Compared to Acurus Act III, EAD Theatermaster Encore, Golden Theater GTX-1, Sony TAE-9000 and Proceed AVP
First the Cons:

1) Small setting only for center and rear surrounds. For my particular setup not an issue, as my NHT's go down to only aprox 60hz anyway

2) Digital inputs not assignable to sources, like in some of the others

3) Larger than most processors and will not fit in many audio stands/racks

4) When playing cds using the internal DACs the first second of the first track gets cut off. albeit a minor but relevent issue

Now on to the Pros:

1) Very detailed and revealing sound for music and movies. Excellent soundstage and clarity. Bass was precise without being bloated. I really enjoyed the slightly pronounced midrange. Vocals and voices were very clear. I felt the Sunfire to be clearly superior to the Golden Theater, Sony and Acurus processors, slightly superior to the EAD and very competive with the Proceed
In comparision, the Sony and Acurus sounded flat, everything was there but not very open or particularly detailed. The Golden Theater had clearity and a decent soundstage but sounded harsh on many brighter recordings and movies. The EAD unit was equally detailed and really did soundstage well but it seemed slightly rolled off and compressed in the top end. The Proceed shared the positive attributes of the Sunfire but to me was a bit dark and too laid back. I prefered the more forward sound of the Sunfire.

2) Component video switching.

3) Inclusion of an AM/FM tuner, not important to many but my wife and I do occasionally listen to the radio.

4) Touchscreen remote. Unlike the Sony's which is absolutely horrible, this one works quite well. I really liked it better than the Acurus' which was non-learning and the Golden Theater's which my wife felt was "non-intuitive" Here lies the most significant fault with the Proceed, a remote that is disappointing for such a high dollar product. The EAD uses the same remote but I felt it was better laid out in the Sunfire

5) Customer support. My unit was an early production unit that required a software update. Sunfire not only issued a call tag to pick it up from my home, but they sent it back next day air! They were kind and curtious on the phone, answered all my questions and seemed really concerned with taking care of the customer. When I contacted Sony about an update, they were totally clueless to the fact that one even existed. When I inquired about a turn around time, I was told 2-3 weeks. EAD has not had the greatest reputation here either local dealers reported problems with turnaround times and responsiveness to inquires.

In summary I really felt the Sunfire had the best solution to the performance/features vs price equation. I chose it over the Acurus, Sony and Golden Theater Units on performance alone and the Proceed unit due to performace versus cost. The Proceed is a topnotch processor with unparalleled build quality but I did not feel that it was $2k better sonically. I felt the EAD was very close sonically and was very asthetically pleasing but I did not want to rely on only the remote to control the unit. The EAD also has no onscreen display and had only a very small difficult to read from a distance window that displayed the status of the unit. Sound quality 4.5 stars. Features 4.0 stars. Price versus performace/features 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 stars. Overall 4.5

Test Equipment

Acurus 125X5 amplifier
Sony 7700 DVD player
Sony ES 200cd player
Sony Hi-fi VCR
Sony V series 48 inch rear projection TV
NHT 2.5i, Audiocenter-1, Super ones
Velodyne FSR-15
Transparent interconnects, digital cables and speaker cables

I purchased the Sunfire Theater Grand last Saturday. I feed my output through an ATI-1505 and on to Klipsch KLF-20 mains. Only a sterio set-up so far. Still saving up for the rest of the speakers.
Seems to output a quality signal. Vast improvement over the Kenwood it replaces, sonically. Very sexy looking, although I wish all the little buttons lit up blue instead of some of them being orange.

Remote control, while nice, lacks funtionality. For example, you can cycle through the DSP modes from the remote, but when you want go back to "source-direct" you have to walk over to the unit. Also I would rather have discrete codes for the different modes instead of cycling. No tone controls on remote either. Anyone know if there are discrete infrared remote codes for the tone controls that maybe the Sunfire would use, but which maybe just aren't included on THIS remote?

The manual tells you all about the auto-source feature except it never tells you how to actually turn this feature on. I'm sure one of the many buttons does this, but I just havn't found it yet.

I rate this unit a 4, which to me means really above average. Thsi is a quality unit and the things I mentioned are really just nit-picking. I think I would have rather had the Proceed AVP personally, but not for an extra $2K !!!

I bought the Sunfire Theater Grand for $2550 which seems to be about the going street price nowadays. Anyway, I was actually all set to buy the EAD Ovation which was being offered to me at a great price ($3400) but what finally got me to buy the Theater Grand was a few things:
1) I could hook up more components into the Sunfire
2) Home Theater sounded a little better on the Sunfire
3) TWO toslink connections vs. 1
4) Features/upgradability (see below)

NOW, the Ovation sounded better in stereo especially with HDCD but I couldn't live without those extra features and connections. So, I sacrificed some stereo performance so that I could have some more features. Of course, the Ovation also was much more stunning in its looks than the Sunfire.

