About Moon (by Simaudio)
Let’s start with a few general remarks to better classify the HiFi smithy Moon (by Simaudio) and to resolve the somewhat complicated nomenclature. The latter is due to the fact that the Canadian-based manufacturer already has a long and eventful history; after all, next year the company will be celebrating its 40th anniversary. The company was founded under the name Sima Electronics in the Canadian province of Quebec and was able to generate some attention with its early developments, which were initially designed for the professional sector. Several years and numerous innovations later – the restructuring under a new name (Simaudio) and the Celeste series of the 1990s fall into this period – at the end of the 90s the first devices of the Moon series finally came onto the market. Not least because of the quality of the components, the name gets stuck and is finally established as a brand: Moon (by Simaudio). After many excellent products under this banner, the company, which develops and manufactures all its equipment entirely in Canada, has been bought back since 2013 by three long-term employees and has around 40 employees*, will continue to enjoy great popularity in 2019 and will produce high-quality hi-fi equipment at the current state of the art, as we will see below.
Moon Neo ACE
We start the tour through our new Moon program with the Moon Neo ACE. The All-In-One player with 2 x 50 Watt Class-AB amplifier stage deserves its name absolutely rightly, because apart from a CD drive really nothing is missing here. Four RCA pairs are available for analog signals: Two inputs are provided for any line-level devices, a third input passes signals sampled via a turntable to the really good sounding internal MM phono preamplifier. Finally, an output is added to drive an external amplifier or subwoofer. But that’s not all: At the front is the output of the integrated headphone amplifier as well as an aux input in mini jack format for mp3 players and Co. There are six digital inputs. Two optical or coaxial interfaces each, a USB input and the Ethernet socket wait for bits and bytes, which are then forwarded to the excellent converter architecture based on chips from the ESS Sabre series (maximum 32 bit/384 kHz or DSD256). Last but not least, the integrated WiFi and the Bluetooth module (aptX HD) are of course worth mentioning.
Some of the functions of the Moon Neo ACE can be accessed via the buttons as well as the endless knob on the front, which – like the device as a whole – are solidly crafted and also make a great haptic impression. Of course, a remote control is included in the scope of delivery and the (dimmable) OLED display offers optical feedback at any time. Nevertheless, you should download the app “Moon MiND Controller”, which allows you to navigate sources, playlists and settings easily and which also functions as a multi-room control center if there are several compatible Moon components in a network. The high-resolution streaming services Tidal Masters, Deezer Hi-Fi and Qobuz Sublime+ are supported, and the Neo ACE is ROON-ready and decodes MQA files.
Moon Neo 340i X
Now that we’ve looked at Moon’s all-in-one solution, we’re expanding the field and looking at possible candidates for a multi-component solution from Moon. The first one is the integrated amplifier Moon Neo 340i X, where if you take the Neo ACE as an orientation aid, the streaming unit has given way to some additional inputs and outputs in the analog section, but above all to a more luxurious circuit design, which is even more uncompromisingly trimmed for highest sound quality and provides double power reserves. Here, for example, the extremely generously dimensioned power supply with toroidal transformer or the specially tuned output transistors should be highlighted. The D/A converter section, which we got to know above, is also included in the Neo 340i X. Also worth mentioning is the Pass-Through function, which allows the volume to be controlled externally via a source device connected to the A2 analog input.
Moon Neo 340i X
Now that we’ve looked at Moon’s all-in-one solution, we’re expanding the field and looking at possible candidates for a multi-component solution from Moon. The first one is the integrated amplifier Moon Neo 340i X, where if you take the Neo ACE as an orientation aid, the streaming unit has given way to some additional inputs and outputs in the analog section, but above all to a more luxurious circuit design, which is even more uncompromisingly trimmed for highest sound quality and provides double power reserves. Here, for example, the extremely generously dimensioned power supply with toroidal transformer or the specially tuned output transistors should be highlighted. The D/A converter section, which we got to know above, is also included in the Neo 340i X. Also worth mentioning is the Pass-Through function, which allows the volume to be controlled externally via a source device connected to the A2 analog input.
Moon Neo MiND 2
Since the Neo 340i X has no internal streaming functionality, a separate component is required, if desired – and here comes the Neo MiND 2ins game. This basically complements all streaming functions of the Neo ACE, but of course the two-component solution offers more performance, more space for the high-quality technology, less direct interference between the modules and greater flexibility for changing or supplementing the setup.
Moon Neo 260D
The CD player 260D can also be considered as another Moon gaming partner. The silver disc has not yet served its purpose as a medium and anyone who has already collected a considerable collection of Red Book data carriers will probably want to use them in the future. The 260D, which is equipped with an extremely complex drive, is the perfect high-end player for this purpose. The M-Quattro-Drive, developed by Moon itself, has a 4-point suspension and allows not only high-precision but also virtually noiseless scanning. The signal is then either passed on to the internal converter (works up to 192 kHz maximum) or directly digitally output. It is also possible to feed the D/A converter directly; two coaxial inputs, one optical and one USB input are available.
Final Thoughts
The four Moon components presented here are a prime example of excellent HiFi: Technically at the cutting edge, the devices shine with good workmanship, great handling and sound quality that makes hearts beat faster with ease – from now on also in our Berlin demonstration. Test!
