August 26, 1944: The liberation of Paris. Imagine

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1 EQUIPMENT REPORT HER REICHERT Moon by Simauio Neo 340i INTEGRTED MPLIFIER ugust 26, 1944: The libeation of Pais. Imagine anks of tattee Canaian solies maching past the Moulin Rouge à Pais. The voice of Éith Piaf singing Où sont-ils, mes petits copains? (Whee ae my boyfiens?). Mauice Chevalie cooning Ça sent si bon la Fance (It smells so goo in Fance). Canaian amy tank with the wos Kaput an Finito painte in white above the wo Montéal, motoing past the Eiffel Towe. Remembe the fesh, celebatoy taste of fine Champagne. This was the place, the moo, the eveie with which I began my examination of Simauio s Moon Neo 340i integate amplifie. Why? ecause Canaa s contibutions to the llie Foces an to pefectionist auio ae uneappeciate. ecause Fench is the official language of oucheville, Quebec, whee Simauio Lt. has its factoy. n because Pais an Canaa ae two of the places I have most visite, most exploe, an most love in eal life, in memoies, an in eams. The fist song I emembe playing though the Moon Neo 340i was Pais, sung by Piaf on Eith Piaf (LP, EMI/ It took my min immeiately to Montmate. Music fo Pleasue MFP 5046). The soun of the bael ogan an accoion accompanying The Little Spaow seeme so tangible an iect that it took my min immeiately to Montmate: to cobblestones, ancing pooles, an ogan gines. Even befoe Piaf began singing, I ecognize the Neo 340i s exceptional ability to ig staight though to the micophone(s) an ecoing venue. I knew immeiately that listening to the Neo woul be like inking ollinge Gane nnée ut 2002 ($120/750ml). long with the Neo, I was using a Pionee PLX-1000 tuntable with Otofon 2M lack catige, an Magnepan.7 louspeakes. When la gane Piaf whispee into the mike as a um tap-tap-tappe in the istance behin he, I locke in completely: In my min, the ak space between the Éith an the um was chage with im light, ust, an smoke. I coul sense the height of the um fom the ha floo. SPECIFICTIONS Desciption Soli-state integate amplifie. nalog inputs: 1 XLR, 4 RC, 3.5mm Meia Playe. Optional igital inputs: optical, 2 coaxial, US. Optional phono inputs: 47k ohms input impeance (moving-magnet), 100 ohms o 47k ohms input impeance (moving-coil). nalog outputs: fixe, vaiable (both RC). 1 pai speake outputs. Heaphone output: 0.25" phone plug. Rate output powe: 100Wpc into 8 ohms (20W), 200Wpc into 4 ohms (17W). Dimensions 16.7" (429mm) W by 3.5" (89mm) H by 14.7" (376mm) D. Shipping weight: 28.6 lbs (13kg). Finishes lack stana; Silve, Two-Tone available via special oe. Seial numbe of unit eviewe Pice $4950. Options: MM/ MC phono stage, $400; DSD DC, $900; D3PX eition (all options inclue), $5800. ppoximate numbe of eales: 80. Waanty: 10 yeas. Manufactue Simauio Lt., 1345 Newton Roa, oucheville, Quebec J4 5H2, Canaa. Tel: (450) US: Simauio Lt., 2002 Rige Roa, Champlain, NY Web: 86 Mach 2016 Q steeophile.com

2 I was listening to a pefomance ecoe in 1949! That, my ea eaes, is the natue of this vivi Fench stuio ecoing, the iminutive Fench songbi, an the spakling but claity povie by the Moon Neo 340i iving the Magnepan.7s. Desciption One eason the Magnepan.7s playe so well with the Simauio integate is that Magnepan speakes pefe amplifies that ouble thei ate output into 8 ohms when pesente with a 4-ohm loa as oes the Neo 340i, which is specifie as poucing 100Wpc into 8 ohms o 200Wpc into 4 ohms. The Maggies infamous hunge fo cuent was satisfie by the 340i s ability to continuously elive up to 30V at 12 amps, with 22-amp peaks. The Neo 340i uses fou bipola tansistos pe channel, opeate in class- fo the fist 5W, an in class- fo all subsequent joules pe secon. I am a slow-woking auio epote. I nee months Insie