If you’d like a high-performance system with a minimal box count, consider the Sim Audio 390.

It’s a line preamplifier, streaming DAC, headphone amplifier and MM/MC phono preamplifier. It even has Bluetooth and HDMI inputs. Sim gear is as bulletproof as it comes. Having visited their factory twice now, the service department was not busy at all – so that’s a great sign.

Here at TONE, we’ve used a number of Sim pieces as reference components and always give them a thumb up when friends and readers ask the inevitable question.

Thanks to balanced and RCA outputs, you can combine the 390 with anyone’s power amplifier. All those digital inputs mean you can plug anything in to the 390 too. It’s ROON ready, should you need that functionality, and the headphone amplifier section is very good.

Overall, the sound quality is dynamic, neutral, and very quiet. We paired our review sample up (when we had one of these in house) with a number of different amplifiers from other manufactures’ with excellent result. Personally, I love this pre with a great tube amp, but that’s me. The phono stage works as well as anything you’d get in a $1,000 external box, and when you consider you are getting four components on one chassis that all work great together, you just saved a tidy sum not buying three more sets of interconnects and power cords.

For what it’s worth, when we did test the 390 at TONE, we were able to run a 25 foot pair of balanced interconnects with no problem, so if you wanted to place your 390 (and maybe a turntable) one place in your living/listening room, and a power amplifier down near the speakers, it’s no problem at all.

You can purchase this one from The Music Room here. (just click!)

The MC275 from McIntosh is not only one of the all time classics, when it comes to vacuum tube amplifiers, it is quite possibly one of (if not the best) of their tube amps, in terms of value, sonics, and build quality.

The new MC1052 is pretty awesome, but has not been around long enough. You can read our review on that one here…

This amplifier on so many levels is a king, because while it is not the very last word in dynamics or extension, it’s so darn good everywhere it’s impossible to fault. The 275 can also be bridged to become a 150 watt monoblock, adding to its versatility. The early versions of this amplifier had crazy barrier terminals for your speakers, inline level controls and RCA jacks only. Forget one of those unless you just want a museum piece.

A current model like this is definitely the droid you want. Thanks to a fixed bias setup, the four KT88 tubes will never need adjustment, and while rated at 75 watts per channel, I’ve never read a review with measurements where this amplifier didn’t produce 90-95 per. Best of all, Mac tube amps are always easy on tubes, so you won’t be changing them often. There is a tube cage, should you need to protect kids, dogs, and cats, but if you can get away without it, bask in the tube glow!

One thing that will be a love or hate, is the way the tubes glow green from underneath, thanks to LEDs. Think stanced Hondas drifting around in a parking lot glow. Fortunately, if you’d like your MC275 to be OG and just see the tube filaments, you can switch the LEDs off.

This amplifier has an ease about it, that few other tube power amplifiers do, and regardless of speakers chosen, the dedication to a natural, slightly on the warm side overall sound shows you why so many people all over the world love the MC275.

Build quality is top shelf, and McIntosh still winds their transformers in-house, in the Binghamton, NY facilities. By the same experts that have been doing it for decades. Another part of Mc that makes these amps so desireable.

TMR has two of these in stock right now, and this is a killer price. You’ll want to keep it forever.

Just click here.

Phil Sklar, Co-Founder and CEO of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum has just let me know that tomorrow, January 7, is National Bobblehead Day.

Located in my home town of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, they’ve introduced three new Margaritaville Bobbleheads: The Parrot, Shark and LIzard.

Feel free to click on this link to visit their shop!

https://bit.ly/margbobbles

With just over three months to go, I’ve been asked to give an hour talk about vintage audio at this years Axpona.

I’ll be talking about your vintage journey, what to expect if you’re new to all this, repair issues, and whatever else comes to mind. I look forward to seeing you there – it will be on Saturday, April 12.

Click here if you haven’t purchased a ticket for the show yet…

Cover Story

Avid’s Acutus Classic:
A Great Turntable Returns

Features

Old School: Nakamichi 400 series
by Jeff Dorgay

1095: Rega’s ND3 and ND5 MM cartridges

The Audiophile Apartment: Dynaudio Focus 10 wireless speakers

Journeyman Audiophile: Magnepan 2.7X

Short Take: Vera-Fi A40 Class A power Amp, SVS Ultra Evolution Towers

Mine: It Should Be Yours

Future Tense: Gear in our immediate future

Reviews

Sbooster power supply for Blusound NODE
ampsandsound Bryce monoblock tube amplifiers
Audio Research I/50 integrated amplifier

Music

Playlists:  We share our readers choices from around the world