Other nice things about this unit was the Auto-sensing feature that will switch the unit automatically to the unit that is turned on (even if the unit is off!) Also, having six balanced outputs was cool too (even though I have yet to see a subwoofer with balanced inputs). =)

Normally, I would probably complain about the remote but since I own the RC-5000, it's not that big a deal.

I would have really liked to have been able to "fine tune" the speaker levels a little bit more above 1dB increments. (The Ovation allowed you to change it by 0.2 dB). More s-video inputs woould have been nicer too, though I can't complain since this is one of the few units that even has component video switching. What can really be annoying is the fact that all the connections have been pre-labeled. Meaning that if you use the two toslink connections, those units will appear on the Sunfire as DB/DSS & LD/DVD even though I have a CD changer hooked up to one of them. Now, I am stuck with my DVD player as either CD/VCR/DAT...=(
Last thing: More BLUE lights and less ugly ORANGE lights...

A word on Features/Upgradability:
- Six channel analog inputs for future sound formats
- Detachable power cord
- component video/s-video/composite switching
- Auto-detect mode
- Glass isolation stand
- Seven axis mode (haven't tried)

All in all, one would be hard-pressed to find a preamp at a better value with all the features that this unit offers. And for those who care:

Sunfire Theater Grand
Paradigm Active 20s/Active CC-450/Servo 15/ADP-450s
Toshiba SD-9000 DVD player
Sony X88ES 200 cd changer
Sony AD4 DSS receiver
Toshiba TW40F80 widescreen RPTV
Harmonic Technology Truthlink interconnects & digital coax
XLO ER-4
Monster cable component video, s-video, toslink.
Kimber PowerKords
Monster cable HTS 3500 power line conditioner/surge protector

My short story: While I was shopping for a Lexicon DC-1, I came across the Sunfire Theater Grand. Standing at the counter discussing DC-1 price with the salesman, I heard an orchestral piece (heavy brass with woodwind interludes) singing out from a second demo room, and it sounded absolutely fantastic. It was shortly followed by the "Mask of Zorro" dvd that I auditioned with earlier with the DC-1, and again, there was that same great sound. Thinking it was the DC-1, I casually said something to the effect of "So, I see another guys auditioning the DC-1." But the dealer replied that it was in fact the Theater Grand - new to the market and totally unfamiliar to me. And from what my ears had just witnessed, I couldn't purchase the DC-1 without listening to the Sunfire first. It took about 30 minutes of auditioning and deliberating, and in the end, I walked out with the Sunfire. Why? Well, for one thing, it was cheaper ($500-1000). But it didn't sound it one bit. I actually found the Theater Grand more musical, user friendly, and better built (comestic design and ergonomics are top notch) then the Lexicon. I can't emphasize enough it's superior build quality. At home, matched with my Proceed amp5 and Thiels, the unit was as musically inclined as it was with home theater dynamics. And that was what really mattered to me to begin with. Though not perfect (what is?), it's a definate 5 star unit at it's price ... or any price for that matter.

Build Quality, Wonderful sound on any channel, Lots of inputs.

Remote, Ugly orange lights but you can turn them off.

I have compared this unit to alot of other units within and over its price range and this unit was the winner. It took a while for me to decide but it always kept taking me back to it. It has gobs of detail, images nicely and has an enjoyable sound on 2 or multi channel. The Proceed was a bit better but not worth the $2k+. . EAD is all looks but no match performance wise. Lexicon is great with movies but no so with music. The AV-550, is just a lower class proc. Plus I got a great deal.
I wish they improve on the remote. But I have the Marantz RM2000 Mk2 anyway so it does not matter. Give leave it on for at least 2 weeks to burn in and then............enjoy!
The T.G.2 has a great tuner,and a great phono stage also.
According to Sunfire it will have another upgrade which can be done in the field in a few weeks.Go ahead and compare it. I highly recommend this product.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz AV-550,Proceed AVP,EAD,Lexicon,etc.

SUNFIRE THEATER GRAND PROCESSOR
I purchased this unit several months ago and have it hooked up to the following components

AMPLIFIER- Carver 705X (THX)
TELEVISION SOURCE- Sony 4A DTS Receiver with Dolby 5.1 Capability
DVD- Sony 7700
Front Speakers- ADS L800's
Center Speaker- Paradigm CC-450
Surrounds- NHT Super Ones
Subwoofer- Velodyne FSX12 Powered 12'
All Connectors Between the Pre Amp and Amp- Radio Shack Gold
All Source Connecters- Monster Cable Reference II S-Video and Optical
Speakerwire- Monster Cable ZReference

I replaced a Carver CT-17 processor with this unit.

