The Sonic Frontiers LINE 1 LINESTAGErepresents a new ... - Anthem

“Its sound is really hard to fault. It adds little enough colouration and distortion to signals
passing through it that hearing and separating its characteristic sound from the sounds of
the rest of the system is very difficult. This is what a good preamp needs to accomplish to
do credit to the connected source equipment, and this Line-1 can do. Recommended.”
Muse Kastanovich, November 1997 Vol. 20 No. 11
The Sonic Frontiers LINE 1 LINESTAGErepresents a new benchmark in
high-end preamplifier design. Whether it is the advanced circuit topology
including 15 stages of power supply regulation, hall-of-fame parts quality,
meticulous craftsmanship, comprehensive features, intuitive and convenient
ergonomics or, most of all, its impeccably lifelike and neutral sonic character,
the LINE-1 has no peers.
Specifically, in the area of sonics, the Line-1 has achieved an unprecedented
degree of tonal neutrality, harmonic correctness, lifelike dynamics, uncolored
frequency extremes and above all else, exhilarating musicality.
“The Line 2 is one of the most well designed preamps I have encountered to
date ...[this] is a really hot preamp.”
“The LINE 2 gives you first class audio performance without compromising
features. Other manufacturers should take note.”
Jerry Del Colliano, August 1997
“I couldn’t find any shortcomings in the Line 2! ...the Line 2 delivered everything
I asked of it.”
“ I t’s one of the most neutral-sounding components I’ve ever used.”
Kalman Rubinson, December 1997
The Sonic Frontiers LINE 2 L I N E S TA G Ebuilds on the technical
s h o u l d e ’s r of its smaller sibling, the Line 1, in the following ways:
• superior quality passive part s
• outboard power supply (power transformer, rectification, power
supply reservoir and pre-regulation)
• four additional stages of power supply regulation (19 versus 15)
• an optimized layout of the audio circuit in the MAIN chassis,
taking advantage of the full chassis size for maximum perf o rmance
from this circuit.
Rarely has there been an audio component which strives, in all
facets of its design, to break new ground, to be revolutionary rather
than evolutionary. The LINE 3 LINESTAGE is just such a
product. No other preamplifier takes each design parameter to its limit
l i ke the LINE 3.
“The LINE 3 has joined that select group of products that I can confidently
recommend to friends and family. Superbly engineered and superbly e xecuted,
the LINE 3 extends the Sonic Frontiers tradition of exceptional value. Bravo!”
Dick Olsher, October 1997
“The Line 3 takes a serious shot at state of the art.”
“ Parts and construction quality are first-rate in this beautifully made component.”
“If you get the idea that I like the Sonic Frontiers Line 3, you’re right. It is one
of the best preamps I’ve had the pleasure of using in my system, and it’s
becoming my current reference preamplifier.”
Bascom H. King, September 1997

THE LINE SERIES PRODUCTS,
ARE ALL-T U B E, FULLY
DIFFERENTIAL BALANCED,
D I R E C T-COUPLED DESIGNS,
DISTINGUISHED BY THEIR
S O P H I S T I C ATED POWER
S U P P L I E S, PARTS QUALITY, AND
I N N O VATIVE CIRCUIT TO P O L O GY.
With the LINE series preamplifiers, audiophiles no longer have to endure the
historic restriction that for an audio electronics product to be truly reference
q u a l i t y, it must be MINIMALIST. The LINE Series preamplifiers are able to offer
the advanced functionality of remote control, headphone amplification, home
theater friendliness and more, while pursuing the purist goal of maintaining the
excitement and immediacy of a near-live musical performance in your home.
H E A D P H O N E : All three LINE Series preamplifiers include a high quality,
p r o p r i e t a ry, op-amp based headphone amplifier using high-end audio
“approved” Burr-Brown OPA2604’s, isolated via two dedicated power supply
regulation stages. We have further enhanced this feature by licensing and
including HEADROOM Corp.’s Audio Image Processing Circuitry. This
“cross-feeding” and “time delay” of the signal renders headphone listening to
stereo program material less artificial sounding which results in a less fatiguing,
and more involving long term listening experience.
HOME THEATRE FRIENDLY: All three LINE Series preamplifiers
contain a SSP Loop, which differs from a tape loop in that it is a “throughput”
adding no gain and completely bypassing the volume control. This feature
allows you to easily switch from 2 channel volume levels to the carefully
balanced 5+ s p e a ker volume settings of your surround sound system, at the
push of a button. M o r e o v e r, we provide a Relay Tr i g g e r, enabling various home
theater accessories to be “cued” by the preamp’s TURN ON sequence - such
as lights, screens, projectors, fans, etc...
