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).
I too will mention the calypso but will go further and say that my w-5 never sounded this good. If it was me I would get the w-5 and a calypso preamp it's that good, I think I am done searching for a very long time. I also would like to add if you have an analog rig go for the JLTI phono stage it synergizes with the calypso very well too.
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.