This fall marks the release of the 21st official James Bond film, featuring the sixth actor to assume the mantle of 007, and the Internet community is abuzz with controversy over every minute detail of the movie. No Q this time around? Say it isn’t so! No Moneypenny? No gadgets? And a blond Bond? Downright heresy, according to some. Whether these changes end up saving or sinking the franchise remains to be seen, but even the most optimistic fan must admit that the filmmakers took a huge gamble.

Such is the risk that Sunfire has taken with the TGP-5, its latest Theater Grand surround-sound processor. No, this newest iteration of the series is not blond. And yes, it still boasts all of the gadgets from previous models—including a few new ones this time around, like HDMI video switching and an Ethernet port for Internet-based control and monitoring. But the aesthetic design that has defined the Sunfire brand for years has been all but abandoned: Gone is the symmetry of the façade, the flush volume and mode controls, the striking mix of warm and cool hues in the front-panel LEDs. Same goes for the matching TGA-7400 amplifier.

For those who secret their A/V gear away behind closed doors, these changes will be of little consequence, but for those of us with open-air equipment racks, the loss is lamentable. Sunfire says, though, that its customers prefer the tactile feel of the knobs and the TGP-5’s more consistent use of LED lighting (white lights for indicators, blue for function buttons). And the units do look better in black than in the silver we requested.

I’m thankful that on the TGP-5’s backside, little has changed aside from the aforementioned HDMI connections and Ethernet port. My previous experience with the Theater Grand IV should have prepared me for the intuitive layout and bounty of inputs afforded by Sunfire, but I still find myself shocked by the effortless hookup process. So often, even with the best of processors, I find myself scrolling through cumbersome menus just to synch up the audio and video signals from my DVD player. Not with the Sunfire. As soon as I plug in the interconnects, I have picture and sound from every source in my system. It’s like having A/V Hookup for Dummies in tangible form.

The inevitable trip to the menus is as pleasant as ever, though. Given Sunfire’s straightforward approach to audio delivery, there is little to get tripped up on here. Control of Automatic Signal Sensing—that oh-so-handy Sunfire feature that powers up the processor and dials it to the correct input automatically—has been removed from the front panel and must now be engaged on each input individually, but other than that there is little if any reason to ever crack the cover of the TGP-5’s instruction manual.

The processor boasts no room correction controls to fiddle with, but the sound is so good I feel no need to correct it. It’s both effortless and engaging straight out of the box. The TGP-5 delivers V for Vendetta’s oft-indiscernible dialogue with the utmost clarity and without neutering the film’s explosive action sequences or its grungy aural atmosphere.

Furthermore, it tames even the harshest treble without destroying the subtle nuances contained within the daintiest recordings. Commercial breaks in the Burger household are marked by a peculiar race, in which I try to lunge for the mute button before the voice of some plucky redheaded child, imploring me to purchase a pickup truck from his daddy, pierces our eardrums like a red-hot ice pick. With the TGP-5, I’m still quite disinclined to buy that pickup, but at least the kid’s voice doesn’t give me a migraine. Yet despite this ability to smooth out the rough sonic edges of amateurish local commercials, the processor passes the tests of all my favorite high-frequency demos with grace and authority. In Chapter 4 of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, as Yu Shu Lien pulls the Green Destiny sword from its scabbard, the resulting ring hangs in the air, humming and oscillating with harmonic overtones.Aside from the cosmetic changes, the TGP-5 carries only a few minor shortcomings. Switching between Dolby Pro Logic II’s Movie and Music modes still requires a journey through the setup menus. The HDMI functions are limited to video switching—the processor cannot convert analog video to HDMI as some others can, so you will probably need to run separate HDMI and component video cables to your video display. And from distances greater than 7 feet or so, the TGP-5 fails to respond to anything less than a perfectly aimed remote control. It practically demands to be controlled with a touchscreen system that’s connected via an RS-232 cable or an IR emitter attached to the front of the TGP-5.

For its sound quality and ease of setup, though, the TGP-5 is still in a league of its own. It may not look as pretty as its predecessors, but it’s got it where it counts.

DESCRIPTION
Surround-sound processor and seven-channel, 400-watt-per-channel amplifier. Processor includes AM/FM tuner and Zone 2 control; decodes surround sound and stereo, controls volume, routes audio and video from source devices (DVD, satellite TV, etc.) to TV and amplifier

AUDIO MODES
Direct 2-channel analog bypass, stereo, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Dolby Digital EX, DTS ES 6.1 Discrete, DTS Neo:6, Source Direct (for DVD-A and SACD), Holographic Image, Party, Jazz Club

CONNECTIONS
TGP-5: Three component video inputs, two HDMI video inputs, six S-video inputs, six composite video inputs, three stereo analog audio inputs, six coaxial digital audio inputs, four Toslink optical digital audio inputs, 8-channel XLR balanced analog audio outputs, 7.1-channel analog audio input, 10-channel RCA analog audio outputs, stereo RCA analog outputs for optional side axis speakers, one coaxial digital audio output, two component video outputs, one HDMI video output, three S-video outputs, three composite video outputs, three stereo audio outputs for video sources, two stereo audio outputs, two additional stereo audio outputs for Zone 2, two 3.5mm minijacks for IR input (Main and Zone 2), one 3.5mm minijack and two 12-volt connections for DC trigger and one relay switch, RS-232 connection for touchscreen remote control and software upgrade, Ethernet port for IP control and monitoring, AM and FM antenna connections
TGA-7400: Nine pairs of metal five-way binding posts (two for current drive option on front left and right channels), 14 unbalanced RCA inputs, seven balanced XLR inputs, two 3.5mm minijacks and one block connector for 12-volt on/off trigger input

DIMENSIONS
TGP-5: 5.75 x 17 x 16.5 inches (hwd)
TGA-7400: 5.9 x 17 x 16.7 inches (hwd)

PRICE/CONTACT
PRICE: TGP-5 $3,995, TGA-7400 $4,499
CONTACT: 425.335.4748, sunfire.com