And my easy-to-drive Alón V Mk.IIs sing quite happily on 100Wpc, thank you very much. Both of these guys are very picky and can afford anything on the market.Ģ) Sonic Frontiers' President, Chris Johnson, claims that the designs of the Power 2 and 3 amplifiers are so close that, if one owns speakers that require no more than 100W per side, he would not be able to tell the difference between the 2 and the 3. Aside from the fact that I enjoy reviewing four-6550/KT88-pentodes-per-side tube amplifiers because they tend to be very versatile and cost-effective, I was especially interested in the Power 2 because:ġ) I have two well-heeled audiophile friends who constantly rave about their Power 3 amplifiers. Ultimately, I was able to squeeze the Sonic Frontiers into my review schedule. "Well, let me discuss it with Wes Phillips." "But this is a direct trickle-down from our Power 3 200W monoblock! What we've done is make a 110W stereo version on one chassis. Johnson's facial expression resembled that of the young executive who's just been told he's not getting the promotion he'd expected. It looks like a very interesting design, but maybe you'd be better off having it reviewed by someone who could get to it a bit quicker."
Sonic frontiers tube amplifier full#
"Uh, well, actually, I have quite a full plate of review samples in-house, so I really wouldn't be able to get to your amp for quite some time. A review sample will be ready for you in two weeks. So you're still looking for your dream amplifier under $5000? Well, here it is! The Sonic Frontiers Power 2. "Hey, Bob Reina! I enjoyed your review of the Cary SLM-100 amplifier in the May 1996 Stereophile. The standard inputs have a smooth, relaxed and confident sound that will never offend, but if you’re a committed music lover the direct input removes some of that sheen and offers a gritty, real world sound.I was attacked by Chris Johnson of Sonic Frontiers at HI-FI '96. The Sonic Frontiers SFC-1 is a large, well built amplifier that has more facilities than one expects from a tube amp and delivers two alternative sonic styles. It doesn’t have the grip of the EAR 834 but neither does it have that model’s stridency, which means that one can listen to it for hours without fatigue setting in. It lacks the expansiveness of that model but has more muscle and represents a good balance of openness and control. Next to the Audio Note Oto SE, the SFC-1 sounds a little compressed and mid forward. The latter would be useful, however, if the source or loudspeakers were inclined to over enthusiasm. There’s still a faint notion of veiling but nothing like the gloss encountered on the standard inputs. Using the direct input the SFC-1 displayed a strong and attractive midband that worked well with CD, resolving a good deal of detail and reproducing depth and tone in a convincing manner. This made a dramatic difference the veneer of civility was gone, replaced by clarity and presence - it’s just a pity that there’s only one such input. After a while this overly civilising influence became uninspiring and I switched over to the direct input. It had a degree of veiling that meant that saxophones, for example, lost their metal. I started listening to the SFC-1 using the CD input and was rewarded with a relaxed, open and polished sound that lacked bite and dynamics.
Sonic Frontiers started out selling designer components and the SFC-1’s guts are replete with Holco resistors, MIT multicaps and Gold Aero tubes. It has user adjustable bias, easy style, tape out and tasty PCB mounted phonos. By British tube standards it has an abundance of them six line inputs, including one called ’direct’ that bypasses the selector, mute/operate and mono/stereo switches as well as balance. Just don’t try to stick it onto anything but the most accommodating equipment rack.įacilities are what really sets the SFC-1 apart. It’s easily the biggest amp in this test, but whether that’s a good thing is a matter of opinion. A ll the way from Canada, the slick and puiposeful Sonic Frontiers SFC-1 is the only foreign body in this cosy group.
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