[eRav3r]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Sunfire TGA-7400 and want to make sure I'm not making an expensive mistake. I was originally considering the Rotel 1095 but like anything, once you see something bigger you tend to forget you had a budget

. Many have described the Sunfire's sound as "similar to a tube amp" - I have never heard tubes but based on comments here their sound is favourable.


The Sunfire will cost approx double the price of the Rotel. It is of course double the wattage and 7 channel vs. the Rotel's 5. I'm hoping the amp will last years, and I'll only need to swap in new receivers as needed.


I will be driving one of the following (+ center/surrounds):


VR4jr

Gallo Ref 3.1

Usher CP-6381


It's impossible for me to listen to both amps at the same store or on the same speakers, or even with the speakers I plan to buy for that matter. Frankly most of what I'm going by are reviews (useless as they are) and advice from fellow audiophiles here (much less useless!).


Cheers.

 

[IBL8]

We had a 5 channel Sunfire rated at 200 watts per channel in our home theater for several years and it was a great amp. It powered some hard to drive 4 ohm speakers and was always cool running and silent (no fans). Whether it had a "tube" like sound I can't say but it sounded great to me for both movies and music.

 

[eRav3r]

What did you replace it with?


I also noticed the THD levels of the Sunfire are much higher than that of the Rotel (class D vs class A/B perhaps) - is this an issue?

 

[EdAdams3]

I have the TGA 5400 and have compared it side by side with rotel & Mcintosh amps. The sound of the Mac was slightly better, but for the money and performance I am extremely pleased with the Sunfire and do not regret my purchase at all. I use the amp to drive B&W 703's, HTM7 & M1 surrounds. This amp has plenty of power and I have not noticed any audible distortion issues while listening to all sources. The pre-pro is a Rotel RSP1098.

 

[IBL8]

I downsized and just have bookshelf speakers and a receiver. I don't think the additional distortion is audible unless >1%

 

[eRav3r]

Ed, how would you say the Sunfire compared with the Rotel you tried?

 

[Bluecrow]

The big question you need to answer is how many speakers will you be driving 5 or 7?

The speakers you mentioned are relatively efficient and do not need 400 wpc that the Sunfire has. How big a room and will you be using the same speaker in each location or running smaller surrounds....

 

[Bluecrow]

Also, spend the extra dollars an a better prepro... will make a better difference in sound quality than the amps. The amps will only amplify inferior sound...

 

[eRav3r]

Running smaller surrounds. I am not decided on 5 or 7 speakers but probably 7.


My current room is only 5m x 3.8m but I am renting and this will change.


I could go for the Sunfire 7200 and save about US$1000 but I figured if I bought the 7400 now I would never need to upgrade if and when I need more power. Maybe that's a waste.

 

[Bluecrow]

Never needing to upgrade is a pipe dream...I have been upgrading for 40 years...

You end up going in circles.


The biggest impact on the overall sound of the system is the "room". Most people will not or can not change the room. When you audition anything in a showroom it is always going to sound different from your own room.


The Sunfire is a new technolgy and it has not proven it's long term value or staying power.


Get a decent 125-150 wpc amp. Like the Parrasounds, NADs, Adcoms, Rotels. They have gotten good reviews and recommendations over the years.

 

[B&W700guy]

I have had rotel and sunfire amps. I would take the sunfire over the rotel in the 200 watt market. There are better amps out there, but not bang for buck. Do your speakers really need 400wpc to run them of will you upgrade soon to speakers that will? Sunfire and Rotel Dealers are pretty good on allowing you to try a loaner. Also you may want to look at B&K amp for your system, the 200x5 is about the same price as the sunfire or Rotel in the 200x5 offering.


But don't listen to me, go out and listen to as many amps as possible with you setup.

 

[B&W700guy]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluecrow /forum/post/0


Never needing to upgrade is a pipe dream...I have been upgrading for 40 years...

You end up going in circles.


The biggest impact on the overall sound of the system is the "room". Most people will not or can not change the room. When you audition anything in a showroom it is always going to sound different from your own room.


