SONIC FRONTIERS LINE 3...TUBES & CAPS upgrade

Before you spend any money on upgrades and modifications, I would suggest using the SF L3 in stock form to determine if like the sound of the unit.

I owned a SF L3 many years ago and chased the "upgrade" path only to conclude that that I could not make a silk purse out of a pig's ear. I liked the build and ergonomics, but the sound was totally uninvolving.

I rolled Valvo (SF recommendation), Amperex 7308, and Siemens 6922 PQ with marginal improvements.

The SF is a very complex pre amp, therefore, making it very difficult and expensive to work on. Since Part Connexion has a lot of experience with SF products, they may be able to perform the modifications more efficiently, thus resulting in a lower cost.

PS - Parts Connexions prices are quoted in USD, but they convert the price to CDN dollars at time of billing.

Fully loaded Upgraded Parts Connexion SF L3 comes on the market quite frequently and the asking price is not too much more than a stock L3, albeit you won't have the option of customizing the unit with the parts you covet.

Use the stock L3 in your system for the time being and if you decide you like the sound, keep an eye out for a SE+ L3 and sell your stock L3. You will never recoup your upgrade investment should you go down that route only to learn you don't like the unit.

Good luck.

Its doesn't matter if you buy in the US or Canada, it is only a bad deal if you end up with product you don't like.

Buy a preamp that sounds right to your ears, why chase a pre that sounds bad in its stock form and hope for the best with upgrades. That sounds like a plan for potential failure.

Its doesn't matter if you buy in the US or Canada, it is only a bad deal if you end up with a product you don't like.

Buy a preamp that sounds right to your ears, why chase a pre that sounds bad in its stock form and hope for the best with upgrades. That sounds like a plan for potential failure.