A truely full-function tube preamp: fullly balanced circuitry; handy, full-function remote ; solid build; numerous inputs and outputs including full balanced; headphone amplifier (solid state). Transparent sound and tube liquidity, warmth, and depth WHEN BETTER TUBES ARE USED.

NOTE: my value rating is based on the used price I paid.

Not a stereotypical tube sound with the standard Sovtek tubes.

I was looking for a new preamp to replace my Adcom GFP-750; I wanted (1) remote control, (2) balanced XLR outputs, and (3) tubes, never having used tubes before. I looked at used BAT and ARC tube models with balanced outs but the only thing under $1000 was the LINE 1. The reason for the balanced outputs was to get good match with my Monarchy SM-70 Pro amplfiers that are designed for fully balanced operation when used as monoblocks. I'm driving Magneplanar MG16QR's. I listen mostly to classical music.

Potential buyers should be aware that the Sonic Frontiers products have been out of production for some time. However expert repair is still available from Parts ConneXion whose president, Chris Johnson, was also president of Sonic Frontiers.

The LINE 1 is very impressively constructed and of handsome appearance -- in my opinion, sorry if you're one of the people who loves a forest of tube and transformers on top of a box: it rather have that stuff inside the box. The puck-shaped remote control looks eccentric but is actually very handy.

As for the sound of the LINE 1, I was a little disappointed at first. Where was that tube warmth, liquidity, and depth?? In fact the LINE 1 sounded VERY like my former Adcom., (pretty good actually, but totally solid state). So I decided to roll out the standard Sovtek 6299 tubes. I bought a pair of Siemens 6299 tubes and put them in the gain (that is, middle) position: as small improvement i.e. a tiny bit sweeter. Next I took Chris Johnson's advice and bought a pair the Refektor tubes to put in the gain position: somewhat warmer sound, more "tube-like". Finally I got a pair of Amperex USA white label "PQ" tubes. BINGO! with these in the gain position and the Seimens in the input (rear) position, I'm getting the tube liquidity and depth I was wanting, with no compromise in detail or transparency.

Customer Service

I bought the unit from an Individual on Audiogon. I had the unit to Parts Connexion once for a headphone jack problem: their service and consultation was great.

Similar Products Used:

Preamps from Dynaco, Sansui, Apt Holman, McIntosh, Adcom, and others.

Refined and detailed, appealing aesthetics

Too polite for pop and rock material

My system : Sony XA7ES Plinius SA-100MkIII Sonus Faber Concerto Grand Pianos Nordost Blue Heaven speaker cables Wireworld Eclipse interconnects I don't know about other users who have complained about reliability problems but I've never encountered any so far after almost 1 year of usage. The SF Line 1 is a very good preamp with a refined and detailed presentation. A total pleasure to listen to if your musical tastes lean towards jazz, vocals or slower pop material. Not exactly the suitable candidate if you listen to faster pop and rock. Anyway most tube amps falter when it comes to playing pop/rock. Highly recommended judging from its price point used. Excellent sound quality from a beautiful piece of equipment. The remote is cool and a breeze to use.

Similar Products Used:

Threshold T3

Must cycle through all inputs when using remote. Can't use my CinePro Power Pro 20, but not sure how big of a weakness this is.

I have not had this long enough to give a complete review, but wanted to throw something out here to maybe save fellow audio lovers the same headaches I am going through. I bought this used and when turning the volume up last night, I heard some harsh 'static' coming from my speakers then the Line 1 shut off. I found a blown fuse, replaced it, then the Line 1 powered up for a few seconds then died again...blown fuse. I went through 2 fuses this way. Obviously it needs to go back in for repair, however what caused it? Well I think the it was the use through a line conditioner. The previous owner said he used a Power Wedge with the Line 1. SF says plug it straight into the wall. I think prolonged use of a L/c causes problems with the Line Series' power supply. s*%t. For the few days I had with it, it sounded wonderful. It was so much better in every way than the Lexicon DC1 I was using. I hope this won't be a huge bill to repair, but if it is, it will be worth it...unless I could have bought a Line 2 for the amount I spent in repair and initial cost, but I can't imagine it would be that much to fix.

Similar Products Used:

Lexicon DC1, all sorts of recievers and integrated amps used as preamps.