MULTI ROOM ENVIRONMENT: All three LINE Series preamplifiers
feature an IR Jack (3.5 mm stereo mini jack) which enables aft e r- m a r ket IR
repeater units to control the preamplifier remotely for multi-room access.
R E M O T E : With the LINE Series preamps, not only do ALL three come with
their own remote control handset included (not an option), they are full function,
replicating every front panel control.
FRONT PANEL: The all-important microprocessor, the “brains” of the
unit, which stores the programming for the functions and volume control of the
preamplifier is fully shielded from the main audio circuitry within a separate
aluminum casing. In addition, this front panel circuitry is electrically isolated via
two dedicated power supply regulation stages ensuring no “backward”
contamination of the musical signal.
VOLUME CONTROL SYSTEM: Much research and development
went into selecting a volume control system which provided the functionality
audiophile consumers demanded while not compromising sound quality in any
w a y. After reviewing several alternatives, the Crystal CS3310 “electronic
a t t e n u a t o r” chipset was selected. Providing 191 - 0.5 dB steps with better than
0.05 dB channel-to-channel tracking, these digitally-controlled, analog IC chips
feature FET switching elements and arrays of well-matched resistors, without
the negatives associated with mechanical wipers or relay contacts. Moreover,
through the use of two dual chips, each of the four sections can handle one
phase of the stereo balanced signal and thus providing a perfect solution for the
control of channel balance, without the need to add a second balance control
“series element” to the signal path (typically the configuration provided with
preamplifiers using mechanical potentiometers).
This chipset is controlled either by the signal generated from the front panel
continuous rotation optical encoder or via the IR signal transmitted from the
remote control handset.
LINE SERIES FEATURE CHART
FEATURES LINE 1 LINE 2 LINE 3
Separate Power Supply NO HALF SIZE FULL SIZE
# of Potted & Encapsulated
Toroidal Power Transformers 1 1 3
Fully Symmetrical Balanced Design YES YES YES
Dual Mono Construction NO NO YES
Direct Coupled Output YES YES YES
Inputs/Outputs 8/5 8/5 8/5
Gain (SE/Balanced) 12dB/18dB 12dB/18dB 12dB/18dB
Full Function Remote Control YES YES YES
Display/LED Dimming YES YES YES
Output Impedance
(SE/Balanced)(20Hz - 20kHz) 150/300 ohms 135/270 ohms 45/90 ohms
Max. Input Voltage (SE/Balanced) 3.5V / 7.0V 3.5V / 7.0V 3.5V / 7.0V
Noise -98dB -99dB -100dB
Frequency Response (Hz to kHz) 2-250 2-250 2-250
Regulation Stages 15 19 26
Regulation Stages
- High Voltage Shunt Type 0 0 8
Constant On Filament YES YES YES
HeadRoom Headphone Amplifier
with Dedicated Power Supply YES YES YES
SSP “Bypass” Loop YES YES YES
IR Jack YES YES YES
Relay Trigger YES YES YES
Soundcoat - Chassis Dampening YES YES YES
Printed Circuit Board Type SMOBC, 3/32” SMOBC, 3/32” SMOBC, 3/32”
3.5 oz Copper 3.5 oz Copper 3.5 oz Copper
Main PCB Isolation NO NO YES
Potted Toroidal
Power Transformers YES YES YES
Tube Complement 6-6922 6-6922 10-6922, 2-6GH8A
Parts Quality GREAT INCREDIBLE PHENOMENAL
Weight (Net) 24 lbs. 33 lbs. 60 lbs.
I N T E L L I G E N C E : With the LINE Series products, each input can be programmed
to a desired pre-set volume in order to compensate for differences in source component
output voltage levels. This way, as you switch between your selected inputs, the
relative volume levels will remain constant.
COMMON CIRCUIT TOPOLOGIES:
• fully, symmetrically balanced (not pseudo-balanced) - providing maximum common
mode noise reduction while preserving signal integrity
• all tube gain stages
• direct coupled output (no output coupling caps - as all designer’s know, the best
cap, is NO cap) through the use of a DC servo (with a back-up safety circuit in the
rare event that the servo failed) ensures low, constant output impedance across entire
audio frequency spectrum
• incredibly sophisticated power supplies featuring potted, encapsulated power
transformers, ultra-fast soft recover diodes, multiple stages of regulation
• two stage, soft start turn-on to provide long life of all internal components
The LINE Series preamps give you the flexibility to drive any type of interconnect
cable to our POWER Series amplifiers or any other vacuum tube or solid state amplifier
- even low input impedance solid state amplifiers (down to 5K ohms or lower) - without
reducing or rolling-off delicate high frequency information.
