Talking tech with Sunn Amps - Do they live up to the legacy?

This interview was shot in August 2023 and was delayed due to the original edit and files being ruined. I was able to sit down with CEO James Lebihan and CTO and designer Darius Mostowfi for a chat about the upcoming products, plans for future releases and just how much effort went into not only making a historically accurate reimagining of the classic amps, but making them better overall.
This is the first in a series of more in depth interviews with companies, designers, builders and techs in the industry where we go beyond the tone. What makes the products tick, what motivates the designers and importantly, are they thinking of you the player and keeping the gear going longer?
00:00 Intro
00:54 Working with the original Sunn engineers
01:55 Repairability and the decision to use PCBs
05:01 Safety and the polarity switch
06:21 Remaking the original transformers
08:14 Will the new transformers work on vintage amps?
09:49 The magic of the 6AN8 phase inverter
12:50 Class D in the Beta Lead amps
15:13 Do the Beta Leads use the same switching circuit?
18:03 Are the Class D amps modules?
23:32 Why are the preamps in the same format as the heads?
22:40 New parts for old Sunn amps
26:00 Talking cabs
27:04 Recreating the JBL D150 speakers
29:59 Why not reissue Sunns own speaker designs?
31:49 Watts aren't the key to volume in speakers
35:27 Did you make any changes to the cabinet designs?
38:00 Sunn FRFR monitor discussion
40:29 Is 100W enough for an FRFR monitor?
45:01 Designing for international markets and the future of availability
47:29 Universal primary transformers?
48:27 Here's your Model T question because that's what you're here for
50:26 A baby Model T on the horizon?
51:13 Making new versions of models for modern players
53:58 New designs and future products including pedals
56:39 Old Sunn documents and prototypes
59:16 An ode to Conrad Sundholm
Dr Gear is a music shop & repair centre in Sydney, Australia. Whether it's guitars, digital pianos, PA & pro audio or any manner of other gear, we know it in depth. Visit us in store or online!
Dr Gear
131 Enmore Rd, Enmore, NSW 2042 Australia
www.drgear.com.au
drgearaustralia
drgearaustralia

[@GeneratorTheBandPNW]

Excellent info guys, thank you.
Really looking forward to what's in store. Let's have some fun !
Rex

[@RaxFx]

thanks for this interview - good questions, good answers. not just marketing fluff

[@drgearaustralia]

Thanks. I want to cut through the marketing spiel of companies and get to the heart of gear from a more in depth view point. Educate people on the gear the use and find out what companies actually value their gear and their customers.
With more practice I’ll get more into my stride and I have a few more of these lined up so stick around for them.

[@terrydemol5354]

Nice work! Coming from a manufacturing background, I found this a really interesting interview. I hope they are successful, some great ideas and by the sound of it, good depth of knowledge.

[@drgearaustralia]

Yup, they’re super switched on and have a proven track record with Mission Engineering and previous licensing deals. Looks like the stuff they’ll bring out will be pretty solid.

[@dlunsford1980]

About 5 years ago I rescued a 1200S from the dump complete with a vintage quad of 6550s. I reached out to Conrad for the vintage grill cloth, and he sent me the Fender stuff. It was a bummer, but I'm glad to hear the potential for Sunn spare parts.

[@drgearaustralia]

Yeah they’re genuinely passionate about doing right by the legacy of the brand. The Fender licensing may make some of it difficult but the possibility for replacement coverings is there at some point in the future.

[@dlunsford1980]

I just learned that Conrad passed last year. What a legacy! Would've been cool to have him involved in this project.

[@bambule5268]

Wow! Great interview! They seem quite sincere. Looking forward to see these amps getting repaired.

[@drgearaustralia]

Thanks!
Yeah, they’re doing great work and from a tech and retailers viewpoint, I would have full confidence in their products based on this conversation.

[@tafshi1298]

Epic

[@randyupchurch1899]

...Greetings Gentlemen,....It is my pleasure to join you...

[@musicman6610]

Hello! Wow, what a timely video as I have inherited a 2000S (DD567791) from from a good friend. I have a few questions and am not able to find a user guide for it - although I see schematics out there. Happy to send pics too! 1) Trying to learn what all these other jacks are for other than the 8ohm and 4ohm Ext. which are labeled? (2 jacks in the center and one to the left of the 8ohm out). 2) What is the proper way to run the 2 sunn cabs. They are both 2x15 with only one input, so parallel is assumed. However: I put 1 cab in the 8ohm jack and the other in the 4ohm next to it. On about “4”, the fuse blew and had to be replaced (you guys are the experts for sure!). It's have a 3-prong plug so I think the death cap is bypassed previously. Any advice for me?

[@jd-jy8lu]

Color me skeptical. These guys have been taking preorders and doing a full on marketing push without any decent demos or reviews of the products. I think I'll stick with Hilbish, who have been putting out faithful Beta clones that are road-tested, studio tested, and not hiding behind marketing BS.

[@djohnson2499]

I was absolutely ready to preorder a PL20 but got cold feet due to some of what you mentioned. I'm still cautiously optimistic but I don't want to put any money down until I've seen some real demos.
Hope they end up great

[@drgearaustralia]

A lot of that is covered in the video which I’d recommend watching all the way through. These guys aren’t fly by night rookies and already have countless products on touring stages worldwide with Mission Engineering and their depth of knowledge in bringing products to market is undeniable.
Personally I’m confident in the products they’ll be bringing to market and that’s what these interviews are about; going beyond the marketing spin and the usual useless demo reviews so many people do to find the nitty gritty and actual technical details.

[@jd-jy8lu]

@@drgearaustralia don't get me wrong - I do appreciate the in-depth technical discussion you had, but they have been taking orders on a product they aren't showing anyone. Even kickstarters usually show a working product. It is fishy.

[@jd-jy8lu]

checking back in to say, they blew it on shipping the Betas as promised, they are ignoring requests for demos, and they are crowdfunding. VAPORWARE.

[@drgearaustralia]

@@jd-jy8lu except there's literally info and images of the products in manufacture. Delays in obtaining custom parts happen and this isn't some group of tech bros trying to launch a games console.
How many of these companies before have done nothing but demos and getting influencers to check their products out only for them to turn out complete junk, feature short (Cortex) or never end up being actually produced?
Sunn isn't just a standalone company set up by nobodies, it's tied into Mission Engineering and in the modern business world unfortunately it's common for crowd funding and similar ventures to exist as a way to prove to large scale investors and stake holders (Fender in this case) want to see there's other people willing to put money in.
A 3 week delay in shipping isn't exactly an uncommon thing in this day and age.
So until the website goes down and they stop making posts entirely and people start wanting refunds en masse and don't get them, I'll keep the skepticism but be realistic about it.

[@aaronedgeart]

wo)))ndrous