Does anyone have experience with Sunfire products?
I'm most interested in their amps, but am interested in feedback on any of their products: Sound, usability, quality control, customer service, etc. Thanks!
unfortunitaly i have not had to much experience with them but i have listened to a few and i like the sound.
i was thinking of at 1 time buyuing the sunfire theater grand 111 prepro and if i could find one used for a good price would get it.
now what i have heard is that some of the people don't like the amps in a lot of the sunfire stuff mainly because of how they use a different type of power supply."you'll notice they are lighter than most"
i do really like the look of them.that retro/modern appeals to me!
well that's about all that i can contribute. hopefully someone else can give you more than I.
While Sunfire builds good equipment, I feel there are better products in that same price range. If you are looking at 2 channel stereo, or multichannel amps for HT, I would suggest you go out and give the Aragon and ATI lines a listen.
Pre-pro is a Rotel RSP-1068. Speakers are Dali Evidence. Looking for a 5 or preferably 7 channel amp right now, a 2 channel for separate room later.
It is the "new technology" power handling that makes me most worried about the Sunfire, as well as the THD of 0.5% which is about 10 times more than most other non-tube amps. Still sounds good, though.
also what i did that seems to work very nice for me is.
a really nice 3channel amp for the l,r and center speakers then a 4 channel for the rest.as the front speakers are usually a little larger than the rest and can benefit from a little more umph.plus the center is really important for dialogue
One issue is that we've got a 6 month old at home, so the amp really needs to go in a closed cabinet (back is open, but protected by gates) to avoid a disaster. The cooler running Sunfire makes this easy, but most of the other amps would require me to put in fans. When we move to a new house I'll build a separate equipment closet with a cooling system, but until then heat dissipation is a big issue. Do let me know if some of your recommended amps run relatively cool, that would be a big plus.
Rick,
The Aragon amps look good. I haven't been able to find much information on the new ATI amps like the AT1807. Which have you listened to and do you have any more comments on them?
KEGGER,
The sound with the RSP-1068 driving a NAD T973 has been wonderful. I've been quite happy with that combination (except for the insanely noisy fans on that particular 973 which is why I need a different amp -- a long story which I'm not going to go into on this thread).
The RSP-1068 is great, though I wish it had more digital inputs. Sensible menus, not only per-speaker distances, but per-speaker bass handling if you wish. Being able to set default modes per input (PLII Cinema for cable, for instance) is very convenient. The remote looks clunky, but has all the functions you need available -- it has also survived a sustained attack by a 6 month old. I haven't used the composite to component up-conversion or the lip-sync delay, but I will likely be glad to have them if/when prices for displays go down.
I have been using pre-Klipsch, Mondial Aragon amps since the late 90's. The are built like tanks, used daily, no down time or problems, and sound great. I have heard the new Klipsch Aragons, and am pleased they are carrying on the fine tradition of the line. I have friends who use ATI gear, so I can vouch for the sound and build quality of that line as well. Flip a coin, I just think the Aragon sounds a tad more refined.
Looks really don't matter to me. I tend to keep my gear a long time, so after sound quality, build quality is everything with me. I can be a real pain in the butt about build quality.
Again I urge you to go out and listen to both if you can. In the end rely on your ears. Don't let anyone tell you all good amps sound the same-they don't. Listen for yourself. Good luck!
audiofreak
Unregistered guest
Posted on
On hometheaterforum.com I saw an editorial review and it was very negative. I would check into it. I have heard they are over rated.
i am using the parasound 855a five channel amp. it has no fan in it and mine doesn't even get warm. it's 85 a channel and has a big brother that is pretty much identical but has 140 a channel the hca-1205a
so parasound still might be something to look at. they have some nicely priced amps not to mention they are very well made and have a pretty extensive line.
Anonymous
Posted on
try B&K amps. they don't get hot cause I got one (7270)and got it for $1800 brand new at an authorized dealer. reminds me of the new yamaha Z9. you can fry an egg on top of it and its only running for an hour cause the store just open up and I requested for a demo.