the Neo 340i: Note the fou bipola output tansistos each sie. 1.89V at the line output, though with the volume contol set to its maximum, igital ata at 12FS esulte in a level just below clipping. The impulse esponse with 44.1k ata (not shown) eveale that the Neo 340i s econstuction filte was a conventional FIR type with a shap olloff above 20k with 44.1k ata (fig.1, e an magenta taces). The aliasing pouct of a full-scale tone at 19.1k at 25k (blue an cyan taces) is suppesse by 85, an the hamonics of the funamental tone ae all vey low in level. Fig.2 shows the igital moule s fesometimes a yea to get a pope feel fo a pouct. This is especially tue with integate amplifies, because toay s moels can be heavily laen with featues, each of which takes time to appeciate. The Moon Neo 340i has been in an out of my system fo moe than a yea so long that I ha to upgae its DC an fimwae to finish this eview. The basic 340i, without phono stage o DC moule, can be ha fo $4700. Late, you can a a moving-magnet/moving-coil phono stage ($400) an/o a DSD DC ($900). That s $6250 fo Lune à la cate. O you can buy a 340i that inclues all of these options Simauio calls the package the D3PX fo $5800. Simauio sent me the D3PX eition. The Moon Neo 340i D3PX is a textbook example of a contempoay, top-quality, full-featue integate amplifie. On its backsie ae fou analog RC inputs, one of MESUREMENTS Ipefome a full set of measuements on the Simauio Moon Neo 340i using my uio Pecision SYS2722 system (see the Januay 2008 s We See It, I looke fist at the behavio of the optional igital-input boa, using eithe S/PDIF ata souce fom the uio Pecision via optical o coaxial links, o US ata fom my Mac ook Po unning on battey powe. To avoi oveloaing the powe-amplifie section, I switche the louspeakes off an looke at the signals at the fixe line-output jacks. The TosLink input locke to ata with sample ates up to 96k, the coaxial inputs to ata sample at all ates up to 192k. pple s uiomidi app eveale that the Neo 340i opeate with 32-bit intege ata at all sample ates fom 32 to 384k. The US Pobe utility ientifie the Simauio as the MOON US DSD HD uio fom Simauio Lt., an confime that its US input opeate in the optimal isochonous asynchonous moe. The igital input peseve absolute polaity (ie, was non-inveting) at both the line an speake outputs. 1k tone at 0FS gave ise to a level of Fig.1 Simauio Moon Neo 340i, S/PDIF input, wieban spectum of white noise at 4FS (left channel e, ight magenta) an 19.1k tone at 0FS (left blue, ight cyan), with ata sample at 44.1k (20/vetical iv.). Fig.2 Simauio Moon Neo 340i, S/PDIF input, fequency esponse at 12FS into 100k ohms with ata sample at: 44.1k (left channel gay, ight geen), 96k (left cyan, ight magenta), 192k (left blue, ight e) (0.5/vetical iv.). Fig.3 Simauio Moon Neo 340i, S/PDIF input, 44.1k ata, spectum with noise an spuiae of ithee 1k tone at 90FS with: 16-bit ata (left channel cyan, ight magenta), 24-bit ata (left blue, ight e) (20/vetical iv.). steeophile.com Q Mach

3 SIMUDIO MOON NEO 340i them eicate to the phono boa, an fou igital inputs: TosLink, two S/PDIF RCs, an US. Thee ae two linelevel (RC) analog outputs: one fixe, the othe vaiable. Stana featues on all Neo 340i amps inclue: SimLink, to povie two-way communication among vaious Simauio Moon components, incluing the MiND steame; a 12V tigge; a RS-232 pot fo custom installation, biiectional feeback, an fimwae upates; an an IR pot fo extenal contol. On the Neo 340i s classy-looking signatue faceplate ae a 1 4 " heaphone jack an a 1 8 " Meia Playe (MP) input jack. Just above those ae two buttons: Spk Off, which tuns off the output signal to the speakes when you e using heaphones; an Mute, which switches off the output signal to eveything, incluing