Sim W-3, W5 vs Classe 201


Which one is better to drive B&W 804 Nautilus? And why?
Anyone compare the two? Thanks
goone30cea3
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.
I recently purchased a Bryston 4B-ST. They jury is still out. It has been barely broken in and there seems to be a slight edge to the upper mid range. My first impression is that a slightly warmer amp such as Classe may sound more engaging with the Nautilus 804. Also check your hotmail email.
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