To make things short & to the point :-
The Sunfire amplifiers may very well be able to drive low impedance loads,
maybe any load, but they lack high end sonics.

I cannot classify them as part of the High End. Just powerful amplifiers and
that's it.

Sorry folks, I have listened to the both the 2 channel & the 5 channel, and
this is the sad reality.

I am no professional reviewer, but I can only tell you about my experience with the Sunfire Sig. A friend of mine came over with his Sunfire Sig. Amp and we A/B it along side of a 13 year old AVA 200 watt per channel amp. It was no contest. All I can say is that the Sunfire sounded like you put the speakers in boxes, like they went out of the room. Maybe the other readers below that thought this Amp wa terrific when compared to Krell etc. have not heard AVA. So I am giving the Sunfire 1 star when compared to AVA only. Another item of note Sig. (Are these people on an ego trip?) I'm sure Frank Van Alstine would give me his autograph if I asked.

Fast, powerful and responsive - handles most any speaker, awesome value.

Internal wireing should be upgraded to Kimber or Transparent cable. Spades don't work too well - use bananas instead

I've used this amp for years. A quality preamp is a must, and source as well as interconnects should be high end.
This amp is used with Preeminence passive pre, Cal Audio transport, PS Ulrtalink DA, NHT 2.5i speakers, VansEvers Clean line conditioner and Transparent Super bi-cable, interconnects, and 75 ohm digital. The amp has a great - almost tube-like sound. I've listened to anything from Aragon to Jadis D 7 - this is the biggest bang for the bucks! Are there better amps? Sure, but you'll spend over $5000 for a significantly better sound - and probably not have as much power available.

Similar Products Used:

Aragon, Adcom, Golden Tube, Jolita, Kenwood, Yamaha,

I previously bought the first Sunfire Stereo Power Amplifier that Bob Carver manufactured. I submitted my review of this fine piece of equipment on this site. Since that time, I have purchased the newer stereo amp that Bob Carver is marketing, the Sunfire Signature Stereo Power Amplifier. This review is for the Signature Amp.
The Sunfire Signature Stereo Power Amplifier is not in stock at your stereo dealer outlets. Why? Well, after talking on the phone with a representative at Sunfire, the Sunfire Signature Stereo Power Amplifier is not even manufactured until a special order for it is received by Sunfire. I purchased my initial Sunfire Amplifier without even knowing that a better model made by Sunfire even existed. My Stereo Dealer, Bjorn's Home and Audio Stereo in San Antonio, didn't even know it existed! I found out about it by accessing Sunfire's web site. I then asked Bjorn's Stereo about it and they said they would take my original Sunfire back and credit my purchase toward my special order of the Signature Amp. I had to wait about 3 weeks, but it finally came in.

When I took my Signature Amp home and hooked it up in the biwire mode with the woofers to the voltage source and the upper horns to the current source outlets of the amp, as Bob Carver recommends, I was really impressed with the sound I heard coming from my speakers! This amplifier looks exactly the same as the first Sunfire Amp. The difference is that it weighs more than the first Sunfire Amp and the power meter is rated much higher due to the considerable power this amp puts out. The Signature Amp puts out 1200 continuous watts RMS
@ 4 ohms, 2400 continuous watts RMS @ 2 ohms, and 4000 watts RMS @ 1 ohm! That is quite impressive! The specification figures are backed up by the performance the Signature Amp reveals when listening to and hearing the music after one hooks it up.

I utilize a Sunfire Classic Vacumn Tube Preamplifier and Infinity Kappa 9 Speakers in my system. My Infinity Kappa 9 Speakers are high end and very power hungry. They are rated at a power requirement of 340 watts @ 4 ohms and can place an ohm demand on an amplifier that goes as low as 0.9 ohms! I previously used two Cinepro 600X2 power amplifiers in the bi-amp mode to drive my seakers. The Cinepro Amps put out 528 watts RMS @ 4 ohms, but did not have the dynamic headroom to handle my speakers and my speakers clipped the Cinepro Amps!

When I hooked up the Sunfire Signature Stereo Power Amplifier and listened to the music, the soundstage was just too impressive to describe. The bass was just remarkable, tight, and my fireplace grating audibly chattered due to the soundwave! The sonic imagery was quite discernable. Every instrument in the music I was listening to was easily heard. I am 49 years old. Music I have listened to for over 30 years, had sound, instruments, and vocal effects, that I had never-before heard! This amplifier really accentuates the finest of details in the music. The Signature Amp runs cool. The Signature Amp does not have a power switch! I don't like this fact and the Sunfire Rep I spoke with stated that is a very common complaint they receive. Bob Carver also does not list the power consumption wattage rating on this amplifier. I wanted to hook the Signature Amp up to my Monster Cable HTS-3000 Reference Power Center which has a max wattage potential of 1800 watts. Not until I asked the Sunfire Rep I spoke to on the phone, was I able to know how much power demand under load conditions, the Sunfire Signature Amp was rated at. For your information, Sunfire informs me the load demand for the Signature Amp is 1000 watts. I think Sunfire should publish that fact and indicate it in the specification section of this product!