the fixe an vaiable RC outputs. To the left of the cental, e-lit isplay is a cluste of five buttons. t the top is Stanby, which isengages the input section fom the emaine of the 340i s cicuity, though all cicuits emain powee up. Just below that ae buttons to engage the MP input an to tun the isplay off an on, an below those ae two moe, fo toggling between input options. Page 14 of the Neo 340i s manual is eicate to the opeation of its emote contol. t the bottom, it states: NOTE: The buttons labele <L> on t affect the opeation of the 340i. Immeiately, I knew: Simauio has one this only to annoy me. oooo! Hiss! G! With speakes: Magnepan.7 The moe I use the Magnepan.7s ($1400/pai), the moe I love them. 1 Thei extaoinay imaging, sweetness of tone, an own-to-eath natualness ae the antitheses of all things mechanical an hi-fi. I believe that they ae among the best speakes available toay, at any pice. The planamagnetic, flat-panel.7s o what stan-mounte box speakes on t: They move copious amounts of ai. Each speake has 400 squae inches of iving suface eight times moe than an 8" woofe, an moe than 16 times as much as a 5.5" mi/woofe like the one in KEF s LS50. Moving that much ai enegizes a small oom like mine in a way that lets me eally feel the soun. ass may not go vey low, but it s pesent in the oom with me, touching me physically. Little boxes can give the iea of bass a simulacum but neve bass that touches you skin. The Magnepan soun is always moe tactile, moe of the senses, than what I expeience with little box speakes, whose soun is always moe of the min. When I use the Moon an the Maggies to listen to my swamp-blues buy Slim Hapo sing I m a King ee an Rainin in My Heat, fom his fist album, Slim Hapo Sings Raining in My Heat... (LP, Excello LP-8003), my oom felt awash with ich, pulsing molecules of bass an miange enegy. The high fequencies wee vapoous, but pecise an 1 See measuements, continue quency esponse with ata sample at 44.1, 96, an 192k. Thee is a slight imbalance between the channels, but the esponses follow the same basic shape, with a shap olloff just below half of each sample ate. With 384k ata, the esponse followe the same shape as the 192k taces, but with extene output above 96k, eaching 10 at 160k. Channel sepaation via the igital inputs was excellent, at 105 below 1k an still 85 at the top of the auioban. Noise levels wee also low fo igital input signals, so that inceasing the bit epth fom 16 to 24 with ithee ata epesenting a 1k tone at 90FS oppe the noise floo by almost 20 (fig.3), implying esolution of at least 19 bits. Some low-level, supply-elate spuiae ae visible in this gaph, but oveall the noise floo is sufficiently low that the Simauio s epouction of an unithee 16-bit sinewave at exactly 90.31FS was essentially pefect (fig.4). With unithee 24-bit ata, the esult was a well-fome sinewave (not shown). s implie by the blue an cyan taces in fig.1, the Simauio s igital moule pouce vey low levels of hamonic istotion, with the thi hamonic the highest in level, at just 106 (0.0005%). Intemoulation istotion was similaly low, an the igital moule offee supeb ejection of wo-clock jitte via both its TosLink (fig.5) an US inputs. The optional phono stage offee of gain measue at the fixe line-output jacks when set to MM (moving magnet), of gain when set to MC (moving coil). With the volume contol set to its maximum an the phono stage set to MC, a 1k tone at 1mV esulte in a level of 4.56V at the speake outputs; ie, a total gain of The phono moule peseve absolute polaity in both V sec Fig.4 Simauio Moon Neo 340i, S/PDIF input, wavefom of unithee 1k sinewave at 90.31FS, 16-bit ata (left channel blue, ight e). Fig.5 Simauio Moon Neo 340i, S/PDIF input, highesolution jitte spectum of analog output signal, k at 6FS, sample at 44.1k with LS toggle at 229: 16-bit ata (left channel blue, ight e). Cente fequency of tace, k; fequency ange, ±3.5k. Fig.6 Simauio Moon Neo 340i, phono input, esponse with RI coection (left channel blue, ight e) (1/vetical iv.). steeophile.com Q Mach

