I have the 240i purchased used and ran the Lintons with the moon, and it made them come alive. I then sold them and purchased the Dali Rubicon 2 bookshelf with a martin logan subwoofer. It has some serious synergy. So I think you sold this amplifier a little short. Matching speakers can make all the difference. Love your reviews Randy.
I have the 240i and very pleased with it, its a awesome amp in my opinion, speakers are Acapella Harlekin, best combo I ever had with the moon, much better then a nad, unison, mf , naim, leema , even better them my Audia Flight , a awesome sound out of the moon, goosebumps
I also have the 240i, Very happy with it, It replaces a Musical Fidelity A3.2 integrated. The moon is warmer and smoother. The bass seems fuller and in step with the mids, The A3.2 never seemed quite right in that regard,, as if the bass was sometimes lagging a wee bit behind the rest of the music. I agree the built in DAC isn't as good as a good stand-alone DAC. I've only compared it (DAC) to my Marantz SA8004 SACD player and comparing the ripped files on the Moon to the disc in Marantz i prefer the Marantz. in comparison the Moon seemed a bit too polite and not as dynamic...or fun. The congestion at high volume is something I have not yet experienced with the Moon, i found it stays in character until it's limits are pushed, with my inefficient ProAcs, but that's still louder than i can listen to comfortably for more than a minute so it's a non issue for me Anyway thanks for voicing your opinion, That Anthem seems like a great piece.
Seems like he's complaining mostly about issues related to the units wattage. Like “at 2500$ you should have "x" amount of power. Three are some 100wpc Simaudio's. There are even some 300wpc ones. Just not at a price he's willing to pay. Also when he complain about it not having a sub output or tone controls, he sounds someone upset his steak dinner is not a chicken dinner. There just two different products. He's looking for a product with a lot of power and features. That's not what Moon is.
Good review, thanks! Especially your thoughts on the price to performance ratio were interesting for me. Gonna buy a 250i though, there is just no substitute for listening by yourself in your room with your taste and system.
Thank you for a honest review! I have seen reviews in magazines really praising this amp for its detailed and «organic» sound. However, it measured a bit unstable on difficult load speakers. It’s probably an amp that either you hear it, or you don’t. I myself will not audition it, as it is too expensive and offers too little in terms of flexibility.
From the review, I think this is perfect for me! Thanks a lot. I am getting the older version of this but apparently very similar sounding, mine would be the 220i (i.5). My speakers are too punchy as I do nearfield and have improper placement, if this can help alleviate the bass and give me better details, that's awesome. Also the guy who designed this said there was no way to add tone controls without hurting the audio at this budget, hence why they left them out, who knows, maybe that's why the midrange and treble sound so clear !
I bought this Moon product and agree with the basics of your review. It did not separate in complex musical pieces and through my Sonus Faber Sonetto V speakers, was very 'bright'. When played beside a cheaper Primera amp, it ran second, except for the exceptional clarity with some music. It was amazingly clear in most pieces of music but did not supply the bottom end I think exists in the pieces I played. I returned it and exchanged it for a NAD pre and power amp set up. So a great amp but not for me. I will see about the NAD combo.
I have one. It’s great. depends on taste. you can not fault the quality. It is smooth, refined and transparent. It doesn’t distort. It is true to its source. It may not be for you. So be it. I’m not selling!!
It for sure does way more things right than it does wrong and really sounds good. I just don't think it sounds as good as the price tag. Thanks for the comment!
@@williammay8413 very true. I’m not saying that it’s bad. I’m just saying I don’t believe it justifies the price and I think the Anthem and Emotiva sound stage better and the emotiva has a better DAC. I’m not saying it’s garbage I’m saying that when I directly compare it to others I think it’s not worth the price.
@@cheapaudioman hi end gear is always expensive and most of them don’t warranty their equipment more than 5 years but moon amps are 10 years and it all depends in which speakers you pair it up with some speakers don’t do well with them and others like Dynanaudio is well matches and like anthem sounds awesome with paradigms
@@williammay8413 William I get it. But let’s say for arguments sake that your point of specific speakers or sources matching up with this product is of vital importance. Well, maybe they should say what this product is certified to sound best with. Other industries do that. But not audio... and not high end audio for sure. So, we the consumers, need to ensure that a product will only live up to its potential dependent on the performance of other products? Don’t you think that is not only wrong but borderline inexcusable at this price? I guess you could liken it to a luxury car that needs specific types of gas and only Italian tires but even that luxury car will work with Goodyears or slumming it with 87 octane. And the auto industry at least tells you what products to use with it for optimum performance. I just think the hi end audio industry is fighting over a continually shrinking piece of the pie and making excuses why their products don’t perform by blaming everything around it. At this price the amp should sound good, period.
