An integrated bargain?

Bargain means something different to everyone. Now that’s out of the way, the SimAudio equipment is excellent and worth a listen. I’m a little puzzled that Sim doesn’t have a bigger presence in USA. I really like their digital gear, both source and DACs. Very natural sounding to me. 

"I’m a little puzzled that Sim doesn’t have a bigger presence in USA"

While I totally understand that point of view, we have always taken a very conservative approach to selecting our retail partners.  We would rather not have any retailer in a particular city, for example, than having one that does not meet our standards of quality representation, customer service and business integrity, which in turn would be a disservice to customers.  We are working towards expanding our retail network, but it is a slow and careful process for us.

Costa Koulisakis

Simaudio Ltd.

@costa94109 I love my Moon phono preamp and I would love to hear an integrated but I would have to drive 3 hours to hear one. And would the dealer let me borrow it?

I have been using a Simaudio Moon ACE (a much less expensive integrated) for about a year now.  I use it for streaming as well as a phono preamp with my Marantz TT-15.  It drives my Dynaudio speakers well, and I use the headphone amp with my HD650's and Quad ERA-1's.  The MiND interface is very easy to connect and easy to use.  The ACE looks and feels very high quality, and the output from this integrated unit is really impressive.  The sound quality is extremely satisfying.  I love it, and I would absolutely purchase it again.

Everyone's looking for that esoteric piece that's made in some garage with the attendant secret sauce to shake things up and lay bare to the audio world the absolute truth.

Get off the merry-go-round. Reorient yourself to recognize what it is you hear and what appeals to you. 

Technology has matured enough to the point where it's just what floats your boat. All makes and manufacturers know this and spend their time guesstimating what it is you want to hear. 

Go out and listen to as many things as you can. In short order you'll know what you like and then factor in your budget and needs. Also, keep in mind this is a racket.
 

So true!

Based on my experience, the only system component(s) of which I remain convinced that one generally gets what they pay for is loudspeakers. Though of course there are plenty of overpriced duds out there, as well as some high value models.

Ironically, many, it not most audiophiles have electronics that far outclass the capabilities of their speakers. I would even go so far as to say that these days, even $15K/pair speakers can fail to reveal the full capabilities of a $300 modern DAC. 
 

I’d wager that regardless of the current state of their system, 90% of audiophiles should be looking at a speaker or room upgrade as their next move in terms of bang for buck.