4 SIMUDIO MOON NEO 340i woneful. The Simauio s appaent spee an tanspaency tame the Magnepans inheent sweetness to the point whee the.7s began to soun like the high-esolution tansuces they ae. The eveb ae to Hapo s seuctive voice in this 1961 ecoing ha an enticing pesence of its own. Music emege with such claity an ease that I became elaxe an happy. This eeply satisfying amp-speake paiing epouce all types of music with cham an authoity. With speakes: Technics S-C700 The fast, neutal soun of the Moon Neo 340i was enhance by the low-istotion natualness of Technics S-C700 stan-mounte minimonitos that I eviewe in Januay. I playe Claue Debussy playing Claue Debussy, with sopano May Gaen, fom Claue Debussy: The Compose as Pianist: 18 selections ecoe fo M. Welte & Sons in Pais, in 1904 an 1913 (CD, Pieian 0001). I have evee this isc, an Debussy s unusual pianism, eve since its elease, in The Moon an Technics have now mae it my new eligion. This supemely cafte Welte-Mignon piano-oll ecoing was mae using a finely tune an estoe Feuich-Welte piano playing laboiously eecoe olls fom the collection of Dick an Helena Simonton, ecoe in steeo using two Neumann KM 83 micophones. The esults of all this love an labo ae a stupefyingly eal D ecoing that appeas to captue evey nuance of the Fench maste s touch, pealing, an expession. Debussy s elibeateness, hesitancy, an eccentic tempos in his La cathéale engloutie seem moe flesh-an-bloo soulful than most pianists now living can muste on thei best ay at the keyboa. The Welte-Mignon ecoing piano even captue Debussy s half-pealing! This was anothe eeply satisfying combination of amplifie an speakes. Phono Stage: Moving-magnet If I coul evive Josef Hofmann o Ignace Jan Paeewski, how close to thei pianos woul I like to sit? fte a lifetime of woneing, I have conclue that I like close: font-ow close. I want to see the pianist s knees move as he woks the peals. I want to hea the felts an keys etuning to est. I enjoy the affective eality of the playe woking the whole instument. Which is exactly what I expeience listening to an watching, fom the secon ow, Keith Jaett at Canegie Hall. I was staing up at Jaett s knees an the bottom of the sounboa. I watche his feet stomp fom about 30 away. This intimacy let me expeience his playing with my entie boy. His waywa affectations ew me in much bette than if I been sitting in a balcony box. Listening at home, I esie that same intensity an atistic pesence. Happily, I eceive a nice measue of it when listening to Jaett s Concets egenz München (3 LPs, ECM ). I couln t see Jaett s knees, but I coul hea his hea an voice moving above the keyboa. I coul hea his shoes measuements, continue MM an MC moes, an the input impeance at 1k was 46k ohms at 1k when set to 47k, o 101 ohms when set to 100. The input impeance at the fequency extemes was not appeciably iffeent fom that at 1k. (Fo these measuements, the input capacitance was set to 0pF fo both moes.) The RI eo was vey small (fig.6), though the ight channel was vey slightly highe in level than the left. oth channels featue a lowfequency esponse that was own by 3 at 20. Channel sepaation via the phono inputs was goo, at >60, an the unweighte, wieban signal/ noise atios wee also goo, at 78 (MM, ef.1k at 5mV) an 61 (MC, ef. 1k at 500μV), both measue with the input shote. The -weighte atios wee even bette, at a espective 86.5 an (ll figues ae the aveage of the two channels.) t nomal levels, the 340i s