Sonic frontiers

I have also owned my share of Sonic Frontiers equipment over the years:

SFM 75  Mono Amps

SFM 160 Mono Amps

Power 1 Stereo Amplifier

Line 1 Preamplifier

Line 1 SE Preamp (factory upgrades)

Line 2  SE (Upgraded by Parts Connexion)

I think that the amplifiers were very good. More “solid” than “exciting”.

The preamplifiers were all excellent! They did everything well! An excellent user interface as well as world-class sonics. Definitely had clarity, detail, sparkle, 3-D sense of space. Also that remote was something special. The preamplifiers featured the excellent Head Fi Headphone circuitry.  I purchased some of the equipment right here on Audiogon, some direct from Chris at PCX, And the SFM 160 monos from John R. at Audio Connection.

All of the stuff was built like a tank. They were also beautiful pieces to look at. They had that “cool” factor! I loved the Chrome chassis. The black face plates were attractive and the gold plates were luxurious! The amplifiers featured bias meters or LED bias indicators and were very easy to set the bias.

With Parts Connexion still available I would not hesitate to buy Sonic Frontiers equipment. Chris and the staff at PCX/ACX are terrific and easy to work with! Not only have I had them do upgrades in the past, but I have also purchased new equipment and accessories including cables from them. They are a first class organization!

I forgot to mention I am currently running a Bhk preamp with a Bhk 250 power amp

Only issue I had with a SFI preamp were the relays that were used.  They sometimes would get stuck.  Sound, though not tubey, was great.

The great thing about SF today, there is support from Partsconnexion, equipment that is over 30 years old still supported to this day.

Owned Line 3, Processor 3 and Iris CDT in mid 90's, not real tube sound, but very enjoyable.

Test the waters, you have support.

I’ve owned a number of Sonic Frontiers components over the years and the surprising negative comments some have submitted compelled me to share my personal experiences with Sonic Frontiers. 

I consistently found Sonic Frontiers to be perhaps the best sounding “Bang for the Buck” brand in home audio in their day.  Not in terms of “Entry Level gear for super cheap”, but in terms of True Audiophile sound for less than crazy insane prices. 

While I’ve never listened to the Power 3, the Power 2 is by far the BEST sounding amp I’ve ever had in my system!   For the record I’ve owned Threshold, Bryston, Audio Research, and BAT amps (among others).  At the time the Power 2 was feeding Von Schweikert VR4-SR Mk II speakers thru a Chris Johnson upgraded Sonic Frontiers Line 2 Signature +. 

I eventually sold the Power 2 because all those tubes heated up my San Antonio home in the summer.  However, I still use the Line 2 preamp in my main system.  I’ve got old stock Amperex PQ and White Globe tubes in it and in terms of sound quality, I’ll put it up against most anything else out there costing 3-times as much.  FYI - it's currently driving a Scott Frankland modified Bruce Moore & Associates D60 amp feeding Return of the Legend MkII speakers.