The biggest problem with the 'entry-level' Moon amps is that they just don't deliver the current necesary to drive speakers with authority. They work well with very high sensitivity speakers. However, even such speakers have their problems, such as impeddance swings. Not to mention that some popular high sensitivity speakers like Klipsch have bigger-than-average woofers and high sensitivity or not, higher moving mass requires current. Connecting average sensitivity speakers is a big mistake. If you took a look inside, you'd see exposed transistors without any kind of radiators to dissipate the heat. In fact, the cooling is done by direct heat transfer to the bottom panel to which the transistors are attached. Second, where are the reservoir caps? I don't see any! So, even if the output impedance is low, the lack of current undermines all the qualities of the amplifier. The 'clarity' you hear is something of a Moon trademark though. It's not a bad amplifier but it's certainly not for everyone and one has to know EXACTLY what they want and how to achieve it if they want to use this amplifier. I could say that this amplifier is for people with 'acquired taste' but the matter of the fact is, this is not a cheap amplifier and at that price, there is a myriad choices out there which are less fussy and generally much better built.
Damn simaudio must have really upset this guy, especially as he’s a retailer...I own 1 of these.. I run a rega p3, blue sound node 2(Qobuz) into some MA silver 300’s , chord cables and the sound is detailed, instrumentation staged very well( never heard it get muddled ,unless mastering of recording was poor ,which would be no different whatever amp you used) and yes the sound is smooth and natural , I’ve owned cheaper and more expensive integrated’s and in my opinion this amp takes some beating..but as always sound is subjective..everyone likes a different sound and looks for different things..respect though, it’s good to hear your opinion.
Here on a CAM binge watching (not binge listening) bender. This is expensive, man! Anyways, continue doing the good work, and hope you're here for a long time.
I've heard several systems based on Simaudio they are great amplifiers. The original i5 , i3 , W8 and own a w4070es . Randy got this one 100% wrong. I suggest we unsubscribe.
Gentlemen, I appreciate your support of the Moon. It's a fine product. I'd just ask what products you compared this to and in what way you felt like it bested other products. I directly compared this to the Anthem Integrated 225, a Marantz NR1711, Emotiva TA-100, and the Denon PMA-600NE. It is only my opinion. Yours matters too. I'm simply stating what my opinion is based upon comparison to other products in specific instances with specific examples. I encourage a bit of free thinking and spirited debate. However, lets keep this reasonable. No broad strokes. Give me examples as to why I'm wrong. Another commenter said he didn't care for it either in comparison to another amp. I'm going to say things that people don't agree with and have opinions that differ from others but I will, and I stress this, never give an opinion without supporting it. Emotional arguments about a product that you own is akin to getting upset because I called your kid ugly. Your participation on here is voluntary. I am unimpressed with "high end" audio and their go to market strategy. I've never seen another industry do the same thing and finger point at other products when theirs is questioned. With all this said, I appreciate everyone participating and if you think I'm wrong tell me. But let's not bring emotion into it. Lets have a discussion like two grown men and give specifics as to why you feel a different way and maybe we can meet in the middle. I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again.
@@cheapaudioman ok had my moon amp hooked to paradigms Prestige 75 f And snell j7 speakers and then I put my denon x2600 h Too them and the moon blew away the Denon in sound and power . I used same music vinyl,streaming, cd . I also had a emotiva gen 2 amp and pre to same speakers and nothing can touch them in performance
Wow that was pretty brutal! I'm glad I watched it though, normally I wouldn't give this much thought but you mentioned that the Anthem 225 is your reference integrated. I've been thinking of ditching my AVR for an integrated but my AVR is a 2nd gen Anthem MRX. I really like the Anthem for tv & movies though my PC, gaming on my PS3 & PS4 and Blu-ray/DVD music videos and CDs through the Oppo. I really like the connectivity of an AVR especially now with HDMI being mainstream - maybe an integrated would sound better but until they have the connectivity of an AVR my Totem Sttafs (and Paradigm center/surrounds) will be powered by the Anthem MRX
No matter how you slice it, tone controls degrade the sound. I don't have them on my Rega Elex and don't miss them. I disable the tone controls on my Arcam integrated amp because the amp sounds better that way. Anthem and Denon are not in the same league as Simaudio Moon. I would agree with you, however, about value at this price range. I would want to do very critical listening with my other components before pulling the trigger on this product at this price. It really comes down to subjective preference and what I hear you saying is that the sound is just too polite for your taste. Some may agree and others may disagree.
