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

Showing 1 response by bigkidz

IMO the X-1, as already stated above, will not give you the "bloom" that you are looking for. Mine never did and I really loved the X-1. It was better sounding to me and my audio buds then the SF line 2. As I recall, the SF tube amps did not offer a typical "bloom" sound either. I was using a Pass X-250 in my system and found that a tube preamp added some bloom versus the X-1 and using a tube amp with the X-1 added some bloom. The balance of either combo was different but enjoyable.

Since you already have one combo, I would say you either need to try differnt tubes in the line 3 or change up some cables. I see that you are using the Audience power cord on the X-350. I have one and although I felt it was a great cord for the money, it seemed to add a little hardness to the mids. It was very hard to tell until I tried the Elrod Sig 3 power cord on my X-250. That is when I realized what the X-250 was really capable of sounding like. As Sean states, try a few different cables first to see if you can get your system to sound as you want it to before changing components, because then you may have to deal with additional system matching issues.

Happy Listening.