2. amps-preamps
  3. 1090717300

Ayre V5X, Sim Moon W5 vs. BC-28.

I have pretty much made my mind to buy a BC-28 next time one comes up on the 'Gon. This based on archives and reviews and I know I can always resell if I am not satisfied. You know, buy and try in your own system. The problem is, this amp has not shown up in some time now on the used market here and in the mean time I have been considering these other fine SS amps.
So, if you have experience with the Sim or the Ayre (or the BC 28 for that matter) will you please share it with me?
Especially if you can compare them to the BC.
My music tastes run mostly to female vocalists in blues jazz and pop/rock veins. I also like to rock to Allman brothers and such at times.
My system is: GMA Europas, Theta Jade and Birdland odeon AG run straight into power section of Nad C370 with Audio Magic cableing.
Thanks, Scott
abbeydog

Showing 2 responses by loudandclear

loudandclear
79 posts
 
You may want to consider the BC26 as well if you are stuck on Blue Circle. I had the BC28 and it was a good amp. It gave the best of tubes and SS (but the worst of both as well). The BC28 definitely was a step above the NAD370 I had a year and a half ago. You may also want to try out the Threshold S5000/e that a soundstage.com reviewer preferred over the Sim W-5.

I now have an H20 Audio S250 and am enjoying it very much with both my Focus Audios and GMA Europas as well as a buddys' B&W Sig805's.
loudandclear
79 posts
 
I might have used a bit too strong of words or been generalizing a bit.
The weakness in the BC28 was in the bass (a bit too round versus more controlled), & a slight lack of transperancy. I did not have my Europa's at that point so I could not tell you how the BC28 would work with them. Also, it was fun experimenting with various tubes, but ultimately got frustrating as I was never able to get *everything* just where I wanted. The best tube ended up being the Siemens 6922 Gold Pin from the early 70's. Some of the other tubes were super holographic, but were not real enough.

On another note, the V5 and W5 may have too much gusto for the Europa's. You need to be careful there, as several people have blown there tweeters with too much power. The V3 or W3 may be better candidates.

Good Luck
More to discover