The moon is more revealing which means it will reveal issues with poorer recorded material. You mentioned Metallica which in my listening experience is pretty heavy on bass which tends to mask it’s overall lower quality of sound. That’s probably why it’s distorting as volume is increased. You need to try different genres and higher quality recordings before you can dismiss the moon as only good for near field listening. As far as rock goes I love Van Halen but I can only play it on my car stereo because let’s face it, as far as sound quality goes, it sucks.
Its all about matching. This amp is not easy to match. Try audiovector qr5 or piega classic 5.0. Moon 240i is a tool for Nordost cables to demonstrate difference in cables.
this is a bit shocking to me, wondering if you did not get some faulty unit,...moon is known for its neutral sound but with 320VA transformmer espacialy for 50W per channel, it is total overkill so I expected the sound to have very noticable dynamics and body. Thank you for the review, I was thinking also about this piece so I will be carefull. Maybee I have wrong perceptions about wattage, transformer size etc.
The first few moon products reviewed on RUclips in general. I’s a shame, because lots of the stuff it’s really amazing especially, their entry-level 260D neo cd player w DAC
I agree with the video. Demoed one for my small office and agree that it can get jumbled with complex music. For jazz I loved it but for everything else it just didn’t seem to keep up. Went with rega integrated and although not as smooth, the rega can really track rhythm/complex music better. My opinion of course
Hey Randy. I think for the best bang for buck. If you can get an Arcam SA10. For 880 dollars, going for 599 on ebay. It's a steal. I know this is an old video but check it out.
I have the 240i purchased used and ran the Lintons with the moon, and it made them come alive. I then sold them and purchased the Dali Rubicon 2 bookshelf with a martin logan subwoofer. It has some serious synergy. So I think you sold this amplifier a little short. Matching speakers can make all the difference. Love your reviews Randy.
Amazing to see how he has evolved over the last few years.
I have the 240i and very pleased with it, its a awesome amp in my opinion, speakers are Acapella Harlekin, best combo I ever had with the moon, much better then a nad, unison, mf , naim, leema , even better them my Audia Flight , a awesome sound out of the moon, goosebumps
I also have the 240i, Very happy with it, It replaces a Musical Fidelity A3.2 integrated. The moon is warmer and smoother. The bass seems fuller and in step with the mids, The A3.2 never seemed quite right in that regard,, as if the bass was sometimes lagging a wee bit behind the rest of the music. I agree the built in DAC isn't as good as a good stand-alone DAC. I've only compared it (DAC) to my Marantz SA8004 SACD player and comparing the ripped files on the Moon to the disc in Marantz i prefer the Marantz. in comparison the Moon seemed a bit too polite and not as dynamic...or fun.
The congestion at high volume is something I have not yet experienced with the Moon, i found it stays in character until it's limits are pushed, with my inefficient ProAcs, but that's still louder than i can listen to comfortably for more than a minute so it's a non issue for me
Anyway thanks for voicing your opinion, That Anthem seems like a great piece.
Seems like he's complaining mostly about issues related to the units wattage. Like “at 2500$ you should have "x" amount of power. Three are some 100wpc Simaudio's. There are even some 300wpc ones. Just not at a price he's willing to pay.
Also when he complain about it not having a sub output or tone controls, he sounds someone upset his steak dinner is not a chicken dinner. There just two different products. He's looking for a product with a lot of power and features. That's not what Moon is.
Good review, thanks! Especially your thoughts on the price to performance ratio were interesting for me. Gonna buy a 250i though, there is just no substitute for listening by yourself in your room with your taste and system.
Thank you for a honest review! I have seen reviews in magazines really praising this amp for its detailed and «organic» sound. However, it measured a bit unstable on difficult load speakers. It’s probably an amp that either you hear it, or you don’t. I myself will not audition it, as it is too expensive and offers too little in terms of flexibility.
From the review, I think this is perfect for me! Thanks a lot. I am getting the older version of this but apparently very similar sounding, mine would be the 220i (i.5). My speakers are too punchy as I do nearfield and have improper placement, if this can help alleviate the bass and give me better details, that's awesome. Also the guy who designed this said there was no way to add tone controls without hurting the audio at this budget, hence why they left them out, who knows, maybe that's why the midrange and treble sound so clear !
I bought this Moon product and agree with the basics of your review.