WITH THE LINE SERIES PREAMPLIFIERS, SONIC FRONTIERS HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT
PROGRESS IN ADVANCING TOWARD THE MUSICAL TRUTH. OUR LINE SERIES PREAMPS
POSSESS A QUIETER BACKGROUND TO CONTRAST THE MUSICAL IMAGES AGAINST,
BETTER DYNAMICS - BOTH MACRO AND MICRO, MORE EXTENDED TIGHTER BASS
REPRODUCTION AND A SUPERIOR LEVEL OF AMBIANCE R E T R I E VAL. IN SHORT, THE LINE
SERIES PREAMPS ARE TONALLY NEUTRAL AND RUTHLESSLY REVEALING.

“I would have bought the Power 1 – I think that highly of it... I am certainly won over by its price
and performance.”
Doug Schneider, September 1998
“I simply wasn’t prepared for just how good the Power 1 amp is... Sonic Frontiers’ Power 1 is a
steal at its price... simply a winner. ”
Tony Rago, November 1996, Volume 3 Issue 10
AVAILABLE WITH EITHER GOLD OR BLACK
DRESSPLATES
“We now rank [the Power 2] among the best of the best in either transistor or tube
designs... the SF Power 2 is, in our opinion, one of the greatest success stories in tube
amplification... My congratulations.”
Jean Hiraga, No. 207, April 1997
“The Power 2 has the ability to make music sound lively and exc i t i n g... [it] has an appealingly
warm, detailed and complex sound... The Power 2 is so capable of resolving little
details that other amps smear over... The Sonic frontiers Power 2 is a wonderful amplifie
r. . .the performance, the sound and the value are all there.”
Jerry Del Colliano, July 1998
TUBE COOLERS KEEP 5687 TUBES
RUNNING COOL IN BOTH THE
POWER 2 AND 3
4 POSITION SELECTOR SWITCH ALLOWS A
CHOICE OF THREE INPUTS PLUS MUTE
“The Power 3’s distortion performance is among the best I’ve seen in a tube power
a m p l i f i e r... The Power 3 had the highest damping factor I can recall measuring on a
tube amp.”
“The Power 3’s produced the best overall sound of all the I amplifiers I had on hand delivering
absolutely amazing reproduction!... The bass power and tightness of these amps were most
impressive!... The Power 3’s are among the very best amplifiers I have had the pleasure of
a u d i t i o n i n g.”
Bascom H. King, August 1996
STANDBY MODE (RED LED) MAINTAINS
OPTIMAL WARM-UP CONDITION
BIAS ADJUSTMENTS ARE EASY AND
ACCURATE VIA TWO COLOUR LED SYSTEM
FULLY-BALANCED DESIGN INCLUDING THE
OUTPUT TRANSFORMERS
“The Power 2 will give you more of everything than you’ve heard before. More resolution,
more dynamics and especially more and better bass... Recordings with good imaging,
depth and airiness show off their finest on the Power 2... Late-night listening was never so
good!... During climactic musical moments, the Power 2 never wavers. It stays true to the
music... the Power 2 gets it all.”
Tony Rago, November 1996, Volume 3, Issue 10
“The LINE 3 and POWER 3 have joined the select group of products that I can confidently
recommend to friends and family. Superbly engineered and superbly executed, this duo
extends Sonic Frontiers tradition of exceptional value. Bravo!”
Dick Olsher, September 1997

AFTER MORE THAN TWO
YEARS OF INNOVATIVE AND
TECHNICALLY-ADVANCED
ENGINEERING, SONIC
FRONTIERS UNLEASHES THE
POWER SERIES OF POWER
AMPLIFIERS.
Leading the pack is the Power 3 Mono Amplifier. Rated at 220 watts per channel,
the Power 3 has both the control and the muscle to deal with today’s most
demanding speaker loads. The Power 3 is followed closely by the Power 2 and
Power 1 Stereo Amplifiers rated at 110 watts and 55 watts respectively. Designed
as a group, the Power Series amplifiers were developed to bring audio amplification
to a new and higher realm of performance and each have the following exceptional
design features in common.
LOW DISTORTION, an innovative approach to the implementation of
feedback avoids the common sonic downfalls traditionally associated with this
design method. The results are staggering - exceptionally low distortion under any
power condition throughout the entire audio spectrum.