phono moule offee vey low levels of hamonic istotion an intemoulation istotion (fig.7). Howeve, while the oveloa magins wee vey high at low an mile fequencies, at at least 25 (MM) an 29 (MC), these oppe at 20k to just 7 (MM) an 11 (MC). (ll figues efee to 1k at 5mV, MM, an 500μV, MC.) The amplifie as a whole offee a moeate 35.2 of gain at 1k into 8 ohms fo both its balance an unbalance line-level inputs, an both sets of inputs peseve absolute polaity. While the balance input impeance was high, at 44k ohms at all auio fequencies, the unbalance input impeance was elatively low, at 7200 ohms at 20 an 1k, opping to just 5200 ohms at 20k. (The input impeance was specifie as 11k ohms in the online vesion of the manual, but 22k ohms in the pinte manual that accompanie the eview sample.) s a esult, a tube souce with a high output impeance at low fequencies might soun a little lean. Fig.7 Simauio Moon Neo 340i, phono input, HF intemoulation spectum, DC 30k, 19+20k at 1V peak into 100k ohms (linea fequency scale). Fig.8 Simauio Moon Neo 340i, unbalance fequency esponse at 2.83V into: simulate louspeake loa (gay), 8 ohms (left channel blue, ight e), 4 ohms (left cyan, ight magenta), 2 ohms (e) (0.5/vetical iv.). Fig.9 Simauio Moon Neo 340i, small-signal, 10k squaewave into 8 ohms. steeophile.com Q Mach

5 SIMUDIO MOON NEO 340i on the peals. Vicissitues of Powe The aspect of ecoe music that is most affecte by peamplifies an powe amplifies is its viscosity ie, how thick o thin o tanspaent the music souns. This in tun affects gain, contast stuctue, an, especially, musical flow. The peceive viscosity o plasticity of an auio amplifie s soun lies typically in its intenal impeances, time constants, banwith, an voltage plus cuent capabilities. Musical viscosity also epens on the esigne s choice of esistos, capacitos, egulatos, an tansfomes. I mention all this because it soune to me that the Simauio esign team has mae some sophisticate viscosity-oiente esign choices that have esulte in auio poucts, like the Moon Neo 340i, of unique tanspaency an fluiity. Phono Stage: Moving-coil I change phono catiges often. Theefoe, I m always happy when an integate amplifie inclues choices of gain The Neo 340i ea panel, with the optional phono an igital moules. (40 o 60) an loaing (100 ohms o 47k ohms plus 0pF o 100pF), as oes the Moon Neo 340i D3PX. Simauio uses active cicuity as oppose to tansfomes fo the exta gain. Unlike most phono stages, in which choices of amplifie gain an catige loaing ae mae with little switches o buttons, the Neo 340i s phono stage equies that you (o you eale) emove the amp s top plate an eposition sepaate ight- an left-channel jumpe blocks fo each choice. I know, it souns ticky, maybe even angeous but it s not. It s simple, almost foolpoof, an explaine vey clealy in the manual. The whole poceue took me less than 10 minutes, an its simplicity gave me the oppotunity to expeiment an be fickle. Most impotant, the esults wee woth the effot: The measuements, continue The output impeance at the lineoutput jacks was a low 100 ohms at all auio fequencies. Measue at the speake outputs, it was a vey low 0.05 ohm at low an mile fequencies (incluing the seies esistance of 10' of speake cable), ising inconsequentially to 0.08 ohm at the top of the auioban. s a esult, the moulation of the Neo 340i s fequency esponse by the Ohm s law inteaction between this impeance an that of ou stana simulate louspeake 1 was just ±0.09 (fig.8, gay tace). The output was own by 3 at a high 90k, meaning that a 10k squaewave was epouce with shot isetimes (fig.9), an thee was no oveshoot o inging. The 340i s fequency esponse was the same at all volume-contol settings an fo both balance an unbalance inputs. Channel sepaation fo the