SimAudio or Classe for Power Amplifier

Hi, I am also considering the Simaudio (W7m monos and p8 preamp) and Classe (cam400 monos and cp700 preamp) amps and preamp. I recently auditioned the Simaudio paired with Dynaudio speakers. First off, the looks of the new Simaudio Evolution line is breathtaking! I would almost buy them just on looks alone. Build quality was outstanding. What I heard of the Simaudio was dynamic, musical, and clear sound. It is a little hard for me to apply these results to my personal setup because I have B&W 802D speakers. I will be bringing the Simaudio pair home for a demo soon. The found the Classe to also be very good, though not quite as "warm" as the Simaudio. I am looking for just a bit a warmth and romance in my system so right now, the Simaudio suits me better. That being said, I intend on doing a full audition of both very shortly. I would be very interested in hearing any thoughs you may have as well.

Tommy

I purchased a Simaudio Moon W-5LE a few months ago and it continues to impress me. The 'LE' is a limited edition run of only 250 with higher quality parts. I suspect the non-LE W-5s are good as well, but I haven't had the chance to compare. Since this line of amps is has recently been replaced by their newer line, you may find a dealer that is willing to deal. Don't know about Canada, but in the U.S. you do not find this amps at much of a discount. The best opportunity to 'catch a deal' appears to be when the product line is switching out.

I also have a tube preamp, Aesthetix Calypso, and I found the pairing with the Simaudio with it was a great match. That being said, using the balanced connection rather than the unbalanced, made a sizeable difference. I don't know if your CJ has a pair of xlr outs or not, but in my case it made a noticable difference toward the good.

The W-5LE is a dual mono design with fully balanced differential to the output stage. It is rated at 200 wps at 8 Ohm and 400 wps at 4. My loudspeakers are JM Labs Mini Utopias (91.5 dB) and the W-5LE hardy works up a sweat driving these bad boys. Needless to say, clipping is NOT an issue.

Lastly, I purchased a demo W-5LE directly from an authorized dealer so I got a full 10 year warranty on the amp. It's built like a tank, so I'll probably never need to use it, but I think that says a lot about the manufacturers confidence in there product.

Good luck!

Get the W5, it sounds much more powerful than its 190watts, I was driving b&w N801's with it. It is sweeter, with a more shimmering top end.
Wilson Benesch speakers tends to be more polite and would work better paired with amps that are more dynamic.
The classe is a bit polite sounding too.
The control on the w5 is amazing with a fuller upper mid bass punch that is incredible.
That said, its down side is its filter caps. They are big, 8 of them, and vibrates a lot (I believe thats what gives them extra shimmer at the top end), you have to tune the sound of the amp for synergy with your system by adding weights on the top plate where they put a rubber stop that presses down on the caps.
A small freezer zip lock and some shots (8,1/2 size) mixed with 40% playsand will be a good mixture to start. add spoonfulls by spoon full and you will see what I mean. Just be careful not to spill anything. Once you determine the best weight, get a fillable ice pack and transfer the stuff so there is no chance of the ziplock breaking.

ronniekoh:

wow! so you put weight on the top of the amp and this affects the sound? to me this would be a total turn off. is this amp designed that way? is it intended to be tunable?

Almost all audio compnents will be affected by vibrations to a greater or lesser degree, especially caps and transformers in the power section.
I don't believe that the amp was intentionally designed that way but your system will never achieve its true pontential without paying attention to tuning vibrations. I do not have the amp anymore, I moved on to very low power amps and horns. Which is even more suspectible to vibraion tuning. I still miss that amp. Just before I sold it here, I was driving my avantgardes with it and it was very quiet. Simaudio components have quality and value in mind. The sound is very pleasing over the long run. It is especially sweet, I find it more so than classe, even where the omicron is concerned.
I find the emotional aspect of my system more important than analytical. It is beauty in sound that I am after, not accuracy. ymmv.
my setup is not what most people would consider as sane, especially in the vibrational control aspects. Most dealers do not promote this as they consider the difficult of tuning to be 'a total turnoff' to potential customers.