The Sunfire is a new technolgy and it has not proven it's long term value or staying power.


Get a decent 125-150 wpc amp. Like the Parrasounds, NADs, Adcoms, Rotels. They have gotten good reviews and recommendations over the years.

The Sunfire is a new technology and it has not proven it's long term value or staying power.


Please explain what you mean by new technology. I can understand if it is a taste issue, but too new? The technology has been around for over 20 years, and Bob Carver owned (as I remember) Phase Linear, Carver and Sunfire.

 

[Bluecrow]

Yes, Bob Carver has been around as long as I have and I have owned a lot his stuff.


But The Sunfire current line of amplifiers is new stuff...It is different from his previous amps. It's not just new model numbers.. See his amplifier white paper on the Sunfire site.

I do not say there was anything wrong or bad with the Sunfire products. Everything is a taste issue and in this hobby maybe more so.


My main point is that 400 watts per ch is overkill for someone who is still sorting out his system. Should go and listen to as many systems as possible. But that is not easy and very time consuming.


Nobody on this forum is going to tell him what he likes... only what they like...

 

[B&W700guy]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluecrow /forum/post/0


Yes, Bob Carver has been around as long as I have and I have owned a lot his stuff.


But The Sunfire current line of amplifiers is new stuff...It is different from his previous amps. It's not just new model numbers.. See his amplifier white paper on the Sunfire site.

I do not say there was anything wrong or bad with the Sunfire products. Everything is a taste issue and in this hobby maybe more so.


My main point is that 400 watts per ch is overkill for someone who is still sorting out his system. Should go and listen to as many systems as possible. But that is not easy and very time consuming.


Nobody on this forum is going to tell him what he likes... only what they like...

I reviewed the whitepaper and I didn't see any huge Paradigm shift in their technology. The only problem I had with your statement is that you made it sound that their technology, quality and value are suspect.


I myself have owned Adcom and NAD, I really liked my NAD, but not the Adcom. It was a matter of taste.

 

[Bluecrow]

The only thing else that I can add is that S. Ca and NJ is not Sydney.


What is the vendor or dealer support for US brands? At the end that is going to be more important in what the final choice of components will be.

 

[eRav3r]

Both Rotel and Sunfire are available in Australia, which is more than I can say for the speakers I'm most keen on (Von Schweikert).


I'm leaning towards the Sunfire as it is small and runs cool. Plus I am going to start with 5 speakers and move to 7 when I move to a bigger place (figured if I went Rotel I'd late buy an additional 2-channel amp).


So its most likely the TGA-7200 or 7400.

 

[B&W700guy]



Quote:
Originally Posted by eRav3r /forum/post/0


Both Rotel and Sunfire are available in Australia, which is more than I can say for the speakers I'm most keen on (Von Schweikert).


I'm leaning towards the Sunfire as it is small and runs cool. Plus I am going to start with 5 speakers and move to 7 when I move to a bigger place (figured if I went Rotel I'd late buy an additional 2-channel amp).


So its most likely the TGA-7200 or 7400.

Makes cents to me.....

 

[Bluecrow]

I've owned Von Schweikert speakers and they are very well made , reliable and more important sound good.


But they are fairly efficient and I was able to run my stereo pair in a music system with 50 tube watts. I also ran them with 300 watts of solid state power with no problems and much better bass response.

Good luck...

 

[EdAdams3]



Quote:
Originally Posted by eRav3r /forum/post/0


Ed, how would you say the Sunfire compared with the Rotel you tried?

The sunfire compared equally well with the rotel, however the sunfire appeared more warm and powerful than the rotel. And since my mains are inherently bright this proved to be a good pairing. I really liked the Mcintosh amps, but purchasing the equivalent in terms of power and sound quality would have cost me three times as much when compared with the sunfire.

 

[eRav3r]

I don't think I'll be getting the Von Schwerikerts - VSA just mailed me saying most of the speakers I had inquired about are discontinued.


I was asking for:


VR-4 JR MK II (pair)

TS-150 (pair)

VR-1 (pair)

LCR 15


They didn't mention which speakers will still available from this list.