Sonic Frontiers SFS 80 Tube Power Amplifier

W WALDECKER

I just pulled the trigger on a Sonic Frontiers SFS 80 Tube Power Amplifier @ Agon. the seller was a friend AudioJerry who i know from the AudioCircles forums. he was selling it for a close friend that he works with. it is rated a 8/10 due to age but the actual condition is a 9/10. its a beauty with a brushed stainless steel chassis and a black faceplate and uses KT 90 power tubes and 6DJ8s for the input and driver stages. this is my first tube power amp and it will be used in a 2nd two channel rig. Audiojerry said that if this is my first tube poweramp that i will find my experience with the SFS 80 intoxicating :cool: i will post some initial impressions of it after i recieve it and i get to play with it for a few days. thanks....WCW III

RuSsMaN

That's a great amp.

W WALDECKER

RuSsMaN wrote:

That's a great amp.

Hey Russman, i take that as a very high compliment because it is coming from a guy who knows more about tube gear than just about anyone else that i can think of on this forum. thanks....WCW III :cool:

george daniel

Pic's, nekkid ones,,congrats William:)

Dennis Gardner

Good for you WCW!

I have wanted some SF gear with the black faceplate for quite awhile. I just don't care for the gold plates myself.

F1nut

Nice grab. Remember not to power it up without the speakers connected.

W WALDECKER

this 2nd rig with the tube amp is going to get a pair of nice Tube friendly speakers.maybe some Silverline Sonatas or Sonatinas ,i love the way these speakers look and they are supposed to be a match made in Heaven with tube power. yeah Dennis i dont care for the Gold faceplates either, as a matter of fact i have been eyeballing the SFS 80s on Agon for the past two years and i was reluctent to pull the trigger because of the gold faceplates. this is the only SFS 80 i have ever seen with the black faceplate , i saw it last night right after it posted and i Knew that i had to have it, i Googled images for it and they only show it with the gold faceplate.it has the original box and packing, tube cage, and manual and the guy is also sending me an extra Quad of Tesla KT88s with it. he is the original owner and he bought it new from a Sonic Frontiers dealer in 1997. the guy still has another one just like it that he is Keeping for himself, he was originaly using the pair of them in a biamp setup.i cant wait to hook her up to the Lorelei's and see what she sounds like thanks....WCW III

tonyb

Congrats on the grab.Waiting to hear all about the sound.

Emlyn

With Sonic Frontiers gear, the design intent all along was to provide a tube replacement choice for those who would normally use high power solid state gear. You don't really need to look for high efficiency speakers because the power output levels and control are there with a Sonic Frontiers amp. Chris Johnson's amps tend to sound more controlled across the frequency range like solid state designs, but have less "air" than other tube amp designs. Some like them, some not so much.

I occasionally use a Sonic Frontiers Power 2 in the winter, which is a later model and spec'd just a bit higher in output than the 80 model. Funny thing is, the Classe Model 25 solid state amp I just picked up from Troy is almost a dead ringer from top to bottom in sound quality for the Power 2 with 6550 tubes in it.

Great choice on the Model 80.

W WALDECKER

Emlyn wrote:

With Sonic Frontiers gear, the design intent all along was to provide a tube replacement choice for those who would normally use high power solid state gear. You don't really need to look for high efficiency speakers because the power output levels and control are there with a Sonic Frontiers amp. Chris Johnson's amps tend to sound more controlled across the frequency range like solid state designs, but have less "air" than other tube amp designs. Some like them, some not so much.

I occasionally use a Sonic Frontiers Power 2 in the winter, which is a later model and spec'd just a bit higher in output than the 80 model. Funny thing is, the Classe Model 25 solid state amp I just picked up from Troy is almost a dead ringer from top to bottom in sound quality for the Power 2 with 6550 tubes in it.

Great choice on the Model 80.

Hey Emlyn, i like tubes but i dont like them to sound too sweet or overly euphonic and this is the reason i wanted one of the more modern type tube circuit designs. i have been looking at the more recent Audio Research designs, BAT and SonicFrontiers .....Etc and it was just a matter of timing and luck that i picked the SFS 80 for my 2nd two channel rig. it also gives me a new reason to buy loudspeakers, i am looking at Silverline Audio ,Audio Physic.....Etc.and another digital source and maybe i will even get a turntable while i am at it. the Classe model 25 is a fine power amp and i am glad that you are enjoying it ,thanks....WCW III