belongs. The left and right banks work independently, which matters more than it sounds — few rooms are symmetrical, and the side of the room with the bookshelf does not behave like the side with the window.

The engineering underneath is better than this category usually gets. Signal-to-noise is rated at 110 decibels, distortion at 0.008 percent, and frequency response runs from 10 hertz to 100 kilohertz. Those figures describe a component designed to pass the signal through untouched when the sliders sit flat, which is the whole trick with an equalizer: the good ones do nothing at all until you ask them to.

The switching is more thoughtful than most. The equalizer can be taken out of circuit entirely, placed in the listening path, or applied to what you are recording, so you can correct a bright record on its way to tape without living with that correction the rest of the time. Two complete tape monitor loops let you keep two decks connected with full monitoring and dubbing between them.

In black, this is a machine that disappears into a rack and then announces itself the moment you switch on — twenty slider caps in two even rows across a full-width panel is one of the more satisfying looks the era produced.

Condition is Very Good and worth describing precisely. It works perfectly and every band does what it should. One slider knob has been replaced at some point with an aftermarket part rather than the original Sansui cap. It sits correctly and moves correctly, and across a row of twenty sliders it does not draw the eye — the unit presents well on a shelf. But it is not original, and you should know that before it arrives rather than after.

A few relevant specifications:

A properly capable equalizer from a marque that earned its reputation honestly, at a fraction of what the same capability costs new.

Available for pickup in Kanata, or shipped across Canada and internationally — we have sent equipment to fifteen countries in the past year, each piece packed in-house in 275 lb test double-wall boxes. Live shipping rates for your address are calculated at checkout. Backed by Radique Audio’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Available for audition by appointment in Kanata.

Sansui SE-7 10-band stereo graphic equalizer, black Specifications

• 10 bands per channel, 20 total
• Band centers: 32, 63, 125, 250, 500 Hz, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 kHz
• Control range ±12 dB per band
• Frequency response 10 Hz to 100 kHz
• Signal-to-noise ratio 110 dB
• Total harmonic distortion 0.008%
• Input sensitivity 1 V; output level 1 V, 5 V maximum
• Equalizer off, on and record switching
• Two complete tape monitor loops with dubbing
• Made in Japan; produced 1979–1982
• Dimensions: (Width x Height x Depth) 16.9 x 6.3 x 10.8 inches (430 x 159 x 275 mm)
• Weight: 9.9 lbs (4.5 kg)

⚠️ Important Information for International Buyers

This unit is configured for North American 110/120V power. Buyers outside North America will require a step-down transformer and appropriate plug adapter.

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Backed by Radique Audio’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program. When you’re ready to move on, we’ll take it back. That’s the Radique difference.

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