Sonics
Build Quality
Service and factory support

Input selector on remote could be direct

Bought this preamp second hand last year.
The price was "low" due to some defects related to manual volume setting, and other. The technical support team at the factory gave me a new "face plate" and covered the cost as warranty. The new faceplate was easy to install and the p.amp has worked perfectly since then. I have never heard the Line 1 with the original valves, as the former owner had them replaced with some standard Sovteks 6922. He claimed this made no difference to the sonics. I installed 3 matched pairs of Billington Gold Pin EC88 a week ago, just to eliminate possible degrading effects from a set of valves (the Sovteks) of unknown quality. To my surprice, the difference was significant. The holographic information improved that much, I could hardly believe it. The overall sound is even more "realistic" than before and the sence of space or air between each instruments has increased. I have not noted any changes in the low.
The Sonic Frontier Line 1 is a truly neutral preamp with extended bass, smooth midrange and a sweet and detailed top. It is not typical analytic (anymore), but neutral and very defined and pleasant to listend to. The remote is geniously made and makes the preamp easy operated, compared to other high end stuff. As a proud owner, I give the Service from Sonic Frontier, the sound quality as well as the design and build quality 5 stars.

Similar Products Used:

Tandberg
Sidewinder
Creek passive
QED Passive

Incredible build quality and reliability, the best designed remote in the industry, glorious neutrality to make your source proud.

Absolutely none whatsoever, unless you are a flavor-of-the-month audiophile.

Nothing can beat the following: Give it a listen with your favorite cd's, try a few different amps and sources, and just try to pinpoint what it brings to the party. You probably wont be able to, which is how neutral it is, but you will hear differences in everything else,,,and that's what a good preamp must do. Line 2 arguably better, but the Line 1 is so close, I dont think the line 2 is worth the incremental cost. With valvo tubes, the line 1 surpasses the stock version line 2 in my humble opinion. So here it is. No use trying to describe the sound. Go out and buy a used or new unit and be happy at last as this is a no-brainer. It's that good.

Similar Products Used:

name them,most big name brands and some smaller more esoteric ones they are included, up to twice the price.

Transparent, well built, remote control, design.

Slightly thin midband, could have more slam in bass.

I have been a happy owner of an Audio research LS1 for many years. Knowing that the SFL1 was a very competitive product when I bought my ARC, the relatively new range of SF line pre-amps attracted my attention as they now come with remote, headphone output and excellent design/build.

It is very revealing pre-amp and has low noise level. The difference between sources and cables are now more obvious and the ARC sounds slightly coloured in the mid band and grainy in the highs compared to the Line 1. The midband is very transparent but lacking some warmth...a tradeoff for the transparent, non fatiqueing sound.

Timbre is excellent and frequency response is especially extended in the highs. Tonally I find it more accurate than the ARC. The bass could do with more slam but one can hardly expect more at this price point.

I did hook up with a friend's system, using VTL power amp and a Muse Model 2 DAC driven by CEC TL5100 and Spendor SP100. His own pre-amp was a Conrad Johnson PV11A. We both preferred the Line1 for its transparency in his system.

I went thru' my CD collection again after I got this pre-amp. The Line 1 is an excellent sounding pre-amp for the price. I am looking forward to upgrading the tubes to NOS Siemens as recommended by some owners here, and a decent power cable to kick ass!

Those looking for transparency and a non-fatiqueing sound should look no further. Tubes does not mean noise as we compared with the CJ PV11A.

those looking for the euphonic colouration of tubes at the mid band should look elsewhere.

Associated equipment:

Pioneer DVS10A, Sony CDP-X779ES, Sony CDP-X3000ES
Meridian 566 DAC
Rotel RHB 10 "Michi" power amp
ET LFT VIII, Spendor SP1/2

Straightwire Maestro, Tara Labs RSC Ref, Audioquest Midnight 2, Audioquest video Z digital, Audioquest Quartz, Tara Labs Quantum CD

Similar Products Used:

Audio Research, Conrad Johnson, VTL, Rotel

Superb bass and wonderful build. Not too soft on top, and tweek-able

None that come to mind

I had to sell my old system because my job caused me to travel, and this time I thought I may have to travel again, so did not want to chance buying the most expensive gear, and hate used gear having had some bad experiences with bad sellers.

