Sonic frontiers

I had that sonic frontier equipment  about 15 years ago along with the rather unique top loading cd player. I used quad 929 speakers with a subwoofer. I really liked the sound but the amps had a bit of hum. All in all I would not buy them today. . 

I have the following Sonic Frontiers equipment:

1. SFCD 1
2. Line 3
3. Line 1
4. Power 2
5. Phone 1

All of them have been upgraded by Chris at Parts Connexion to their full extent or almost full extent. Each one is dead quiet.

Some of this equipment I bought new and some I had bought used over 20 years after their initial release. I only replaced 2 of the units so far:

1. the fully upgraded Line 3 and upgraded to the current Audio Research 6SE (which is slightly more transparent, just as fast but misses out a bit on the musicality of the SF Line 3)
   --- while the AR 6SE does sound absolutely wonderful and does exact more transparency I do miss the musicality of the line 3, was the AR 6SE worth the price? Only because I picked up a barely but gently used one for a fantastic price. Otherwise no, I don't think it was worth the cost to change preamps. Yes, the Line 3 is just that good. 
2. the power 2 stereo amp to 2 Bryston 7B3 (the Bryston's don't give off the tremendous heat of the large tubes of the Power 2, the Bryston's are a bit quicker but loose out in their holographic nature, both have tremendous mid's and bass, both are very quick)
   --- the power 2 does not hum, buzz or sound bad in any way shape or form like others have said. It is a beast that throws an absolutely killer 3D soundstage, with conviction. The only reason I switched it out was because I didn't want to deal with the tubes and their heat any longer. I auditioned the regular suspects to replace it -- Boulder (way over priced for what it is and in a blind test picked the PS Audio BHK amps and the Bryston's 3 out of 3 times as my preferred sound), Parasound (okay), PS Audio BHK, etc., but found the Bryton's to be almost indistinguishable from their competition, better built and running cooler. (this is specifically the cubed series though I would not have bought the older equipment as I don't think it was as good sounding... the cubed series is a leap beyond their older generational equipment)

The SFCD 1 and the Phone 1 are still operational in my main system and sound amazing... the Line 1 is in a secondary system and sounds as musical as ever.

Hope this helps.

I am using the Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 preamp and the Sonic Frontiers Power 2 amp to this day. Both have been upgraded by Parts Connection with wonderful results. I had the preamp upgraded again with Mundorf Silver Gold Oil film caps and Duelund silver foil bypass caps. All other old caps have been changed so both are ready for many more years of service. I can enthusiastically recommend both, just be sure the caps in the amp are replaced.

I've been very happy with my SF Line Stage 2.  Very quiet, solid and well built, good controls, great remote.  No regrets. Parts Connections does service and refurbish if needed which is another huge place.  

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!