What I Like:

The sound in excellent for theater. Wide sound stage and great true surround. The processor is truly silent even at high volume when connected to a quiet source. Lows are rich and warm with clear midrange and crisp but not tinny highs. Even the smallest hum or hiss will drive me nuts after a while when no one else can hear it. When I shy this unit is silent, I mean it. You can literally listen to a good source all day.

As to music, the SUNFIRE is unforgiving of poor recordings. Its ability to adjust such standard settings as "JAZZ CLUB" for room size and hardness of back wall are nice. Such niceties are greatly useable in modern jass recordings. Earlier and poorer recordings sound strangely disjointed with this high tech treatment and only really come together when played in Source Direct, reducing this multi thousand dollar amp/preamp combo to a good (actually a great) stereo. Again, listening is the whole reason we buy this stuff and you can listen all day without headaches.

Love the pretty blue lights

Love the Universal Remote (for when your too lazy to bend across the coffee table)

Love the Sonic Holography. This is my second Bob Carver Designed Preamp. I still don't understand what this feature is good for, but it puts an interesting spin on your music.

What I don't like:

THE DAMNED REMOTE HAS TO BE REPROGRAMMED WHENEVER YOU CHANGE THE BATTERIES. Even if you replace them one at a time. It sucks batteries so this happens often and gets old the first time.

The unpretty orange lights

No on-screen-setup (although I think the excellent price reflects this omission and frankly, how often would you use it)

The automatic source selection will drive you nuts so turn it off and leave it off. How hard is it to push one button on the remote.

No large setting for the rears. I would have preferred to have the option to cross-over a rear sub or at least a discreet rear sub output.

Please Consider:

My front speakers, while great for their day, are very much a 70's speaker. Great rich lows and souring highs. Their mids frankly are thin and limit the ability to really utilize the excellent performance I know is coming out of my SUNFIRE/CARVER combo. The sound ourt of the center is much richer and more complete. I plan to update this weakest link in my system A.S.A.P. and repost.

I did A/B the SUNFIRE CINEMA GRAND AMPLIFIER against the 502. The newer, more powerful and considerably more expensive SUNFIRE CINEMA GRAND AMPLIFIER was noticeably improved over the 502.

Overall:

Great bang for the buck and a STELLER improvement over the technology of a decade ago. You can drive yourself nuts listening for differences that are vaguely there, but I whole heartedly recommend this unit. I have had not one moment of buyers remorse.

RATING: 5

Sunfire vs. Sony: My wife and I spent an entire afternoon/evening last night doing an A/B test between the Sony TA-E9000&TA-N9000 and the Sunfire Theater Grand Processor with the Cinema Grand amp. After listening to both DVD and CD sources, the Sony setup won. Both units were tested with no EQ or enhancements. I am of the opinion that if you need alot of filters to make the music sound good, then the unit is not doing a good job. In addition, adding LC filters to the music also adds distortion. The Sony exhibited clean clear powerful detail, excellent midrange, and a very rich blended music. The Sunfire was equally clean and clear, but very restrained in the midrange and not as musical. The only way I can explain it is many music passages from the Sony were simply beautiful whereas the Sunfire just left the same passage undramatic. In addition, the only tone controls on the Sunfire are a simple Bass and Treble, so there was no way to enhance the midrange that I could think of. Of course, any audio opinion is just that, an opinion. The final listener must choose the equipment that suites his/her taste. Money was not a factor in our decision, and on a listening test alone, we plan to keep the Sony setup.
Other notes: The Sunfire's auto source detect works 90% of the time, but sometimes gets confused. The remote is a nice attempt but the Philips Pronto is much much better. I would prefer that a pre-amp not have a am/fm tuner. No large speaker settings for center or rear speakers. OK on inputs/outputs. No hiss at high volumes until you turn on image enhancement. No midrange control. Difficult speaker setup. Very simplistic manual. Manual could use more information about settings. Some controls are manual on the back although they are not controls you would set often. Not sure where Sunfire is headed with a 7 speaker setup. AC-3 seems adequate with 5 speakers.

If price is factored in, the Sony is a better value IMHO.

