Simaudio I7 vs P5.3/W5.3

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

Hi Patrick,

Yes I bypassed the gain stage using the A4 input. I used an Aesthetix Calypso to bypass the Sim's pre - it was a pretty huge improvement (though I suppose that it should be, for the price difference).

Nirav