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Sonic Frontiers or Pass with Dunlavy 4a

Heres my situation. I have a Sonic Frontiers Line 3 preamp connected to an X-350. I have an opportunity to go with an all Sonic Frontiers system, Power 2 and SFCD-1 and I like the idea of trying components that were made to complement each other. On the other hand, I could go for the X-1 preamp. I like the natural, detailed sound of the 350 and i've heard the SF tube amps are on the neutral, detailed side as well. I would like a little more bloom in the mids but not at the expense of sacrificing everything else. Im not trying to turn this into a tubes vs ss thread, but I wouldn't mind hearing from people who have had both driving their Dunlavys. Im sure opinions are extreme in both camps and thats fine, i'm just trying to get some insight before I make a decision. I also have a concern about the power 2's ability to drive the 4a's.
cmpromo
aaronm's avatar
aaronm
99 posts
 
I like the Pass gear with the Dunlavys. Sonic Frontiers is good stuff; pleasant,but it wasn't my flavor of sound. I really don't think the Pass X1 is going to give you the "midrange bloom" you are looking for. It is a very neutral sounding piece. If you are looking for bloom, the all SF system may be more to your taste. Best Regards,
tfkaudio
591 posts
 
I'm driving my Sonus Faber GP Home speakers with a Power 2 amp. Even though the GP's are 90db rated, they are a hard load and need power. I think it has to do with the impedance curve which seems to be more important than the strict efficiency rating, based on what I've read and observed. I started on the Power 1 but had to upgrade to the Power 2 to get the most of these speakers. I'd bet the Power 3 monoblocks would be a treat, but you have to stop somewhere, you know?
I'm a multiple SF owner, so you should know that my input is definitely biased toward Sonic Frontiers.

Little segue... I was at a great high-end shop in the Chicago burbs recently and they were great hosts (OK, it's Holm Audio). I felt guilty making them set up all sorts of shit for me, but they did it happily. They had one line of products, IMHO, that outdid the Sonic Frontiers stuff that I run. It was called "Thor Audio", and the price tag was high, but Holy Cow! If I could afford it, man would I be picking them up in the blink of an eye.

Now Tevya sings "If I were a rich man..........
sean
6,231 posts
 
Before swapping active componentry, i'm going to give you my standard answer for someone running good quality equipment but looking for that last bit of system performance and sonics. That is, try swapping some Goertz MI-2 Veracity speaker cables into your system. Goertz offers a 30 day money back guarantee and are great to work with. Just make sure that you ask for and use their impedance compensation networks, even if they tell you that you probably don't need them.

These cables will provide you with different sonics than what you already have, and whether or not you like it is a personal choice. The MI-2 Veracity's should allow the Pass to really "load up" into the Dunlavy's. The increase in warmth and midrange liquidity should be easy to notice and may be just what you're looking for. If not, simply package them back up and send them back to Goertz. Simple enough, isn't it??? I don't know if you could find a cheaper way to make sure that what you've got for electronics isn't already "good enough" to do what you want : ) Sean
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