The OP is a sausage eh.
Simaudio 340 i hard to beat for the $$
I have a bit of a dilemma in that I’m having a hard time moving from my Simaudio 340 i. I absolutely love this integrated except I wish the sound stage was wider. I was considering getting a 600 i but after extensive research people are saying 600 is not like the 340 and I see a lot of people sell the 600. Owners of the 600 I told me they were disappointed in the unit. For some reason the 340 i is unique to the Simaudio line up. I was interested in the Luxman 550 MK2 but after speaking to a Sonus Faber dealer with good knowledge of the brand he believes that class A will not have the dynamics required to drive my speakers as Sonus Faber are known to be power hungry. He suggested staying with class A/B. I had a class A tube amplifier and yes, I agree it was lacking the punch of the 340. My problem is my budget in the used market for a solution is $5-6000. Current setup is:
Sonus Faber Minima Amator 2
Lumin U1 mini with SBooster
Denafrips Venus 2
Simaudio 340 i
I’m looking for something laid back, detailed, smooth and punchy like the 340 but with a bigger soundstage. Does it even exist at 5/6 k (CAN BTW)
I’ve had Hegel 390/360 and it didn’t impress me.
Accuphase E370? Luxman 507?
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I started with the Moon ACE, then upgraded to the 340i/280D combo. It was an improvement over the ACE. Then I demo'd the 700i v2 and it was even better! It's difficult to imagine how much better until you hear it. So much so I traded up the 340i for the 700i v2 and the 280D for the 780D. If you like the idea and convenience of an integrated the 700i v2 is a great way to go and it sounds better, I'm told as I didn't compare them personally, than the 600i v2. You also get more power. Coincidentally, both are available used on The Music Room site at a fraction the cost of new. I've read the posts and those who have owned 340i and I agree there may be other things to consider: setting your speakersroom and cables. I have KEF Reference One Metas and they image quite well. Previously with the ACE and 340i, I had the LS50 Black Edition (non-Meta) on the KEF S2 stands and they also imaged incredibly well. I hope you're able to gleen some benefit from my ramblings here and I wish you the best in your pursuit--this hobby is like an diving into a fractal. |
@ John 1629 - I have had the i-3 in my office system for 7 years. Last year, I had a desire for a Mac integrated and bought a used MA5200. The blue lights were mesmerizing for about a month and then I ended up turning them off :-) That aside, speaking sonically, I couldn't tell the difference between the two 100 WPC integrateds. I ended up selling the Mac. It wasn't bad, I just put the $3,500 to better use. |
I recently purchased an Simaudio I-3 to put against my audio refinement (yba) separates in my main system with ProAc Studio 148s and a modified RP6. The room has various rugs and some basic foam bass traps plus the primary reflections are mostly eliminated as there are only partial side walls on each side given the room design. The I-3 was quite good but could not keep up with my separates downstairs but I almost kept it for my bedroom system upstairs. Have any people compared the 340i to audio refinement separates with similar proac or other slim towers with bloomy mids and silk dome tweeter plus the very flexible and room friendly downward firing bass port? I have been considering consolidating my DAC, preamp and amp separates downstairs and it sounds like the 340i is a good one to try. The only downside is that the ProAcs and / or my room has a slight treble tilt upwards and I use an EQ to address that at the higher ranges between the preamp and amp. Unfortunately, the 340i does not have a tape or EQ loop and I don't think it has any tone controls. Taming a room is definitely one of the most important steps in your audio adventure. |
@john1629 I have owned both and have enjoyed each immensely. Each has a 'house sound'.
In my opinion you could be happy with either - listen to them because it's your ears that matter. |
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