Sunfire Classic Vacuum Tube 2-Channel Amplifier

This review is for a discontinued Sunfire product, only available now from online auctions, estate sales and the like.

Unless you enjoy a no-limits electronics budget, no mere mortal will in all likelihood ever experience a better-sounding preamplifier that the Sunfire Classic Vacuum Tube Control Center. Signal-to-Noise ration is incredible, dynamic range astounding, detail & accuracy uncanny. I bought mine used (it's a discontinued item) for $400 US and it would have been a bargain at three times the price.

Aesthetically, the black anodized finish and warm, gold highlights accent the understated elegance of this preamplifier. The front of the unit is uncluttered, with a single 2" x 4" window revealing the glowing inner vacuum tubes (from whence it gets it's name) used to give it the famous, warm tone.

Controls are sparse but well-chosen; high quality on/off switches are used for the power, mono/stereo, , tape monitor, and tone defeat (or "contour", as Sunfire terms it). Rotary knobs are employed for the input selector and balance, and the tone/contour controls are a very interesting departure from the norm. Both the low & high frequency contour are rotary-style switches but with a twist--they each have two click-stops in either direction, i.e., cut or boost. Sunfire describes the contour as follows:

"The contour controls are asymmetrical in boost and cut. They have been designed to be very appropriate to real music listening situations. Boost exhibits no shelving, and reaches a maximum of +6 dB at full clockwise rotation. Bass may thus be boosted without boom associated with shelving, in order to increase deep punch without mid-bass fatness. Treble boost will field greater definition, without the shrillness which results from treble-boost shelving."

However they describe it, it's wonderfully inoffensive!

The rear of the unit is similarly uncluttered. Balanced outputs are available, as well as standard RCA-type Main 1 and Main 2 outputs, as well as a tape (record) output. Inputs are the usual gamut of tuner/tape/cd/aux/etc., to include Moving Magnet and Moving Coil phono inputs.

When you switch on the preamp, a clamping circuit mutes the main outputs for about 40 seconds to allow the tubes time to warm up to operating temperature, thus eliminating any unwanted turn-on transients (thumps). The same circuit is applied immediately when it is turned off. Listening reveals no particularly revealing sonic qualities or deficiencies. Read that as this is a very neutral-sounding unit which imparts nothing additionally to the source that wasn't there to begin with. It's very transparent. Even with a CD paused and the gain turned to the maximum, the preamp exhibited no audible hiss.

A remote was a option with this unit; sadly, most were never included. In order to add a remote, the unit must be returned to Sunfire for internal adjustments and a remote control at additional cost.

I use this unit with a 300-watt per channel Sunfire Load Invariant Stereo Power Amplifier; they complement one another perfectly. Look for another write-up on this amplifier.