i hear sim audio amps are unreliable

I have two older W6(had 3)a W3 and a new 330 from Simaudio. I had one problem with a power supply in the W3 and other than that they have been great. They work very well with what I have. The sound is very involving and detailed without being too analytical and are very neutral. I purchased all new. Simaudio is a very dependable and reliable company with great sounding gear.

Well...I have a well documented horror story about my hate-affair with the ''Moon Trilogy'' - meaning the Product (a Moon I-5 integrated amp) - the Dealer (name withheld - it has been awhile, but I do regret not flaming the J*rk) - and the Company - Simaudio for leaving me out to dry and a bill to pay. Never again, its been years and I never looked back.

Xti16, fair enough on the response. The W-7 is a generation from the W-5/W-3 so it may be different. I agree with you on Burmester. I actually own the 082 Integrated amp and do not plan on making any changes for a long time.

I have a used Simaudio i-3 integrated. It has to be at least 10 years old, and I've had it for the last 2 years.

Interesting how people hear things differently - to me the Sim sounds the way I'd expect a class A/AB amp to sound - smooth and refined...

Not my experience.

I have a Simaudio W-5 amp that I bought used that was 10 yrs old. I have had it close to 2 years and keep it turned on (per factory). Not one problem Was driving Dali Mentor 8's and now SoundLabs M-1's. The original owner of SoundLabs has CAT mono blocks and was impressed with not only my W-5 but also another SoundLab owner using the same amp. It's not a CAT but it's far from bad. And there's one for sale for $2200 on the Agon right now.

Kclone It was the W7 amp with P8 pre and Super Nova CD. My definition of sterile and analytical is the detail that is so pronounced that I listened to vocals and instruments. After an hour or so I realalized that was I exactly was hearing (on more than 1 occasion) - but not the music. To me that is fatiguing because I found myself 'concentrating' on too much of individual things. Don't get me wrong - there was a time when I thought that was ideal. Turns out it's not for me. I just want music. I'm sure there are many folks who love it. Just I'm not one of them. So maybe sterile and analytical isn't the best term I should have used. I felt the same way with Classe Omega series. For SS I like Burmester (can't afford it) Naim and Pass labs. But I'm a tube guy. I have an Octave V110 Integrated. What's great about the Octave if I want to go from warm and musical to more detailed all I have to do is swap some tubes. Don't have to buy a new amp - just tubes (they can be fairly pricey too but less than swapping out an amp or IA.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Xti16, what Sim did you hear that was sterile and analytical? Is that the Evolution Series? I don't think the Moon series is sterile and analytical at all. I have had the W-3 for 10 years and it is one of the warmer solid state amps I have heard.

Were dropping you for being unreliable and a lightweight at best.Plus your made in China which doesnt help your case.Begone,cheers,Bob

I have owned I3-SE, I-5, and I-7 integrated amps; Equinox and Supernova cd players in the past. I never had a moment's trouble with any one of them.

Perfectcircle , Have you ever heard a dealer say that a manufacturer dropped them ??
If you didn't like the Sim sound why would you use your first post here to inquire about a product you neither like or own

Elizabeth is free to be whatever gender she/he wants to be.

Yep..Sim breaks down all the time. Thats why their still in business 35 years later. Audiophiles only buy defective unreliable gear because they enjoy boxing up their components every month and shipping back to Sim. Hell, anytime I buy used gear I make sure a channel is out, the volume knob is broken, or a speaker binding post is missing. What a joy!!

Unsubstantiated claims from an unknown source. I agree with Elizabeth.

Perfectcircle
I didn't ask any details as to why my dealer dropped the line. Also as far as I know he didn't have any problems with units not working. Again I really didn't care because I didn't care for the sound. He did replace the Sim line with Burmester which is more to my liking but not affordable for me.

Perfectcircle,

If you are going to make these claims as your first post here, then point us to where you have seen this mentioned. With that being your first post, and no evidence presented, I hope you can understand why this post might be interpreted as trolling.

And you owe it to the company in question to not make unsubstantiated claims that might affect their sales without some sort of proof.

Xti16 I don't know why he thought that I was trolling. I really wanted to know about the brand. even though it says Elizabeth I bet it is a male troll. How long did he have the sim audio line before having problems? The factory was sending the amps supposedly repaired and they still had problems? is that what you mean or they were defective when hooked up for the first time? I have heard of that happening a lot with many brands defective out of the box. what did he replace the brand with that seems reliable?

My local dealer has been carrying Sim for 20 years. If it was not reliable he would not still be selling it.

Elizabeth - He/she is asking a question regarding reliability of a product. My local dealer dropped the Sim line a couple of years ago. All he said was he was having problems with the factory. I could care less because I personally don't care for the Sim sound anyhow (too sterile and analytical). Some people like that sound and some don't. That being said if I was going to spend good money on a product I would want to make sure it has a good service reputation.