the arc however, adds great bass to the same speakers. the lack of bass might be due to my use of electrostatic speakers - almost certainly it is partially to blame. I should also note that the arc sounded SO much more detailed it was simply astonishing.įor the money i think the sfs-80 is a nice deal: the build quality is outstanding and you get a great looking amp with a nice smooth, rich sound. within minutes i was hooked on the arc for good though. there is more of a velvety sound with it and when i first put the arc in my system i didn't like it because i was used to the smoothness of the sfs. the sfs is more musical than the arc however. that said keep in mind that the arc goes for about 2600-3000 on the used market these days (4/01) and the sfs for about 1000, 1/3 of the price. the arc has much better bass and is much more detailed and with a much larger sound stage. although i still love this amp i recently upgraded to an audio research vt100 mkII and the difference is night and day. well, it's been some time since my last review of the sfs-80 and ive now had experiences with other tube amps and i feel the need to tame my hysteria about this thing a bit. Now a brand absorbed into Anthem AV, Sonic Frontiers started as a high-end parts distributor in 1987 : Wima, Vishay, WBT, Gold Aero, Cardas, ALPS et al.(not positive about the year. The transition from parts supplier to manufacturer happened in the 1987, first as kits (SFM-75) then as factory built - with much success ahead.Īlongwith the SFS-80, the SFS-40 is part of the first non-kit Sonic Frontiers lineup and is centered around two E元4. " There is a growing recognition by today's sophisticated audiophile that tube technology, rather than solid state, is the best means of attaining harmonic accuracy, correct tonal balance, realistic soundstaging, lifelike dynamics and the greatest sense of overall musicality. With this in mind, Sonic Frontiers has been developing tube electronic products of uncompromising quality which make these sonic goals a reality. They are achieved through the proper execution of modern design principles, superior parts quality, skilled hand craftsmanship while utilizing the inherent strength of the classic vacuum tube. Low feedback design : only 7db (on the 3.Back in the early 90's, Sonic Frontiers was all the rage.Custom-wound, output transformer with a core of grain oriented silicon steel (8th generation proprietary design).Conservatively rated, high capacity power supply, with polypropylene shunt capacitors.State-of-the-Art passive parts quality: MIT MultiCap, Holco, Cardas (custom cable and RCA jacks), Edison-Price, etc.#4.304 Brushed Stainless Steel (non-magnetic) chassis.Front panel bias meter with externally mounted adjustment controls.Twin 6DJ8, differential cascode circuit for the input/driver stage with a regulated B+ supply.This amplifier is ideal for those with medium to high efficiency loudspeakers (mini-monitor, bookshelf, small planar, etc.) and smaller listening environments, but it is capable of driving suprisingly difficult loads effortlessly." The SFS-40 Stereo Tube Amplifier offers audiophiles with moderate power requirements, an extremely musical amplifier at an affordable price. They went under later but the AV subsidiary Anthem is still around. Information on old SF products can be found here. I have used and heard a lot of their products. I put this first because I think in this area they excel, partly because of the era during which they produce products was the era of the excellent (and expensive) Ultranalogue 20-bit D20400A chip. I believe this is one of the best DAC chips ever. SFD-2 This is the earlier flagship which uses 2 chips and has balanced outputs. Later beefed up MkII does, but there are also minor changes and cosmetic variations within its long production, which I shall not go into. I have owned before a MkI before it went bust, and still own a MkII. I suspect, contrary to popular opinion, the cheaper MkI is better sounding. But either one will still show a clean pair of heels to much more expensive, especially modern DACs. Just recently, in a friend's place, it completely slaughtered the DAC section of his Acuustic Arts CDP (whose transport section is no good either all those over-rated reviews!). SFD-1 This is a cheaper version that uses only 1 chip and does not have balanced features. It does not sound nearly as good as the SFD-2.
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