line-level inputs was an even 74 R L, but lowe at high fequencies in the othe iection. The unweighte, wieban S/N atio, measue with the inputs shote to goun but the volume contol set to its maximum, was a moest 71.2 ef. 2.83V into 8 ohms, impoving to 87.4 when the measuement banwith was limite to the auioban, an to 90.2 when -weighte. These figues wee fo the left channel; the ight channel s atios wee all 2 3 smalle, ue to thee being a highe level of spuiae at 60 an its hamonics in that channel (fig.10). These atios an gaph wee taken with an unbalance input; with a balance input, these spuiae wee all up to 12 highe in level, which I suspect is ue to the fact that these inputs ae caie on a small boa connecte to the main boa with flying leas. The Neo 340i s maximum powe is specifie as 100Wpc into 8 ohms (20W) o 200W into 4 ohms (17W). Figs. 11 an 12 eveal that, with both channels iven, the amplifie clippe at 130Wpc into 8 ohms (21.1W) an 200Wpc into 4 ohms, with low levels of istotion at output powes of a few tens of watts. To be sue I was looking at tue istotion, I teste (fig.13) how the THD+noise pecentage change with fequency 1 See % % Fig.10 Simauio Moon Neo 340i, unbalance input, spectum of 1k sinewave, DC 1k, at 1W into 8 ohms (linea fequency scale). Fig.11 Simauio Moon Neo 340i, THD+N (%) vs 1k continuous output powe into 8 ohms. W Fig.12 Simauio Moon Neo 340i, THD+N (%) vs 1k continuous output powe into 4 ohms. W steeophile.com Q Mach

6 SIMUDIO MOON NEO 340i soun quality of the 340i s $400 phono-stage option (less, of couse, if it s oee as pat of the entie D3PX package) is so iiculously goo that I oubt most uses will eve want futhe upgaes. If they o, Simauio s Moon Evolution line offes thee stanalone phono stages, the 310LP ($1800), 610LP ($7500), an 810LP ($13,000). My only complaint: My Zu Denon DL-103 catige was not pefectly happy with the Neo 340i. The Zu s 40-ohm impeance plays moe natually an in a moe elaxe manne into 470 o 1000 ohms than into eithe of the 340i s choices of 100 ohms o 47k ohms. Into 47k, the Zu was too uptight. Meanwhile, the 6-ohm intenal esistance of my Jasmine Tutle catige was moe than happy with the Neo 340i s 100-ohm setting. It playe stonge, cleane, an with moe etaile bass than it ha with any othe phono stage I have in the bunke. (My eview of the Tutle moves slowly fowa... ) DSD DC Last July, Simauio intouce an upgae fo the Moon Neo 340i s DC that impove on what I aleay felt was the 340i s stongest asset. My eview sample s oiginal DC was fast an sue, open an clea, with bass that playe exactly as it shoul. ut compae to my efeence D/ convete Halie s DC HD ($495), which always souns wamly etaile, juicy, an alive the Neo 340i s oiginal DC soune a bit bisk an chilly, like a clouless Novembe ay. The new DSD DC emonstate inceases in neutality an mateiality, an felt a bit bole, yet moe at ease. I believe stongly in the impotance of high-en auio eales. The futue an quality of ou sace hobby ests squaely on thei shoules. If you buy an amp o speake on the Intenet an it souns ba in you listening oom, you have no one to blame but youself. Wose, you have no one who caes, o wants to help you. ut high-en auio salespesons ae thee to be exploite as teaches, oacles, lifestyle consultants an maybe even fiens. I mention this because I i not feel confient in my ability to install the 340i s new DC boa an o the necessay fimwae upgae. So I took my eview sample to the chaming an knowlegeable Michael Toto, of New Yok s famous Steeo Exchange. The upgae pocess began with his welcoming smile, inclue a lot of impassione jabbe about heaphones, amps, an speakes, an ene with my satisfie gin an a hanshake. Deales ule! measuements, continue at 12.7V (equivalent to 20W into 8 ohms, 40W into 