To upgrade from simaudio 3.3i to 600i or not?

There was definitely a tube presence going to the Allnic from the Moon solid state phonostage but I am finding that a good tube design is not compromising the positive features I find with solid state-it just seems to add to it with a greater body, air etc. I just received my replacement magnetic bearing for my Clearaudio turntable and am suppose to have it installed today so I am really anxious to hear the Allnic tube phono feeding my Allic tube pre (picked up a used model about a month ago for agreat price). Right now I have been running everything through my Edge sig 1.1 s.e pre and the difference that a tube brings to the pre is greater body, air and I am also noticing an improvement in bass control which I was a little suprised at. I am loving the mix of solid state amp with tubed from end gear. Use to own a Bryston 14bsst and Audionote tube pre and had the same great experience. I have not heard the Audience brand but it is featured in the audio press and seems to garner very good reviews. I have been following AudiogoN looking for good used Nordaost Valhalla and have seen a lot of very well priced Nordost product available (Frey, Heimdell or Tyr if you can swing it would be an excellent choice). Also once you make a good cable purchase it can stay with you an move from system or gear to gear. It has taken me many years working on my Valhalla choice. Picked up a Nordost Valhalla power cable last week for a good price which will go on the Allnic phonostage. Can't wait to hear it.

Let me know how it sounds. Which clearaudio tt you got. I considered purchasing one since they both work with 110v and 220v. Ill be back in the states in 9 months so i will stick with this project debut 220v for the time being. I have a brand new project classic sitting in a box. Ill purchase a new cartridge when i return home. Thought about sticking with the same brand phonostage. I like my system uniformed, but if I knew if a tubed phonostage would make a difference solid state integrated amp than i would look for one. Ill be in the states in a couple weeks and ill do some researching while there. Thanks for your input. Im still new and have not heard many systems.

Camb,

Thanks for the post. Good to hear from a previous i-7 owner. I move around in the Navy, so simple is better for, thus i stick with the integrated amp. If did choose to move up and upgrade to seperates, could i just add the w-8 to the 600i or you recommend the p-8 as the preamp?

If you feel you would benefit from more power then using your 600i as a pre amp with a W-8 amp would be a step up. You might get a little more control and punch in the bass with the additional power.

You could also try adding a P-7 or P-8 pre amp and using your 600i only as a power amplifier. I was surprised to learn how important the pre amp is in the overall sound - maybe more important than the amp so long as the amp is powerful enough for your speakers.

A third option is adding a W-7 and bi-amping your speakers, with the W-7 driving the bass of both speakers and the 600i driving the mids and highs. I tried this with the I-7 and W-8 but the gain on the I-7 was higher than the W-8 so it didn't work (the higher gain of the I-7 made the mids and highs a little louder than the bass).. It's worth a shot with the 600i though...many swear by bi-amping as it creates a truly effortless sound and really can open up the soundstage when you offload the task of driving the bass to a separate, dedicated low frequency amp.

Definitely try these options before you buy, though, as the benefits over the 600i alone may be relatively small for the expense. The 600i is an impressive piece! Also, Simaudio integrated amps have the advantage of really short, high quality connections between pre amp and amp without the need for expensive interconnects.