Speakers: Martin Logan SL3's, Cinema, Aerious-i
DVD/CD: Sony DVP-S7700
Monster Z-series Wire/Interconnects and Power Conditioning

Have been using the Sunfire TG for several months with a Krell KAV-500 and a pair of Martin-Logan ReQuest speakers. Let's start with the good:
1) The sound is most impressive in that the Sunfire does not color the sound appreciably. This is as it should be for a preamp. There's no hiss at high volumes with a quiet source. There's no hum with the turntable. There's no static on FM reception with the built-in tuner. Overall a very impressive showing in the one area that truly counts.
2) The Sunfire has a phono pre-amp and tuner built-in saving me from buying two components which I would otherwise need. Good idea, Sunfire; it led me to purchase this product over the competition. Not only that, but the phono pre-amp is excellent, bringing my aging AR turntable and accompanying Grado cart to new capabilities. The FM tuner fails to pull in some distant stations with an admittedly poor antenna that seemed to work fine on my old receiver BUT the stations it does pull in are received with a quality that is superior to that which I've heard before. A good antenna should cure the reception difficulties.
3) The variable rate volume knob (turn it fast and the volume changes rapidly. Turn it slowly and the volume changes ever so gradually) is an excellent touch.
4) The built-in surround features which I normally ignore on the Japanese receivers are worth exploring; they are subtle and interesting.
5) The holographic imaging capability is also well worth exploring and makes for some fascinating listening.
6) Dolby Digital and Dolby surround works flawlessly with marvelous separation and imaging. This is one of the best I've heard from that perspective.

So overall, very positive, again in the area that counts: sound quality. So let's see what's wrong with it:

1) The documentation is only fair.
2) The remote, an LCD screen that needs to be reprogrammed when the batteries die, is interesting but wasn't worth my time and was promptly chucked into a nearby drawer. When I'm listening, I prefer not to spend my time pushing buttons.
3) The digital connections to any source require a moment to engage. Let's say you have your CD player hooked up via an optical cable. You'll miss the first note of the first track. I went back to standard cables. There was no noticeable change in sound and I get to listen to the beginning of the music. Sunfire blames my source. Sorry, Sunfire, but it happens with every CD player's digital output that I've tested.
4) No RF input. Annoying. Yes, I have a laserdisc player. It would have been nice to have an RF input rather than having to purchase yet another black box.
5) No tape loop. Does Sunfire not think we use three-head tape decks anymore? Where's the tape loop?
6) Slow tuning on the tuner. Want to go from 105.1 to 93.5 and you haven't programmed them in? Push the down button. Hold it. Hold it. Wait. Hold it. ::sigh:: My car tuner goes faster. Want to listen to 93.5 but it's a weak station? If the Sunfire chooses not to stop there, there's no way there. But wait...there's a workaround. When you see it hitting 93.5, QUICK, switch to AM, then back again to FM and there you'll be. Why can't I spin a tuning knob?
7) I feed the video output to two locations typically: the VCR and the TV. Video inputs come from the digital cable box, the LD player, and the VCR. This way, if I want to make a videotape of a LD, it's easy, or if I want to tape one show and watch another without using the coaxial cable so that I get a better picture, I can. Not here. Though the right outputs are present, I found that when two cables are hooked up, the video brightness decreases as if one extra cable drains some of it away. Could it be my cables? I suppose it could, but I've never had a problem with the same cables on other equipment.
8) Can't use S-Video cables as inputs unless S-Video cables are used as output as well. This is typical, actually, but the ability exists to set up the unit so this doesn't happen. Why not build that in?
9) The specifications indicate that the Sunfire does not send full range bass to the rear speakers. This isn't a problem in my system, but perhaps it will be a problem one day depending on what rears are called upon to do.
10) The Sunfire draws over 1/2 amp of power whenever plugged in to a live outlet. It's warm during this time as well. While perhaps Sunfire feels this is important, I think it's a total waste of energy and switch off the power box when I'm not using it. As all my saved settings remain saved, the power obviously is not necessary for that. I wonder what the Sunfire is doing with all that current.
11) Orange and Blue? Strange color combination for the lighting. Why keep the Digital Dolby and dts logos lit even when that's not being used? Light the right one when that's what's going on.

Finally, one item that's neither good nor bad:

Auto signal detect. What is supposed to happen here: You start a CD and the unit automatically changes to CD. The CD ends, you start a videotape and the unit automatically switches to VCR1. OK, sounds good, but you miss the beginning (again). Why bother? How much time does it really take to switch it yourself? Worse off is that every cable box I know puts out a signal whether it's on or off. The Sunfire occasionally detects the cable box output, turning itself on and playing whatever the cable company is sending over the wire at that moment. I turned this feature off.

