Sim W-3, W5 vs Classe 201

The sim gear is good but is rolled off in the highs and with the tweeter where it is on the b&ws I dont think that would be such a great match. Also Sim has a really low resale value Its less than half. The classe is much more natural sounding and the resale value is a little higher. I found the classe to be a little to warm.(I like warm but not to warm) I use Mark Levinson and I found that to be ONE of the most neutral and natural sounding peices of equipment I have ever tried. I had b&ws 802 series3 matrix when I had my 331 and that was awesome. I now use a levinson 335 and martin logan ascents very nice combo also. What are you using for a cd player and preamp that is very important to know when giving advice such as this. I hope this helps.

Ok I would not mix the sim with b&k. B&K is cold and dark sounding(no offense). I used to own a b&k ex 4420 and a pro10 mc preamp also b&k. The rotel has a warm touch to it so thats why you may not hear that coldness from the b&k. Krell also seems to be a good match with b&ws I also used a krell ksa150 on my 802s but krell also can be bright and analytical sounding. Thats why I sold it. If your mind is made up and you only want sim or classe then classe is the sure winner. If you want to step up higher try the mark levinson gear. Iam not sure what your budget is but I can help you put a wonderful system together if you like let me know how much you want to spend.If your budget is tight and you only use cds then get a great power amp and a great cd player that you can run directly with no preamp.( must have an anologe volume control) such as Levinson 39 which is a preamp and a cd player. Theta miles ,Metronome cd2v or the wadia gear but it has a digital volume control but it has adjustable gain stages. I hope I havent screwed you up? Let me know if I can help. Regards Daniel

Msnloeth: To make at statement such as you did that the levinson doesnt compare to the sim is a very ignorant statement. The Sim gear is good but its not in the same league as the Levinson and most of the audio community will agree. Yes the Sim is biult well. Yes the Sim has good bass. The rolled off top end and the tizz you get in the b&w tweeter from the sim is not musical. The Levinson is much more refined than the Sim and far from rolled of actually its very sweet sounding and the mids are like liquid and the bass is great. I wonder if you know the diffrence between highend audio and ENTRY level high end. I didnt post this to disrespect anyone or to knock a good product but statements like that are just so far from true that it upsets me. GOONE you listen and make the choice its a no brainer when you have them both together. Sometime the tweeter on top of the b&ws can be a tiny tiny bit brite in the syblince( which is the s in a word that the artist is singing) and thats why you should never put equipment that is even a little brite with them. B&Ws are great speakers. Feed them with good power. good luck

Goone as I stated you really need to listen for yourself. And let your ears decide. Its all great gear and I like to also give other suggestions about gear I really enjoy.Such as the Levinson. That doesnt mean that the levinson is the only great gear in the world there are many. And as for people such as MSNLOETH dont even take what he says into play and the reason for that is because he SEEMS like the type that will knock every brand of audio gear if he doesnt own it. For him to say that the Levinson does not compare to the Sim Audio w-5 is one of the most ignorant statements of the year. And not one of a true audiophile just one who likes equipment for what people think and not what he hears.As I have said Sim is good gear rolled off in the highs and I dont think the tonal accuracy is on the money. But still a good amp It just requires careful equipment matching. I dont like the fact that the resale value is so low I have seen the w-5 selling for less than half of the list price. Maybe because there is only 14 dealers in the entire world for them? I am not sure what it could be. The classe has a more natural presentation and I agree with jmcgrogan2 in his post. So remeber if someone who CLAIMS to now about audio doesnt even acknowledge another great peice of equipment and only praises what they have then disregard their advice. If it is between the sim or the classe then I will say go for the classe. I only recommended the levinson because I have had many years of hands on exsperience with their products. But there is many great brands so Iam sure you will find a winner no matter what you buy. Good Luck and best wishes. P.S.: just because stereophile rates something in class A of their reccomended componets doesnt mean you will feel as they did when you listen to it. So MSNLOETH feels that because the sim is in class A it makes it better than other things that may or may not be in stereophile. Dont make the same mistake take those reviews as insight only and you do the actual reviewing from your home. Your findings with a product will have the most influence in your purchase. Good Luck

Msnloeth, Not a problem. Its just that sometimes people misunderstand me and think all I like is levinson when the bottom line is I like what ever brings the music to its most exalted level in my system. And for so far its been the Levinson. I have owned Krell Classe Levinson B&k and rotel and I have tried many other brands such sim audio and as I think they make a respectable product I didnt feel that it had the resolution or top end of equal to the Levinson. And if you own Sim and took offense to what I said Iam truly sorry. Regards Daniel