It did not separate in complex musical pieces and through my Sonus Faber Sonetto V speakers, was very 'bright'. When played beside a cheaper Primera amp, it ran second, except for the exceptional clarity with some music. It was amazingly clear in most pieces of music but did not supply the bottom end I think exists in the pieces I played. I returned it and exchanged it for a NAD pre and power amp set up. So a great amp but not for me. I will see about the NAD combo.
I have a Nad amplifier, and is great
I hate NAD and love Moon , so many people with so many ideas
I have one. It’s great. depends on taste. you can not fault the quality. It is smooth, refined and transparent. It doesn’t distort. It is true to its source. It may not be for you. So be it. I’m not selling!!
It for sure does way more things right than it does wrong and really sounds good. I just don't think it sounds as good as the price tag. Thanks for the comment!
10 year warranty on the analog side , not many companies can do that.
@@williammay8413 very true. I’m not saying that it’s bad. I’m just saying I don’t believe it justifies the price and I think the Anthem and Emotiva sound stage better and the emotiva has a better DAC. I’m not saying it’s garbage I’m saying that when I directly compare it to others I think it’s not worth the price.
@@cheapaudioman hi end gear is always expensive and most of them don’t warranty their equipment more than 5 years but moon amps are 10 years and it all depends in which speakers you pair it up with some speakers don’t do well with them and others like Dynanaudio is well matches and like anthem sounds awesome with paradigms
@@williammay8413 William I get it. But let’s say for arguments sake that your point of specific speakers or sources matching up with this product is of vital importance. Well, maybe they should say what this product is certified to sound best with. Other industries do that. But not audio... and not high end audio for sure. So, we the consumers, need to ensure that a product will only live up to its potential dependent on the performance of other products? Don’t you think that is not only wrong but borderline inexcusable at this price? I guess you could liken it to a luxury car that needs specific types of gas and only Italian tires but even that luxury car will work with Goodyears or slumming it with 87 octane. And the auto industry at least tells you what products to use with it for optimum performance. I just think the hi end audio industry is fighting over a continually shrinking piece of the pie and making excuses why their products don’t perform by blaming everything around it. At this price the amp should sound good, period.
Thanks for kepping it real, sounds like you saved me a return
The biggest problem with the 'entry-level' Moon amps is that they just don't deliver the current necesary to drive speakers with authority. They work well with very high sensitivity speakers. However, even such speakers have their problems, such as impeddance swings. Not to mention that some popular high sensitivity speakers like Klipsch have bigger-than-average woofers and high sensitivity or not, higher moving mass requires current. Connecting average sensitivity speakers is a big mistake. If you took a look inside, you'd see exposed transistors without any kind of radiators to dissipate the heat. In fact, the cooling is done by direct heat transfer to the bottom panel to which the transistors are attached. Second, where are the reservoir caps? I don't see any! So, even if the output impedance is low, the lack of current undermines all the qualities of the amplifier. The 'clarity' you hear is something of a Moon trademark though. It's not a bad amplifier but it's certainly not for everyone and one has to know EXACTLY what they want and how to achieve it if they want to use this amplifier. I could say that this amplifier is for people with 'acquired taste' but the matter of the fact is, this is not a cheap amplifier and at that price, there is a myriad choices out there which are less fussy and generally much better built.
Damn simaudio must have really upset this guy, especially as he’s a retailer...I own 1 of these.. I run a rega p3, blue sound node 2(Qobuz) into some MA silver 300’s , chord cables and the sound is detailed, instrumentation staged very well( never heard it get muddled ,unless mastering of recording was poor ,which would be no different whatever amp you used) and yes the sound is smooth and natural , I’ve owned cheaper and more expensive integrated’s and in my opinion this amp takes some beating..but as always sound is subjective..everyone likes a different sound and looks for different things..respect though, it’s good to hear your opinion.
Here on a CAM binge watching (not binge listening) bender. This is expensive, man! Anyways, continue doing the good work, and hope you're here for a long time.
Ugh. This is one of my first videos… hard to watch
Does it enough power to drive Dynaudio excite X38?
I have 250 I and it is awesome hooked up to my clearaudio tt with snell speakers
I've heard several systems based on Simaudio they are great amplifiers. The original i5 , i3 , W8 and own a w4070es . Randy got this one 100% wrong. I suggest we unsubscribe.
He is big time wrong , this amp can play all day and runs cool 😎
@@williammay8413 As does my W 4070SE I unsubscribed. Randy is funny but also clueless.