4 ohms, o 80W into 2 ohms). Othe than into 2 ohms (gay tace), thee was only a slight ise in THD towa the top of the auioban, an vey little incease into lowe impeances. The istotion signatue was peominantly the subjectively innocuous thi hamonic (fig.14), though thee was also some secon hamonic about 12 lowe in level when the output powe was 3 below clipping into 4 ohms (fig.15), as well as some lowelevel, highe-oe hamonics an some supply-elate spuiae. When I teste the 340i with an equal mix of 19 an 20k tones at a level a few below visual clipping on an oscilloscope, the secon-oe intemoulation pouct at 1k lay at just 96 (0.0015%), though the highe-oe poucts at 18 an 21k lay at 74 (fig.16). Finally, looking at the heaphone output, this offee the same maximum gain as the speake outputs an was non-inveting. Howeve, as its souce impeance was a high 300 ohms, the heaphone output shoul be egae as utilitaian. Oveall, Simauio s Moon Neo 340i offes excellent measue pefomance; I was paticulaly impesse by its affoably pice phono an igital moules. One point shoul be note, howeve: The 340i s heatsinking isn t aequate fo sustaine use at high powes. efoe the testing, when I peconitione the amplifie by unning it at one-thi powe into 8 ohms with both channels iven the wost case fo an amplifie with a class- o % V Fig.13 Simauio Moon Neo 340i, THD+N (%) vs fequency at 12.7V into: 8 ohms (left channel blue, ight e), 4 ohms (left cyan, ight magenta), 2 ohms (left, gay). Fig.15 Simauio Moon Neo 340i, spectum of 50 sinewave, DC 1k, at 100W into 4 ohms (linea fequency scale). -/ output stage its sie-mounte heatsinks became too hot to touch afte 30 minutes, measuing F (71.6 C). Even the top panel was hot, at F (41.1 C). This amplifie nees to be use in a well-ventilate location. John tkinson Fig.14 Simauio Moon Neo 340i, 1k wavefom at 50W into 8 ohms, 0.042% THD+N (blue); istotion an noise wavefom with funamental notche out (e, not to scale). Fig.16 Simauio Moon Neo 340i, HF intemoulation spectum, DC 30k, 19+20k at 100W peak into 4 ohms (linea fequency scale). steeophile.com Q Mach

7 SIMUDIO MOON NEO 340i Heaphones Like a hooe monk with an inkwell, I spen my ays sitting at a esk, witing an imagining. My hoo is a pai of heaphones I listen to Tial, an play my ivese collection of files ownloae fom HDtacks. I enjoy the LSD intensity of listening though high-quality easpeakes. I fin that heaphones foce my DHD min to focus an emain focuse bette than o speakes en l ai ouvet. Fo seveal months now, Simauio s Moon Neo 230HD heaphone amplifie ($1500 with DC) has been fimly ensconce in my esktop efeence system. While the 230HD plays with a tighte, beathie, an punchie authoity than the 340i s heaphone output, the 340i exhibits a simila (but moe softly-focuse) claity that flattes the female voice moe than the male. Though the 340i an uioquest NightHawk heaphones, I m now listening to High on a Mountain, fom the New ppalachians Fom the Mountaintop (24-bit/192k, Chesky). This bluegass stana by Ola elle Ree is such a mounful lament High on a mountain staning all alone / woneing whee the yeas of my life have gone that it chokes me up evey time I play it. The luminous ecoing of this goup which featues the gil I want to un away with, singe Noah Wall is a potent mix of musical an ecoing atisty. With the 340i heaphone stage, I felt like Noah Wall was staning iectly in font of me; I coul have eache out an touche the manolin an violin playes with my left an ight hans espectively. Chesky s binaual imaging was accuately escibe, but the oahouse punch was missing. With the ueze EL-8s, the plucke bass was soft an ovely wam. Wall s vocals wee nicely textue but less in-theoom than with the 230HD. The highs wee sometimes quite attactive an