An integrated bargain?


TAS Alan Taffel reviewed the Simaudio Moon 641 Integrated Amp in Stereophile:

“…What I heard was disarming. The 641 did an immaculate job a preserving the purity a Sufjan Stevens “Pittsburgh”. Resolution and openness were within spitting distance of my far costlier reference CH Precision l1 integrated amp. Vocal, guitar, and piano timbers were spot on. Further, the tracks emotional thrust was undeniable….”

1) It is not easy to surprise a seasoned reviewer like AT.

2) Sonics close to the 3-4 times more costly CH amp ~ bargain

Will be seeking a demo

kennyc

Shouting about it doesnt help your weak point. Julian was one of my mentors. When I studied with him he shared that, in fact, he did hear differences in the sound of power amplifiers. However, it was his opinion that the differences were so minimal as to be of no consequence. 

So actually, it was simply a value judgement on his part, as it is for all of us, what has value and what does not. See, I got through a whole post without putting a slew of words in caps, LOL.

The ONLY thing keeping SO CALLED,High End Audio alive,ESPECIALLY Analog, is what Dr.Julian Hirsch called the "Soft Porn Manipulation" by Audio Equipment Reviewers of the subconscious GULLIBILITY ..

Hirsch was an EE. He wasn't a doctor. And he never said what you claim.

Moon equipment is a lot nicer than people give them credit for.   You can listen to SimAudio at Safe and Sound in Chicopee MA

I agree. It doesn't have as high a profile in the US as it does up here in Canada but the units I have auditioned have stood up very well. In fact I bought a  Moon DAC that I liked a lot better than a unit that cost twice the price.

 

I ate breakfast at the same table with Alan Taffel years ago at a stereo show. Had some talks with him and thought he was a complete joke!

Early on when evaluating speakers I demoed with Moon electronics, I was underwhelmed. So going forward never considered the brand. Occasionally read some good reviews of their phono stages.