Rich - so you have a Sanders amp, Pass amp, Sunfire amp. Here is my question -- can you compare the sound of those 3 amps? I have a Sunfire signature that I use for stereo (bi-amped) as well as home theater with anothe amp.... How do the 3 compare? thx. tim.
Tim,
I have actually already done so in a previous thread. If you use the search function, you might find it. But I have a hard time finding things with the search function on this site, so I will give you a synopsis. Note that this is based on memory. I haven't done this side by side comparison in a long time, so this is just my recollection of things. The earlier post will provide a more accurate picture of my thoughts at the time I made these comparisons.
I actually have the Sanders Monoblocs, the Sunfire TGA 5400, and the Pass Labs X350.5. I also have the Conrad Johnson Premier 140 tube amp. I find the sound of the Sanders monoblocs to be the most neutral of all. In other words, I can't find that this amp produces any noticeable sonic signature of its own. It just gets out of the way and perfectly reproduces the information contained on the source. It does everything well, and has no obvious limitations. On top of that, it doesn't produce too much heat. I would describe it as absolutely neutral, with clear, precise, reproduction and imparting no tonal character of its own.
Some who are used to other amps' tonal character may consider these amps slightly lean, but I believe they are just more accurate up and down the frequency scale. The sound of these amps pushing the Summits is just scary amazing. Clarity, detail, dynamics, clear highs, beautiful mids, and deep tight bass, with no overtones or obvious sound signature of their own. They really allow you to hear the differences in various preamps and source players, and the true recording quality of the music.
I find the Sunfire's to be a great amp and a good match with the Logans, but when compared to other amps, I would describe their sound as somewhat "dark." They are just not as clean, clear, neutral and open as the other amps. They impart a sound signature of their own onto the music, which is not too noticeable until you start comparing them with other amps. I find they do a great job reproducing bass, but their tonal character is ever so slightly dark. I don't quite know how else to describe it. Perhaps Jeff can help me here. I use them for center and surround duties in my home theater. I haven't found the difference in tonal character between them and the Sanders to be a problem, but then I am not as critical in home theater listening as I am in two-channel.
I find the Pass Labs to be very similar to the Sanders Amps in terms of overall quality of sound and dynamics, but it imparts just a hint of warmth to the sound, much like a tube amp. It is just more musical than the Sanders or Sunfire amps. Note that it is not as romantic and lush as a lot of tube amps, but it does add just a slight bit of tonal warmth and smoothness to the music, which sounds great although it is not absolutely accurate in my opinion.
The bottom line, in my opinion, is this: If you want absolute neutrality and accuracy of playback, tons of power and great dynamics, without producing too much heat, go with Sanders. If you want incredible playback that sounds awesome, albeit not absolutely neutral (just a touch on the warm side) then go with Pass Labs. If you want the best bang for the buck, a solid amplifier that mates well with electrostats and doesn't cost a fortune, the Sunfire is a good bet.
As for the CJ Premier 140, check out Cherian's recent posts. He does a good job of describing this amplifier. It has incredible dynamics and foot-tapping sound, a slight lushness without being overly romantic, but it does fall down a bit in reproducing bass. It is at its best when just running the panels, and allowing a solid state amp to run the woofers. This amplifier does more to get you involved in the enjoyment of the music than any of the others, with the Pass Labs a close second.
Honestly, if heat hadn't been an issue in this listening room, I would have never auditioned the Sanders amps. I would have been completely satisfied with the Pass Labs X350.5. But I wanted world-class sound and I couldn't handle the heat load of the Pass, so I auditioned the Sanders and never looked back.
By the way, Sanders also makes a great solid state preamp, which I have running the Pass Labs in my secondary system, and it sounds incredible. It is scary close to the sound of the ARC Ref 3 that I have running in my main system.
