Any Thoughts on the Sonic Frontiers power 1?

I wouldn't bother if I were you....

Hey Chashas, I appreciate your taking time to respond but any chance you could elaborate!

I owned a Sonic Frontiers Power 1 many years ago. It was my first tube amp. I loved it, and eventually upgraded to a Power 2 because my Sonus Faber speakers needed a litte more power to be at their best.

The sound can be best described as full-bodied, and not especially tubey sounding. The bass produced by it is very good. Not what you would normally expect from a tube amp. Tube amps tend to have a lean, but natural sounding bass. The Power 1 has intense bass. Many have described it as a solid-state sounding tube amp, but not in a bad way.

It doesn't have the glorious midrange of a SET amp, but I found the sound to be very satisfying, overall.

I especially liked that it could rock out with my rock and roll records, and play acoustic music (classical) very capably.

If you listen PRIMARILY to classical or unamplified jazz, I would suggest that the 6550/KT88 push-pull design of the Power 1 is not the best you can do. You will be better served with an amp that uses a different tube type, such as EL34, EL84, or 300B, for example.

I currently use a 2A3 SET amp, but I still have the Power 2 and hook it up from time to time, and still enjoy it for what it can offer that a 2A3 can't.

I hope this helps you out. If you have any other specific questions, ask.

Cheers.

Tom

I owned the Power 2....briefly.

I didn't warm up to it (no pun intended). It had an upper midrange glare and a upper midbass hump that completely disappeared when inserting any other amp. I thougt the DNA-1 deuluxe monoblocks I also had at the time sounded more like a good tube amp than the Power 2 did. It would not get my recommendation.

Shakey