I found the Classe a little bland, especially for the price. No comments on phono, since I didn't hear it.
The older Sim i-7 sounded a lot like the Pass INT-150 to me, with perhaps a little less mid-bass emphasis. Very clean, very fast, and very neutral. I haven't heard the new series of 600i or 700i--Sim is sure getting up there in price at the top end, but they have a number of amps (maybe too many?) so you can't fault them I guess?
If vinyl is your main source you're going to want an outboard stage, especially at the 10K or below price arena. I mean, just as an example, you could get a Luxman 550A II and any number of good phono stages (nagra? Einstein? etc) at list and still be in budget.
The older Sim i-7 sounded a lot like the Pass INT-150 to me, with perhaps a little less mid-bass emphasis. Very clean, very fast, and very neutral. I haven't heard the new series of 600i or 700i--Sim is sure getting up there in price at the top end, but they have a number of amps (maybe too many?) so you can't fault them I guess?
If vinyl is your main source you're going to want an outboard stage, especially at the 10K or below price arena. I mean, just as an example, you could get a Luxman 550A II and any number of good phono stages (nagra? Einstein? etc) at list and still be in budget.