Superbly built. Very dynamic and open sound that is way better than any EL34 based amps I am aware of.

Not exact tube sound, not exact solid state sound. I see this more like an transitional product where you got to listen to expand your horizons, but not something you'd say an "keeper".

I also owned the Power 3. Sounds like Power 2 to me. When I was an invoice, I suckered by the Stereophile Recommended Components virus. So I got this in the desperate hope of having great sound. In retrospect, I think the Stereophile reviews are a sham (those people who owned SF Line series and the Triangle Speakers would know what I meant). Anyway, not much to add about the sound. Not reliability-wise this is almost exact opposite of the Line preamps (which I owned, and hated, due to very bad reliability). But an forewarning too: The SF Power 2 and Power 3 - imho - does not sound like tubes nor solid state. Well they are tube hybrids, but what do that mean to *you*? Put it this way. If I am into the SS sound, I won't buy the Power 2/Power 3 because they sound slower, and does not have the precision nor vast soundstage that say Krell or Mark Levinson could give me in the same price range. If I want tube sound, I won't buy the Power 2/Power 3 neither. They sound too solid state too much. Sure they have more air and also musical mid-range, but you would dump this in NO TIME if you hear the EL84 or 300B based amps in the same price range.

Everything

None I''ve found so far

Just a note to other reviews. This is a great amp. Many people reccommend changing to KT-88''s I absolutely agree; the difference is astonishing. But there is one change I made that was almost as astonishing. I changed the 6 Sovtek driver tubes to Telefunken E88CC''s & was blown away. Try it you''ll like it!

Similar Products Used:

Krell, ML, Bryston.

"Oh my god" Imaging, absolutely wonderful mid-range, excellent bass response.

Runs hot.

Extended bass response, quick, tight. Wow. Two hours of good tunes, and over three cds shook loose and fell to the floor in my cd rack! Exceptional value. I've only had this amp for about a day now, so it will be interesting to see how much better it will sound in 80-100hrs. Just smooth and relaxed sound. Brings out all the subtle nuances in your cds. I'm very impressed so far.

fast detailed and dynamic to name a few. Not even broken in yet and I am in love!

None so far.

Not only does this amp sound glorious, just turn off the lights and look at the darn thing! I haven't tried swapping any tubes yet (I've only had it 3 days) but it sounds great right out of the box. The Audio Research gear I have used never seemed to satisfy me. To my ears It sounded almost like bad solid state gear. The Quicksilvers were nice, but a little too polite/no bite or slam. With the Sonic Frontiers Line 2 and my Magneplanar 3.5r speakers, this amp is just "it". The beauty of tubes (not only the visual glow, but the audible one too) and the detail and slam of great solid state! Highly recommended from someone who is tired of the Hi-Fi gear swap! I'm glad I have found this amp because my back can't take moving too many more of these things!

Similar Products Used:

ARC VT100, ARC VT200, Quicksilver V4's, Pass labs X150, Conrad Johnson Evolution 2000, Gryphon, VTL ST-85......

The SF Power 2 is a vey neutral sounding tube amp, it does not have the typical tube coloration, the bass is very good for tube amp, certainly not in the same league as Krell. User friendly, high built quality, and reliability are another factors that make it quite a bargain. I have used Power 2 with several pre amp including Levinson and Audible Illusion M3A, I realize Power 2 sounds little better(more dynamic) with balanced input connection. It pushes 110 w tube power per channel, enough for most of the speaker you care to match with it. Also a lot of feature like standy mode to extend tube life and RCA input(offers both inverted and non-inverted polarity) enhance the versatility of the amp. I never felt it fall short to most of the tube power amp I owned before like Cary, Audio Research, McIntosh. Compare to my CJ, Power 2 does sound little flat, not too much music excitement, but nonetheless, it worth every penny of the $5000 retail price. Don't forget you also have those accessories like gloves, Perl tube coolers, screw drivers etc.

sound stage, smoothness, features/flexibility, power

stock Svetlana 6550c tubes!

Obviously, Sonic Frontiers is well regarded. i've listened to quite a few amps, and this one has absolutly locked in for my system. it is extended, has plenty of air, glorious midrange, and tight, deep bass response. virtually the perfect amp...save one thing. the stock 6550 tubes. SF gear has a reputation of being very linear but somewhat dry sounding. this is a VERY fair assessment. with the Svetlana 6550's, it's just that. Wonderful, but not sounding too much like a tube amp. On the advise of Kevin at Upscale as well as the folks at SF, i upgraded to KT-88's. this is the single most sonically meaningful change i have ever made to my system. for ~$400, this has become a completely different amp. it's sweet, musical, natural and absolutly stunning. i urge you, if you have or are considering ANY sf gear, SWAP THE TUBES! i've done the same thing in my SFCD-1 cd player, same results. SF gear is great, but it can be the best with the right tubes...

associated equipment:

Audible Illusions M3A
SFCD-1 cd player
JA Michell Gyrodec w/ Benz L0.4
Harmonic Tech Silway II IC's
Cardas Golden Cross bi-wire

Similar Products Used:

Threshold t-400, CJ premier 12's, CJ 11A

Unbelievable bass and resolution

Sometimes, can there be too much bass that is not supposed to be there?

