After a long time away from the audiophile market, I plunged in headlong last year. I bought one set of speakers and a CD player and some wire, to be driven by a ten year old amp. Then I found a pair of second hand Newform Research R630 ribbon speakers. My old amp was no longer good enough.

I went off looking for something new. As one stereo dealer told me - I knew you would be back. Through the newspaper,I had the chance to listen to a used Sim Audio 4070 integrated amplifier. The thing that struck me was the smoothness and utter cleanliness of the sound. Pretty well no grain. The high frequencies sounded a little bit rolled off, but I believe this is a characteristic of the amp when it has not had the chance to warm up and settle in for a few days. The bass sounded fuller - often a characteristic of these minimal feedback design amps. Not a problem with my speakers, which have a tendency to sound bright due to their extremely high resolution, and a tuneful and taut bass.

I looked at various integrated amps - Bryston 60, Audio Refinement Complete, Rotel, Rega and others. They did not satisfy. I finally bought the Sim Audio 5080 for $1000 US here in Canada. One of the great bargains of Hi-Fi. It gives you high end sound for the price of mainstream components. I wish I could have bought the Sim Audio Moon I5, but that is twice the price for a diminishing return. The Sim Audio Moon I5 is Audio Review's buyer's choice as the best integrated amplifier on the market.

The 5080 was developed after the Moon. This means it is very similar in appearance and operation. The 5080 only has four buttons on the front panel. One is the standby button, to power the unit on and off. One is the input selector, which travels through the five inputs. The other two are volume up and volume down. Volume is controlled through a digital relay. Minimalist. An LED display shows you the input and the volume level. It can be turned off, only displaying information when you make a change.

The 5080 has one preamp output, and one input can be made into a processor loop through a press of a button. I love to use the Sim and the Newforms as front speakers for home theater, driven by a Yamaha 596 which also has a preamp out.

This integrated amp offers remote control at no extra cost. Many people complain about the small four button remote, which has had reliability problems. I bought a universal remote for $20Cdn. It turns the amp on, runs the volume up and down, and offers balance control of the two channels as a bonus. In my opinion, the build quality of the amp is solid, not to be confused by questions about the remote.

When it comes to sound, it is hard to separate the amp from the speakers. Both are very fast and show very high resolution. The Newforms show a big solid soundstage, which is supported by the Sim. Both show an exceptional degree of transparency. The Sim excels at dynamics. The music leaps out at you. You hear a lot of detail. You hear a lot of texture, just like eating a well made sandwich that combines raw and cooked, hard and soft, sweet and sour, and complex combinations of flavour that merge into something you have never tasted before. I consider both the amp and the speakers to be neutral. What you hear is what the artist and producer intended to present to you, in a very musical way.

I highly recommend the Sim. If you have the money, go for its big sister.

A Rotel 971 CD player feeds the Sim through Audioquest Ruby. The Sim passes this along to the Newforms through Kimber 8TC. And I listen and listen.



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 1000.00