Gentlemen, I appreciate your support of the Moon. It's a fine product. I'd just ask what products you compared this to and in what way you felt like it bested other products. I directly compared this to the Anthem Integrated 225, a Marantz NR1711, Emotiva TA-100, and the Denon PMA-600NE. It is only my opinion. Yours matters too. I'm simply stating what my opinion is based upon comparison to other products in specific instances with specific examples. I encourage a bit of free thinking and spirited debate. However, lets keep this reasonable. No broad strokes. Give me examples as to why I'm wrong. Another commenter said he didn't care for it either in comparison to another amp. I'm going to say things that people don't agree with and have opinions that differ from others but I will, and I stress this, never give an opinion without supporting it. Emotional arguments about a product that you own is akin to getting upset because I called your kid ugly. Your participation on here is voluntary. I am unimpressed with "high end" audio and their go to market strategy. I've never seen another industry do the same thing and finger point at other products when theirs is questioned. With all this said, I appreciate everyone participating and if you think I'm wrong tell me. But let's not bring emotion into it. Lets have a discussion like two grown men and give specifics as to why you feel a different way and maybe we can meet in the middle. I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again.
@@cheapaudioman ok had my moon amp hooked to paradigms Prestige 75 f And snell j7 speakers and then I put my denon x2600 h Too them and the moon blew away the Denon in sound and power . I used same music vinyl,streaming, cd . I also had a emotiva gen 2 amp and pre to same speakers and nothing can touch them in performance
Wow that was pretty brutal! I'm glad I watched it though, normally I wouldn't give this much thought but you mentioned that the Anthem 225 is your reference integrated. I've been thinking of ditching my AVR for an integrated but my AVR is a 2nd gen Anthem MRX. I really like the Anthem for tv & movies though my PC, gaming on my PS3 & PS4 and Blu-ray/DVD music videos and CDs through the Oppo. I really like the connectivity of an AVR especially now with HDMI being mainstream - maybe an integrated would sound better but until they have the connectivity of an AVR my Totem Sttafs (and Paradigm center/surrounds) will be powered by the Anthem MRX
No matter how you slice it, tone controls degrade the sound. I don't have them on my Rega Elex and don't miss them. I disable the tone controls on my Arcam integrated amp because the amp sounds better that way. Anthem and Denon are not in the same league as Simaudio Moon. I would agree with you, however, about value at this price range. I would want to do very critical listening with my other components before pulling the trigger on this product at this price. It really comes down to subjective preference and what I hear you saying is that the sound is just too polite for your taste. Some may agree and others may disagree.
The moon is more revealing which means it will reveal issues with poorer recorded material. You mentioned Metallica which in my listening experience is pretty heavy on bass which tends to mask it’s overall lower quality of sound. That’s probably why it’s distorting as volume is increased. You need to try different genres and higher quality recordings before you can dismiss the moon as only good for near field listening. As far as rock goes I love Van Halen but I can only play it on my car stereo because let’s face it, as far as sound quality goes, it sucks.
Its all about matching. This amp is not easy to match. Try audiovector qr5 or piega classic 5.0. Moon 240i is a tool for Nordost cables to demonstrate difference in cables.
I can get one for 600 Canadian, worth it?
(I have an SMSL C200 DAC and a Clearaudio Nano V2 phono stage that I will be using with it)
Well done. Very well done.
this is a bit shocking to me, wondering if you did not get some faulty unit,...moon is known for its neutral sound but with 320VA transformmer espacialy for 50W per channel, it is total overkill so I expected the sound to have very noticable dynamics and body. Thank you for the review, I was thinking also about this piece so I will be carefull. Maybee I have wrong perceptions about wattage, transformer size etc.
I can’t believe anyone is still watching this video.
@@cheapaudioman why?
The first few moon products reviewed on RUclips in general. I’s a shame, because lots of the stuff it’s really amazing especially, their entry-level 260D neo cd player w DAC
I agree with the video. Demoed one for my small office and agree that it can get jumbled with complex music. For jazz I loved it but for everything else it just didn’t seem to keep up. Went with rega integrated and although not as smooth, the rega can really track rhythm/complex music better. My opinion of course
Wow... this was way before my videos got "good" lol. The Moon and the KEF ls50 enraged me so much that I started this channel.
Why would you review an amp using rock or metal music lol ?
Hey Randy. I think for the best bang for buck. If you can get an Arcam SA10. For 880 dollars, going for 599 on ebay. It's a steal.
I know this is an old video but check it out.
Wow