I bought this many years ago from a dealer in Canada and used it for several years. I recently put it back in the system for a few weeks just to make sure all was well and it still sounds great but I’ve accumulated too many phono stages and will be selling a couple.When I purchased this I briefly considered a Parts Connexion upgrade by Chris Johnson, the unit’s original designer. I sent him some photos and he said that it had already had a few upgrades and the level two upgrade he recommended was more than I wanted to spend. This is a tube/solid state hybrid which uses four tubes — two 6DJ8 and two 12AT7. I upgraded both pair. The 6DJ8s are Amperex orange globe made in Heerlen in April of 1957. I believe this to be accurate; the codes are shown in the photos if you want to check my research. These are the best 6DJ8s I have and many Sonic Frontier owners consider it the best choice for the SFP-1. The 12AT7 are Mullard and were made in the Mitcham factory in either 1963 or ‘73. I couldn’t narrow it down any further. Based on current prices, this is around $150 worth of tubes. All four test great on my Sencore Mighty Mite IV, pegging at 100 on emission and showing zero grid leakage or shorts. To me, the sound falls neatly between my 100-percent tube Eastern Electric phono pre, which is 12ax7 based, and a nice solid state pre. There is definite tube bloom but also the kind of bass clarity and definition I normally associate with solid state. The original packaging looks a little rough but is very thick cardboard and is structurally sound. The resistors and fuses used for loading various cartridges are included and look to have never been used. I’ll look around for an outer box for an extra layer of protection if you’d prefer, but the unit will be extremely well cushioned. I think it’ll be fine. There's a foam-lined second box inside the main box where all of the accessories go. That's where the tubes, fuse, resistors, etc., will be.
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