So overall it sounds great, looks great, and remains the best choice for my personal system. Sunfire has some engineering to do, however, to make some of these features work the way they should work. And I'll see if my $2700 was well spent if they offer an upgrade path to those of us who bought initially.

Five stars for sound, minus one for the feature difficulties noted above.

I just wanted to change my above review of the Cinema Grand and Theater Grand. I recently kicked my crack habit and relized that the Sunfire Cinema Grand and Theater Grand is the best combo you can buy. I have since returned my pioneer reciever to Best Buy. Im sorry if ive mislead anybody into buying a crappy pioneer reciever instead of the best home theater combo ever made. Crack cocaine can sure make you hear and think some very strange things. Once again im sorry for any confusion!

Well, I got my Sunfire Theater Grand home the other nite. What follows is a preliminary report of my findings, I will post a fullreview when I've had more time to play. I know a lot of folks have had questions about this unit, I feel the more info you'all
have the better.

First, I got a defective unit as far a the sub out goes. At -20dB and lower volumes, there is no signal going to my sub(a
Sunfire True Sub). At -19dB and higher volume, it works, but with an additional LOUD hum. I was on the phone with Sunfire
last nite, and we came to the conclusion it wasn't ground loop. Anyway, my dealer is sending me out another unit
immediately, as I
am sending this back to him to got back to Sunfire. Other then that problem, everything else worked fine (a makor problem
though!). OK, now the actual report. Obviously, as anyone who has done research on this unit knows, there are 2 main
detracting features that might keep you from buying it:
1) Only 2 S-video inputs. For me, no biggie, since I run everything directly to my Wega TV (VHS and DVD). For others with
a DSS, S-VHS, etc., this might be an issue. 2) Center and rear speakers have only a small setting! This must have a
Sunfire oversight, and a bad one. Again, I knew this when I purchased, I have small bipolar rears and a B&W CC6 center.
For those lucky individuals with big-ass center and rear speakers, this unit might not be for you for that
reason alone. Maybe they'll get a software upgrade for it. I honestly don't see myself having big center or rears, so or me, it's
alright.

Complete auto-sensing of source signals is very neat, and works well.
I don't know if I'll always use it. For example, I but the VCR on, even if the Sunfire is off, it will sense the analog signal, turn
on, and go the "VCR1". I don't always want the stereo on if I'm watch a VHS tape. Again, you can turn this feature off as you
desire. Very nice to have.

The Pro-Logic sound is very accurate. I watched some clips of my Star Wars THX VHS tapes, and the steering and overall
Pro-Logic effect was awesome, better then my B&K 4090 was. Same with AC-3 and DTS. Again, I didn't have the subwoofer
signal, but everything sounded very nice. You'd expect AC-3 and DTS to be similar between preamps of this caliber, so I felt
the good test was the Pro-Logic performance..and it was excellent.

Stereo performance is what blew me away the most. I had a B&K 4090, AA DTI Pro 32 and DDE 3.0, and the Theater Grand
sounded way better, at least in my apartment! Extremely detailed, and dynamic. Apparently a good match with my
Parasound amp and B&W speakers. I used the digital out of my Parasound C/DC 1500 CD player, and the Sunfire has
Crystal 20-bit DACs. I played a little
with the Holographic setting, but couldn't tell if I liked it better then straight stereo. More listening tests are needed. There
are tone controls for bass & treble (which I like), but there is also a "Source Direct" setting to bypass this..very nice. Also,
there are a couple of DSP modes (Cathedral, Jazz, Stadium). I quickly sampled them, better then mass-market receivers,
but I won't use them.

This is a big preamp...and very nice looking. There are 3 panel dim settings too. The "biggness" of the Theater Grand is
especially worthwhile when connecting everything, plently of room in the back.

The remote is like the Rotel and EAD LCD backlit. It can learn 8 other devices (TV, VCR, DVD, etc.), each with it's own
screen. I think I like it a lot actually. Nice to have the backlit feature in the dark. It does not allow
for some controls that are on the man unit, e.g. tone controls, source direct setting, etc. This is a minor complaint, I would
have liked to see complete
functionality on the remote, oh well. Most of the major features there, and the learning feature is nice. It can also learn
macros, up to 10 commands. I didn't try the macro feature yet.

Overall, I am very happy with it, even with my defective subwoofer problem. I should have another one by mid next week.
Sunfire was VERY helpful on the phone in debugging the problem, they scored major points with me for that! Plus my dealer
is sending me out another one immediately, cudos to him and Sunfire. If you can get by the lack of S-video inputs and small
settings for center and rear speakers, it's a worthwhile audition. I'll postany follow-up info I have in the coming weeks.

-brian