Simaudio I7 vs P5.3/W5.3

I've got the i7 and first auditioned the P5.3 pre/power whilst waiting for the i7 to arrive at the dealers. Not much in it, but the P5.3 definitely had more control with greater dynamic headroom. Very similar overall sound though and if you are working to a budget or like the simplicity of an integrated the i7 does most of what the pre/power 5.3 does.

Acdvd,
You may not be happy with the results of using the I3 for a preamp with the W5 amp. In the past I tried for a short time using the pre out of an I5 with a w5 amp. The soundstage was virtually nonexistent. The W5 is a wonderful amp. Anything less than a dedicated preamp may very well lead to disappointing results.

I second Valinar's comments. I've used the I5 as an integrated, and then bypassed its internal pre so that it was used as an amp-only. The improvements were dramatic.

I've read other post(s) in the past from users who have been disappointed with the I5's pre section compared to stand-alone pre-amps.

I say this meaning no disrespect to the I5, which I enjoyed greatly for several years.

Do any W5/W5.3 users find the poweramp bass heavy at all?

Thanks

Niravp -

You mention that you bypassed the internal pre of the 5.3. How did you do that? Did you use the input that bypasses the stage gain (A4)?

I own a 5.3, and I'd be curious to use it as an amp, with a separate pre, just for fun .

Thanks,

Patrick