My dealership suggested I place 1 amp slow-blow fuses in my speaker cables to protect my speakers due to the massive power this amp puts out. I strongly recommend following that advice. Once, since I have owned the Signature Amp, the bass speaker wires tripped the 1 amp slow-blow fuse on both of my speakers. That surely will protect your speakers and prevent voice coil heat problems.

At a $2995.00 suggested retail price, the Signature Amp is a steal, in my opinion. Krell and Mark Levinson amps with lesser performance stats than the Signature Amp easily exceed the $12,000.00 price range, are more massive, and run much, much, hotter than this amp. I heartily recommend this fine amplifier to anyone who has high end and power hungry speakers. I am sure you will be as equally impressed and as happy with this amplifier as I was. I rate this amp at a 95 percent. The lack of a power switch and specification power consumption rating equates to the 5 percent deficit of my rating.

With the capability to biwire (voltage and current outputs), I have this solid state amp driving electrostatics (ML Aerius), and like it very much. I have the Sunfire coupled with a tubed pre-amp & think this amp is worth the ~$2,000 price (similarly priced C-J amps didn't have the 'snap' that is needed to drive the electrostatics). See favorable review in "the absolute sound", fall 1996.

Was looking for a nuclear power plant to drive my Magnepan 3.5R speakers, and may have found it. I bought this amp specifically to biwire the maggies -- voltage outputs driving the woofer panels and the current outputs driving the midrange panels and ribbon tweeters. This seems to strengthen the bass and takes the harshness out of the mids and highs. I can crank these things up and the Sunfire stays clean and has power in reserve. Imaging is solid, soundstaging is acceptable, and transients are now realistic.
When I got the amp home and unpacked it, found the lamp hood unattached and rattling around inside (build quality?). While inside making minor repairs, I couldn't help but notice the typical Bob Carver design -- clean and straightforward.

While I've heard better soundstaging and overall musicality, nothing I've seen compares at this price range. Coupled to an Audible Illusions L-1 tube preamp, this setup is close to sitting in front of the musicians -- real close. And at any volume. Now if I could only upgrade those interconnects and digital sources...

Comprei um Sunfire, e liguei-o através de cabos XLO às caixas da Regent, da Paragon. Estou muito satisfeito com o resultado: o som é preciso, neutro e com excelente palco sonoro. Bi-wire é necessário para alcançar tudo que o SUNFIRE pode dar. O principal defeito diz respeito à construção: cabo elétrico de péssima qualidade e sem aterramento. Mas apesar disso tem uma ótima relaçao custo-benefício.

Oh ye of little sonic faith.
Please see my review of the Sunfire under the heading "Sunfire Load-Invariant Amplifier". But briefly, I am a tube amp afficionado, having at last count a pair of Dyna Mark III's (w/triode-connected 7027A's), an EICO ST-70, Eico ST-40, EICO HF-81, Dyna SCA-35, Heath AA-100, Fisher 800C, and God knows what else--all rebuilt and tweaked by moi, and I can easily say that the Sunfire on a pair of PSB Goldi's off a Conrad-Johnson PV2-aR in my in-home studio is all that and much, much more. I have never said to myself, "Gee, that sounds like a solid-state amp", for example. And bass in spades, no bullshit. What source, what pre-amp, what setup would lead to a weak-bass review of this juggernaut? Hello? I can't imagine. A tip--connect the voltage outputs to the woofers and the current outputs to the tweeters like Mr. Carver suggests, double-biwired. But above all, go and listen to one and decide for yourself. Better yet, get one in your home where it counts. This thing is the sonic equivalent of found money. One last thing--if you buy it used, get the latest updates. The factory has a transferrable 5-year warranty, does 24-hour turnarounds and pays shipping back to you. Beat that.

It's a five star bangeroo.

Be a organ and tissue donor and tell your family to follow through.

MAKES MY MARTIN LOGAN QUESTS FULLY PERFORM LIKE PURE ENERGY.

NO ON OFF SWITCH

THE MARTIN LOGANS BLEW UP MY KRELL KAV 250. THE SUNFIRE AMP FULLY DRIVES MY SPEAKERS TO THEIR MAXIMUM WITHOUT ANY SWEAT. THE DETAIL IS BETTER WITH THE SUNFIRE THAN THE KRELL.DR JACK AT THE SOUND FACTOR ENCINO IS GREAT. I AM BUYING TWO MORE. ONE FOR MY OFFICE, AND ONE FOR MY BEDROOM SYSTEM.

Similar Products Used:

KRELL KAV 250

Powerful - drives just about any speaker, very fast, great for rock, metal as well as jazz and blues

Not as refined as it could be with different internal wire.

I have used this amp with Klipsch, Dunlavy, NHT 2.5Is, and a few misc. speakers and it sounds quite well. This is a no-nonsense amp and a great value for the money. You just plug it in, wait through a two month break-in period and it never breaks or complains. It just drives whatever you want to throw at it. With the right source, speakers and cables it sounds quite good. It is no Defy 7, but I suspect Metallica may well sound better on a Sunfire. If you're into single instruments the Sunfire is good - but a tube may be more appropriate. Nontheless - good all-around amp.

Similar Products Used:

Golden Tube, Jolida, Yamaha, Fosgate, Kenwood