I was temporarily located in Los Angeles and did not know that was near Upscale Audio. I explained my situation and the owner Kevin Deal mentioned this preamp because it was reasonable due to a special they have, has excellent build, and I would not lose much if I had to sell it for another move. My treatment at Upscale was different than any other buying experience I have ever had. In a good way that is hard to describe. It is a busy place with an incredible inventory of equipment and tube upgrades. My eyes were constantly looking from one thing to the next. I was never pressured. In fact they asked me if I wanted to be left alone to listen to which I said "yes"

This preamp is like no preamp. In fact it reminds me of my megabuck Levinson, but I was shown that it could be fine-tuned to my Sonus Fabers in a way that was perfect for me.

The inside build is much better looking than my old Audio Research SP-14, and the price is so low I felt like I was getting away with something.

On the fine tuning....they showed me how you can change just one pair of tubes to some rare new old stock tubes made in England in the 1960's (this was the suggestion for MY tastes/needs and may not fit yours).

One note...these 1960's tube upgrades I bought are hard to find as they tell me, and certain ones they only sell to customers that have bought their preamp there. So it was a good thing I bought the preamp there.

Cool remote, great interface, quiet, sound is like I'm back in that $5000 bracket...for much less.

Similar Products Used:

Levinson, Krell, and ARC

i loooooove my Line 1!i can't say that i listened to a whole lot of other preamps before buying the Line 1, but i'm still very pleased with the sound. i can't imagine getting a better-sounding preamp for the money ($1600 USD on demo).
my observations are pretty much in line (haha) with those previously posted.

strengths: great transparency, great imaging, and excellent treble and bass
extension/definition/tightness for a tube preamp (or any other for that
matter). verrry low noise too.
also, superb ergonomics, really cute remote, and kickin' headphone amp.
weaknesses: if you're looking for the midrange bloom characteristic of most
other tube preamps, you won't find it here.

i couldn't be happier with my purchase!

system: B&W 805, Kimber 8TC, Forte 5, DLin Silver Bullet 6.0, SF Line 1, Silver Bullet 6.0, Adcom GDA700, Kimber AGDL, Denon DCD1290.
also, Sunfire True Sub with Kimber Heroes.
soon to be added: DLin Silver Shots, Brickwall surge supressor

After waiting six months for an Audible Illusions L1 preamp I had on order I returned to my dealer and asked what were some alternative preamp options in this price range. After all, a manufacturer that can't deliver a preamp in under six months makes you wonder about their ability to service the unit afterward.
My dealer had recently picked up the Sonic Frontier line and demo'd the Line 1 for me. I was a little uncertain at first. The sound was more solid state sounding, but the sound staging was excellent. There was also a certain neutrality to the sound that at first listen made this preamp sound slightly bland/laid back compared to a few of the solid state units I listened to, but ultimately I kept coming back to the Line 1. The music just sounded more dimensional then its solid state counter-parts (Classe CP-40/50) in the same price range.

Compared to the demo AI L1 I had been listening to for the last six months the mid-range magic was gone. But what the Line 1 did provide was a very flat, transparent, detailed, and cohesive presentation top to bottom with very good bass and treble extension. More characteristic of solid state sound, but with the imaging qualities that tubes provide.

Ergonomics and flexibility are first rate. Build quality is first rate. And service is excellent. I had an early production unit that had some early production teething problems, such as popping noises, and a few other bugs. In less than three weeks I had the Line 1 back with new tubes, and the entire unit had been brought up to current spec. And the Line 1 sounded better then before. The sound was now fuller from the midrange up, and the Line 1 seemed more dynamic.

Highly recommended in this price range.

Associated Equipment:

B&W 802 III spkrs
McCormack DNA-1 Delux amp
Meridian 508.20 CD Player
SF Line 1 preamp
Balanced and SE Transparent Super Interconnects
Transparent Musicwave Super spkr cable

Great tube sound with a phenomenal Soundstage

Weakness? What weaknesses.

I have my Line 1 installed in my system and it just makes my solid state receiver sound smoother. I had a solid state preamp from Krell that was just too bright in my system. So I thought I would try a tube preamp from a friend that had this unit. After connecting the Line 1 to my system, I was amazed at how this piece just smoothed out the sound in my system.

My Magnepans like the high current from my Krell amp, but the tubes in the Line 1 just made my system complete.

I can't recommend this preamp enough, especially for the $1,500 I gave for it. What a value. Highly recommended. And the remote is so cool!!!

Similar Products Used:

ARC, BAT, Krell