HIGH DAMPING FACTOR, according to popular belief, damping factor
is a term used to describe an amplifier’s ability to control motional behavior of a
l o u d s p e a ker by damping or shorting the back emf produced by a speake r’s voice
coil; acting as an electronic brake of sorts. A high damping factor ensures that the
a m p l i f i e ’s r frequency response will not vary due to frequency related load impedance
changes common to most speaker systems. Many conventional tube amps suffer
quite dramatically in this area due to their inherent high output impedance and
low damping factor, thereby reducing the range of speakers with which the amplifier
will effectively work. The Power Series amplifiers are a notable exception to this
p r e c o n c e p t i o n. Sonically, midrange frequencies snap into focus and bass
frequency reproduction rivals the best solid state designs, allowing the amplifier
to have a seamlessly integrated tonal balance and harmonic structure from top to
b o t t o m .
PARTIAL-TRIODE OPERATION, the amplifiers operate in a distributed
load (partial triode) manner, resulting in extremely linear performance. Each
amplifier delivers its full rated power equally into 8, 4 or 2 ohm taps, reacting
much like a voltage source, delivering more current as speaker loads become
more demanding or less current as loads increase above the operating range of
the chosen output tap. The benefit of this characteristic is that the amplifier will
have continual power at any frequency, under essentially any speaker load condition.
FULLY-BALANCED DESIGN, from input to output, including the output
transformers. This approach maximizes all the advantages of common mode
rejection and even-order harmonic distortion reduction inherent with this topology.
The Power Series amplifiers are one of a select handful of tube amplifiers which
utilize this sophisticated approach to amplifier circuit topology design.
DIRECT-COUPLED DRIVER, direct coupling of the amplifier’s low
impedance driver stage to the output tube grids prevents a common occurrence
in more conventional amplifiers - signal blocking. In the Power 3 and 2 amplifiers,
direct coupling removes the cap from the signal path, eliminating blocking and
thus, allowing instantaneous recovery from clipping and overload conditions.
USER-FRIENDLY BIAS SCHEME, utilizing a simple-to-adjust
t w o-color LED (per output tube) system for bias, the Power Series amplifiers are
extremely easy to bias accurately, without the need for cumbersome, expensive
and failure-prone meters.
POWER SERIES FEATURE CHART
FEATURES POWER 1 POWER 2 POWER 3
Rated Power - Watts Per Channel 55 W/CH 110 W/CH 220 W/CH
Power Rating (20 Hz to 20 kHz
35 >50 >50
Binding Posts CARDAS CARDAS CARDAS
S/E Input Jacks KIMBER KIMBER KIMBER
Printed Circuit Board Type SMOBC, 3/32” SMOBC, 3/32” SMOBC, 3/32”
3.5oz Copper 3.5oz Copper 3.5oz Copper
Parts Quality GREAT INCREDIBLE PHENOMENAL
Weight (net) 50 lbs 110 lbs 100 lbs each
MULTIPLE INPUTS, the Power Series amplifiers offer three different input
options: balanced (on XLR), single-ended non-inverting (on RCA) and single-ended
i n v e rting (on RCA). These input options are accessible via a four-position rotary
switch on the rear of the amplifier - the fourth position is mute.
MUTE FUNCTION, accessible via the rear panel rotary switch and indicated
by a red LED on the front faceplate, this function provides a convenient way of changing
cables without the need to power down the amplifier.
STANDBY MODE, indicated by a two-color LED on the front faceplate (green
for Operate mode; red for Standby mode) and engaged by a front panel switch, this
feature allows the user to keep the amplifier on and pre-heated (keeping the tube
filaments warm), yet reducing current through the output tubes by approximately
ninety percent. This is recommended in order to maintain warm-up conditions for
optimal listening, while at the same time reducing “w e a r” on the output tubes when
not listening to the amplifier.
RESOLUTION AND CONTROL, with the rare ability to convey both the
weight and authority of reference-caliber bass performance, concurrently with the
ability to reproduce subtle nuances which make the musical images believable and
l i f e l i ke, the Power Series of amplifiers, are unique in their market.
THROUGH INNOVATIVE, INDUSTRY-LEADING CIRCUIT DESIGNS, CAREFUL PARTS
SELECTION, EXCEPTIONAL HANDCRAFTSMANSHIP AND COMPREHENSIVE TESTING,
SONIC FRONTIERS POWER SERIES OF AMPLIFIERS HAS PUSHED BOTH THE SONIC
AND TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE OF VACUUM TUBE AMPLIFIERS WELL INTO THE
21ST CENTURY.