TFM45 or TFM35 for fronts

I just bought a tfm 45 my question is should run it for my front speakers instead of my tfm 35? is the 45 that much better in sound? my speakers are only rated at 300 watts but does that matter anyway? For the record I'm running a tfm 55 for my sub and a tfm 35 for fronts. any advice will be well appreciated

Both are great, try both and see which you prefer.

As the BobFather would say: "Why don't you try it & see?!?"

Go big! I run anywhere from 600 to 1000 per channel on speakers rated for no more than 250wpc. Headroom is a wonderful thing. This is only an opinion.

I would try it. The 45 is a true magnetic field amp, the 35 is not.

True magnetic amp that's good reason to try it for fronts, that reminds me is the tfm 55 a true magnetic amp also? thanks for all the responses great advice im gonna give it a try.

is the tfm 55 a true magnetic amp also

...yes it is.

It has been a long time since I've had an original TFM-35 but I've had several of the TFM-35x amps lately. I know the original sounds better then the "x" version but overall I wasn't impressed with the power output. I ran a few different 35x amps off my Sunfire Receiver as a pre so I could test them out for a bit, make sure they worked etc. and honestly, the built-in 200 wpc in the Sunfire didn't only sound better but went noticeably louder then the 35x every time.

The TFM-45 & 55 are an obvious improvement in sound and output in my system but depending on your speakers and setup, the TFM-35 might be just fine. When you have a couple hours to burn, rotate all the amps you have and listen to a number of tracks and form your own opinion then post it here for all to read, should be interesting. My thoughts would be, TFM-45 on the subs, TFM-55 on the mains.

I can definately say the tfm 35 is no match for the tfm 55 because I have used both for fronts in the past, I have to see how the tfm 45 perfoms I'll let all ya's know soon

The TFM-45 uses the same parts as the Silver 7t & 9t, same boards, power transformer, high rail caps etc. and by design should be able to handle sustained high output better then the 55 but the "peak" output of the 55 is higher. I've spoken with Rita at Bob Carver's repair shop about these two amp designs recently and she told me the 45 is the more "rugged" and better designed model of the two, less prone to failure. I've had the two side by side for comparison in my system and really liked both. I think the mid-range is just a bit more forward with the 55 and actually gave it the slight edge in overall sound quality but it really is just a matter of personal taste and system synergy.

I tried the 45 and didn't really sound much different than the 35 at least not through my speakers, so I left it like it was, going to just keep the 45 for a future project, you don't come across many of these in this kind of shape, just giving you guys an update to the post

So would you say the 45 is no match for the 55 based on your statements?

That doesn't seem right to me, the 35s run out of gas on my speakers about mid volume, the 45 just keeps going.

Guys, you have to keep in mind that this is vintage gear.

Yep; and if the 45 is not adjusted properly (or totally re-furbed) it can sound very "average" (to totally like ass...).....Day/night difference with this amp especially...it HAS to have the damping adjust spot on before it will reveal it's truly great sound....