Sonic Frontiers- Quality and Reliability?

And to add to Sutts experience, my Line 3 was better than ARC Ref 1 and I now own Line 3 SE which is even better. In fact, Line 2 "blew away" LS15 which was replaced by LS16.

Maybe it is system dependent, but SF Line series are known to be exceptional.

...Heard the reference SF T3/P3 (Transport 3, or 'Iris', and Processor 3 with the proprietary 'Ultra-Analog' dacs and outboard power supply) digital combo a few weeks ago (original retail $16k USD for both pieces).

They are connected (optimally) through a special proprietary I2Se cable. we compared to ARC CD3MK2 and Sim Audio Eclipse LE, and the SF reference combo was clearly superior- low-level detail retrieval superior to both of the others, with a lower noise floor (although kudos to the Eclipse for this as well).

The ARC CD3MK2 had more 'jump' factor than the Eclipse, but we found it more 'edgy'. The Eclipse was smoother, even though it had a more 'Row K' perspective, which some may like (I don't mind that). The SF combo had the liveliness of the ARC CD3MK2 without the edginess, and dare I say a slightly more 'analog' signature to it. I have owned the Eclipse (along with AA Capitole; Meitner and many others), and the Eclipse is still my fav one-box player, but the SF T3/P3 combo has detail retrieval even the Eclipse doesnt' know about- high praise indeed...

I have an SFL-1 (hybrid); SFL-2 (all tube); and two SF Line 2's (one in my SS system one for my tube system). As you can see I am a real Sonic Frontiers fan. No reliablity problems at all on any of the preampts (or power amps) in 10 years.

Great sound. Tube without the bloat or slugishness. Precise attack without brass/glare. Tube sound decay (musical).

Great remote on Line 2s. Best headphone amp I have ever heard (though I am not an expert on ultra-high end headphones).

Good buys on the used market and great current service.

What's not to like?

Ive had my line 3 for 3 years and have never had an issue with it. I have it connected to a Pass x-350.

A close friend of mine and fellow Audiogoner had Power 3's for nearly four years that he subjected to heavy use -- he never had to replace a single tube (not even an output tube) or had to have it serviced.