Feature-rich, great mid-range, highs

Reliability, lousy customer service, bass

System:
B&W Nautilus 805 speakers
Vandersteen 2Wq subwoofer
Bryston 4B-ST power amp
Sony XA-7ES CD player
Creek OBH-8 phone preamp
cheap Technics turntable

After 10 months of fairly regular use, my Line 1 refused
to wake up from standby. I shipped it out to
Sonic Frontiers and six weeks later I have still not
received it. Only after repeated phone calls have I managed
to find out that the power transformer shorted out and they
think it's the power conditioning I use. Three of the 4
components above are connected to the same conditioner and
appear to be fine. Apparently this is not covered by their
limited warranty and will cost roughly $300 to fix, all
told.

While it was running, I was generally happy with it, except
for its bass handling (in comparison to the AR and C-J
preamps) and its long warmup routine (40 seconds from
power up, 25 from standby). I had to crank up the level a
notch when using this preamp versus the AR.

It's a feature-rich and intelligent preamp that does not
sound overwarmed like other tubed products. I used the
stock tubes. The remote is cool, the built-in headphone
amp works well, the balanced inputs and outputs mean the
noise floor is low.

If it weren't for my experience with the transformer, I'd
have given this a 4.5 for value and a 4 overall.

Similar Products Used:

Acoustic Research LS-15, Conrad-Johnson preamps

Great sound, features, remote

None yet discovered

I just wanted to chime in and say that I'm another very happy SF Line-1 owner. I bought the preamp as a demo from a high-end retailer that was changing its business model. Unfortunately, it arrived with a non-working volume knob and old stock tubes that needed replacement. SF happily did the warranty repair of the volume knob in a reasonable amount of time.

While the preamp was being repaired I bought some new NOS tubes (can't remember specifics) from Kevin at UpscaleAudio (highly recommended).

Anyway the preamp sounds great coupled with my McCormack DNA-1 Deluxe. I haven't auditioned anything else in the room as we moved-in recently, but I can say that the sound is full and realistic. The only thing that isn't great is the soundstage which probably has nothing to do with the preamp, but instead room dynamics and speaker placement (which I can't do much about).

I'd also like to comment, like many before me, that the remote is great--very intuitive and comfortable (it's shaped like a hockey puck), and useful.

Anyway, it appears as if these are selling for about $1000 in the used market these days. So, you really can get a quality tube preamp with solid customer service at a reasonable price.

Similar Products Used:

Nothing at this level

For a tube preamp, the LINE 1 has the tightest bass ever. From the midrange to the highs, thiscomponent is neutral with only a hint of tube glow and warmth. If potential buyers value the
"euphonic" sound of tubes, they will be disappointed. But, if one is seeking neutrality, then the SF
LINE 1 is the product to buy.

It is very transparent, so if the info is in the recording, you'll hear it. I don't have the luxury of
spreading my speakers beyond 5½ feet & 6 feet from the front wall so I can't say for sure whether
it has a wide and deep soundstage. But, if my gut feeling is right, it does, given the right size room.
Even in my limited listening space, I'm very satisfied with its performance.

It's circuit topology is fully differential from input to output. I mate it with a Krell KSA-100S, and
they both kick out some serious butt. The following are some neat & convenient features:

a) Standy mode;
b) LED display can be turned off or set to any of the 3 intensity levels--the 4th one is off;
c) It remembers your last volume setting for any of its input--this is great when evaluating
components;
d) When you press the Mute button for the second time, music is brought back gradually within 1
second, so there rest of your system doesn't get shocked;
e) When you turn off the display, and let's say you increase the volume, the display will come
back, last for 3 seconds, then revert back to no display, or to whatever display intensity level you
set it at before pressing a button; and
f) It's gold/silver faceplate is a nice thing to look at.

These might be small things, but they're nice to have around. It also shows that the product design
was well thought off.

I like this preamp very much, and I'll recommend it to whoever is looking for a neutral sounding
component. The two things in my wish list are: it could use a little more warmth without affecting
the bass; and a phono section, or at least an option for a phono plug-in card. Otherwise, it's a very
well designed & sounding product. And finally, it uses (6) 6922 tubes which can cost a lot
especially if you're buying matched, low noise types.
I believe 5 star is the best there is, and the LINE 1 certainly is not; there is the LINE 3. Therefore,
I'll give it 4.99999999 stars then.

I auditioned the Line 1 about three months ago, and I immediately fell in love with it, and bought it, despite the that it exceeded my budget considerably. As Ariston points out in the next review, it is an extremely musical yet also very practical piece of equipment. The sound has solid state like detail, yet tube like body, and three dimensionality. The soudstage is as big as your room permits.
An additional bonus is the fantastic headphone amp, that's integrated into this pre-amp. Very, very nice.