I decided to plunge all my resources in what it seems like a audio crusade last year. I was using the PA-7, which I fetched used earlier in the year, but after having had great experiences driving a pair of Gershman X-1 and having them clipped....a 200W+200W Stasis design amp, I wondered if I could better resolution and slam by adding a stereo sub that matched the monitors....

After getting the subs, I decided to get the SF Power 2, after seeing great prices around....Although, I was still wondering whether this amp could power the Gershmans better at 110w+110w of tube power.....What a surprise!

The Sonic Frontiers had more headroom and steam room than the PA-7, which bested them by more than 100W of solid state power. Furthermore, as the break in process wore on, I began to notice how much louder and detailed the SF sounded at lower volumes than the PA-7....Not just louder, but also more bassy. Can there be more bass in a tubed design? I wondered. Nevertheless, after more than 7 months of listening to them, I began to realize that there is a dollar factor and a weight factor that tells me that it all counts....after all, the SF is about 2-3 times costlier than the PA-7. Still....whenever I sit down to listen carefully to some recordings, I begin to realize that the resolution and immediacy are more highlighted in the SF. Excellent value and construction over all. The SF gear is world class without being overpriced.

Equipment used:

Sonic Frontiers SLF-2 Preamp
Sonic Frontiers Power 2 Amp
Bel-Canto DAC-1+Panasonic DVD player Model RV-30
MCintosh Mr-78 Tuner (1975)
Pioneer Eliter CT-43 3 head tape deck
Sumo Athena MK-1, as a Phono preamp
Technics SLQD 33 (Quartz Direct Drive) turntable
Assortment of XLO cables, Synergistic Research Alpha Sterling, Analysis Plus speaker cables.
Gershman X-1 monitors+SW-1 matching set of subwoofers

Similar Products Used:

PA-7 STASIS solid State amp by NAKAMICHI, design by Nelson Pass

Still the same as previous reviews

This is NOT a permanent product at top rating. Depending on your Far Sight and improvement on gears

Anyone rating this as Five stars PERMANENTLY is BS because when you audition this for One year or long, you will discover you need lots to improve , first things I upgrage all6550 Tubes intol Jadis. the 6922 i replaced them into Siments.

Otherwise sounds is not humid enough for vocals...

Placing four different reviews timely because man who auditions more will discover this is NOT a permanent product. One who is not criticize in the positive way should go to elsewhere !!!

Rating still remain at four stars. This isnot the bad gear but this is not the PERFECT one !!!

I never made the jump to tubes, but if I did I always thought SF amps and preamps would be near the top of my list given their reputation for accuracy rather than the classic tube bloom. Despite not owning any SF stuff I thought I'd pass on a disturbing piece of information that SF is exiting the tube equipment business to focus more on solid state and home theater. At this point it seems like more of a rumor, but thought I'd pass it on in case it affects any of you who may be considering purchasing a SF component. Apparently the company is fine as it is owned and backed by Paradigm, but obviously parts could be an issue down the road if this is true. Just trying to be helpful here--please don't shoot the messenger. I view this as a sad day and unfortunately SF will not be the last tube-oriented company to go this way.

Tim

Very detailed, deeper lows than most "high-end solid" staters, beautifull build quality and parts.

I'm still looking for one.

This will be very short. This is the best @#@@&#$$@! amplifier, tube OR solid state you can buy up to it's retail price and probably above (so a Power 2 on the used market is a steal). It's no secret that parts quality is legendary when you know Sonic Frontiers has a thriving parts business, the Parts Connection.

But on to the music. Way better soundstage than my previous Naim, lower lows than the Sim I-5, faster than the McCormack and reliable beyond reliable, where I always had issues with my Carys.

Some of the people posting less than 5 stars for this beautifull amp must be dealers selling Krells or the like. Not your typical bloomy and dull tube sound but VERY sweet and very detailed. A beautifull work of art in my book, and the most musical amplifier I have ever heard, and I heard many more than the ones I listed above. It's a keeper. Sonic is no longer producing these. Probably too expensive to make a reasoneable profit. It's too bad. Get one on the used market if you still can, you WILL get hooked and want to hold on to it. After 2 years of daily use, I am still amazed every time I turn this light show on....

Similar Products Used:

All-Naim system, Sim Audio I-5, McCormack DNA-125, Cary 572 monoblocks.