Sunfire TG IV

[dpjones]

This post is really to the staff reviewers. I was recently very interested in the Sunfire preamp (TG IV) and amp (Sig 7X400). I've listened to the TG III and liked what I heard, but I've never been able to hear other products with the same speakers, in the same room, etc. After reading the review and posts about the TG III, I'm now reconsidering this. All other reviews I had read were extremely positive about Sunfire. Since the review was soooo bad, do you guys have any plans of reviewing the TG IV soon to see if the folks at Sunfire listened to what you had to say? The other options I'm considering are B&K and Adcom.

Thanks in advance!

 

[O'Shag]

Hi DP,

I'm not a staff member, but I did read the review of the Sunfire. I was pretty shocked too, but understand the difficulties for Sunfire in keeping up with the best from Japan for home theatre receiver functionality. Realistically, I think the three powerhouses for HT in terms of 'bang for the buck' are Yamaha RX-Z9, Denon 5803a, and Pioneer 59TXi.

I have two systems in my entertainment centre, one is built for hometheatre, the other on serious audio listening. Have you considered this approach rather than settling on the 'best of both worlds' approach?

O'Shag

 

[dpjones]

Thanks for the response O'Shag. No, I have not considered that. I really want just 1 system. For not a whole lot more (less than $1000 more) than the new Yamaha, you can buy B&K separates. Surely the RX-Z9 can't keep up with the Ref 50 and 200.7 amp???

 

[gene]

Sunfire Review

I've listened to the TG III and liked what I heard, but I've never been able to hear other products with the same speakers, in the same room, etc.

DPJones;


That is a dilemma when one cannot compare two different products in the same setting (IE. room, electronics, speakers). However, if you like the sound and feature set of the Sunfire, then by all means don’t let our review discourage you from purchasing it. I certainly don’t let movie critics influence whether or not I will go see a certain movie based on their review. All I can tell you is we had the opportunity to face the TGIII off against processors and receivers at the same price or lower, and preferred the other products based on sound quality, feature set, and operation. It appears Sunfire did make some improvements on the TGIV version based on our review. So if anything, you can now purchase a TGIV in confidence that our criticism has produced a higher value, more useful product to a wider consumer base. I am pleased to see they added:
1) Component Video Up Conversion
2) PLIIx
3) 0.5dB channel trim step sizes

We would certainly be happy to review the TGIV, but it is doubtful that Sunfire will be sending us one anytime soon. Manufacturers in general frown upon negative reviews, but we don’t let them influence our reviews. If we did, I am sure this website would be much more lucrative, but its not worth me losing sleep over.

In any event, perhaps you should purchase a TGIV from a dealer with a good return policy and see how it performs in your set-up. Sunfire has many happy customers and loyal followers and you find that you are one of them regardless of how we felt about it. BTW, we have a new section on our site for manufacturers firmware updates on their products that includes Sunfire:

Firmware Updates

 

[dpjones]

Gene,

Thanks for the reply! I guess the part of your review that really stood out to me was the Signal To Noise Ratio. Until reading your review I didn't understand how that affected the detail of the sound. I also really liked the B&K Ref 50 and the 200.7 when played through Monitor Audio speakers. Would you recommend the B&K products over the Sunfire TG IV and 400X7? I've not heard too many high end systems to be able to compare. I really trust the opinions of people like yourself. The only product I've really made my mind up on is the speakers. I absolutely love the Monitor Audio Gold Reference speakers. I may however choose a Velodyne Digital Drive sub instead of the FB212. I've only heard the Monitors hooked up to the B&K. The local store that sells Sunfire had it connected to Definitive Technology speakers.

Thanks again!

 

[gene]

DPJones;

My past experience with B&K products has been very positive. If it is any consolation, HAA (Home Acoustic Alliance, see my Bio) uses a B&K as a reference processor in their training. Monitor Audio Gold series are a nice speaker series and they should please most audiophiles. I have heard good things about the
Velodyne Digital subwoofer series and will likely be reviewing one early this fall.