The only - minor - complaint is related to the other wise beautiful and functional remote. It does not permit to switch directly from one source to another. Instead it has only one input switch, that cycles through all 8 inputs.

Regardless of this very minor flaw, I am giving this component 5 Loudspeakers. You may even consider this pre-amp, if you are in the market for an upscale headphone amp.

Associated equipment:

Adcom GCD-700
SFCD-1 (temporary)
McCormack DNA-0.5 deluxe
Snell C/V biwired on spikes
Wireworld, MIT-200 and XLO interconnects.
Wireworld and XLO speaker cables

Listening room 18.5x12.5x6.5

My spouse and I compared the Bryston BP 25 and the Sonic Frontiers Line 1 preamplifiers this week. There is a big difference in retail price (~2300 CDN for BP 25, ~3300 CDN for SF Line 1), but there is also a large difference in music reproduction.For the test, we used the Anthem CD-1 CD Player, Bryston 3B-ST amplifier, and PSB Stratus Silver speakers. The same cables were used throughout (MIT, Madrigal (sp?)). We used a sound meter to equalize the volume controls.

Karen and I finally understand what reviewers mean by veils obstructing the music. The BP 25 had what Karen and I would call a bass veil which covered up detail in the music and exagerated the bass, and mid-bass. We listened to an HDCD version of Time Out by Dave Brubeck. Listening to the SF Line 1 we could hear more detail including the pluck of the bass, better imaging, and what we deem a more realistic sound. Listening to Jane Siberry Child CD (live), we felt again that the SF Line 1 reproduced Jane's voice more realistically.

I was very surprised how apparent the differences between the preamplifiers were. I did not expect it. Comparisons were done in the same room, same setup, and all equipment had been broken in and warmed up.

Everyone talks about the incremental gains as you go higher in audio equipment. This improvement was not minor, and well worth it. The BP 25, though not well known, has had very favourable reviews in Stereophile and other magazines. It is very important that you compare equipment for yourself.

For the money I would give the Bryston a 3.5 star rating. For the money, I must give the SF Line 1 4.75 star rating.

I've owned the Line One and an Anthem AMP One and it's a terrific combo! I use them to power Proac Tablette's 50's and Sigs. The Sonic Frontiers gear is neutral, dynamic and built to last. Very transparent yet musical. The Line One with the remote has to be one of the best at the price, I heard a Pre 1 in my system and it actually might be a bit palpable in its soundstaging but not as relaxed or refined as the Line One. I am very happy with the Line One.

If you are looking for a remote controlled preamp that is as transparent as possible at this price range, the Line 1 is probably it.
Prior to my decision of adding a pre-amp to my set-up, I was running my CD player direct to power amp. In auditioning several other pre-amps within this price range; Audio Research LS15, Jadis DPL2, Aragon Aurum; they all added some veiling and/or coloration to the sound as compared with driving the power amps direct from source.

Except for a slight tube hiss when idling (inaudible unless your ear is next to the speakers), the Line 1's neither added nor veiled the music. I've owned them for 6 months now and my only quibble is with the remote which does not have a user selectable source; one has to scan through all of them to get to the component wanted.

The Surround Processor Loop is a bonus for those wanting to integrate their AV with their high-end audio systems. Highly recommended.

System Front-End: Sony XA7ES CD Player, Sota Sapphire TT with SME Series 3 arm and Ortofon MC30 Supreme Cartridge
Phono Stage: Sonic Frontiers SFP-1 Signature
Amplifiers: Aragon 8008BB X 2 (bi-amped)
Speakers: Sonus Faber Electa Amator

I have 2 sonic frontiers products. However great the products are from an audio stand point, I have not had much success in the area of reliability. Both my pre-amp and transport constantly break down. Just a word of warning to the wise. Great sounding but it comes at a price beyond what most people are accustomed to live with.

I have owned 2 Line One preamps over the last 2 years and an Anthem AMP One and never experienced one single problem. Sorry that you have. The sound and build quality to me was first rate. I loved the remote, the looks and finally the sound of my Line One. Actually thinking about getting back into audio and it's on my list again, I don't think there is anything better in the price range. Tha Amp One is also a wonderful piece I was very happy with it's performance.

As the previous review states, if you want a pre-amp with tubes but is not too "tubey", this is probably what you are looking for.
In my system, it was the best I have had. Althought it was just for a quick review in that context, it was better than an ARC LS3-B and Threshold T3 but only by a small margin.

For a similar price I have not heard a better pre-amp.

Considering the price comparison it wins overall. I am purchasing a LINE 2 shortly and do think it is better, but at a higher price. Once I have lived with it for awhile, I'll let you all know in greater detail what I think of it.