non-fatiguing but neithe pecise no extene. Unlike the 340i s phono stage an DC, which ae extaoinay enough to satisfy ove the long haul, I suspect most high-en heaphone junkies will feel the nee fo a bette-quality heaphone stage. If so, Simauio is eay: the 230HD ($1500 w/dc) an 430H ($3500 $4300) woul be natual choices. Compaison: Rogue uio Sphinx s I have with the Magnepan.7s, I ve been constantly eiscoveing how just how much I love Rogue uio s Sphinx integate amplifie, the vey fist pouct I eviewe fo Steeophile in ugust Folks, this baby jumps, thumps, an sings as it has no ight to fo $1295. ut the Moon Neo 340i showe me exactly what I shoul expect fo not quite fou times the Sphinx s pice: The Neo 340i elivee levels of micoetail, efine tanspaency, an mecuic nimbleness the Rogue can only hint at. The Moon escibe a ecoe sounspace with the kin of tactile pecision elivee by only the most expensive amplifies. While the Sphinx plays the lowest octaves with masteful ease, the Neo showe me bass notes in full unblue an ungenealize, fom stat to finish. Compaison: Hegel Music Systems H160 an Line Magnetic LM-518I The Hegel Music Systems H160 ($3500) is a bol mountain climbe of an integate amplifie. Well taine an stong, it conques you speakes with aolescent eageness. ut! The H160 plays music with a kin of bougeois moeation SSOCITED EQUIPMENT nalog Souces Pionee PLX-1000 tuntable, Otofon 2M lack catige; Thoens TD 124 Mk.I tuntable, bis S 1.2 toneam, Zu Denon DL-103 o Jasmine Tutle catige; Technics SL1200 Mk.2 toneam, SME M2-9 toneam, Sounsmith Camen o Shue SC35 catige; VPI Scout J. tuntable, Otofon 2M Re catige. Digital Souces Onkyo Intega DPS-7.2 isc playe, Halie DC HD DC. Peamplification Intact uio step-up tansfome; lue Hoizon Ieas Pofono, Schiit uio Mani phono stages. Integate mplifies Hegel Music Systems H160, Line Magnetic LM-518 I, PimaLuna PoLogue Pemium, Rogue uio Sphinx. Heaphone mplifies ueze Decka, Linea Tube uio micozotl, Schiit uio sga, Simauio Moon Neo 230HD. Heaphones KG K812, ueze EL-8, uioquest Night- Hawk. Louspeakes Dynauio Excite X14, Falcon coustics LS3/5a, KEF LS50, Magnepan.7, Technics S-C700. Cables Speake: uioquest Type 4, uitoium 23, Kimbe Kable 8TC. Inteconnect: uioquest ig Su & Cinnamon & Golen Gate, uitoium 23, Kimbe Kable Silve Steak. ccessoies Soun ncho stans, Moongel stylus cleane, D. Feicket nalogue catige-alignment potacto. Heb Reichet The Maggies infamous hunge fo cuent was satisfie. that makes me yean fo a moe bohemian libiinousness. Similaly, the Simauio Moon Neo 340i s wellmanicue pecision mae me wish fo an occasional taste of slutty voluptuousness. On those ays, I switche to the Line Magnetic LM- 518 I ($4400). Neithe the Hegel no the Simauio coul match my Line Magnetic fo billiant Van Gogh colos, veant textues, o iotous ebauchey. 60% pinot noi, 40% chaonnay While it plays music beautifully, it s unlikely that the Simauio Moon Neo 340i integate amplifie was ceate fo the inexpeience auiophile. Its vitues ae substantial an vaie, but much of its wonefulness is subtle than my esciptions suggest. The chaacte of its lively soun was stong but a quiet stength. None of its chams jumpe out an mugge me. It ance an sang well, but at its coe, the Neo 340i was eally about efinement an consistency. Though it, music soune fesh an subtly aticulate, always in goo balance an popotion. Like Maantz s classic tube gea, which it esemble in soun an appeaance, this integate amplifie was ceate fo auio cognoscenti those who know how ae a eally well-engineee amp actually is. Fo these easons, I believe the Moon by Simauio Neo 340i will hol its value: The way it satisfie this listene with its Champagne ut auio aesthetic shoul neve go out of fashion. Confiently ecommene. Q 2 See steeophile.com Q Mach