Buy a Simaudio Moon 390 or wait for a Bryaston BR-20


Hi, everyone.
My first post after reading for years. My question is should I go for a Simaudio Moon 390 or wait it out for a new Bryston BR-20 that I have a deposit on. How important is MQA for Tidal? 

My system as it stands is a Parasound P6 preamp with Parasound JC1 monoblocks streaming Tidal through Roon on a node 2i. Speakers are Focal Katana 2's. I also have two passive 15-inch JBL subs in custom cabinets powered by Adcom GFA-565 monoblocks.

The P6 handles the sub management beautifully which neither the Moon nor BR-20 will do. 
I'm very pleased with how it all sounds but I can't help but think I could do much better on my preamp and the Node 2i.

Any insight or comments would be appreciated. 
Thanks!
128x128dubz
Moon 390 is a fantastic pre-amp streamer, phono pre.

I had one for a year along with 330A's run in mono.

To keep peace at home I downsized to the 340i then the 600v2. Now moved to all tube and will not look back. The 390 is a great piece of kit and lives up to all the hype. I am sure the Bryston is nice. Not a Parasound guy at ALL.
Just to update my post here. I ended up going with a new Rogue RP7 which was a few months away and is now in my system and sounding fantastic. I'm 100% satisfied with it.

On the digital front end, I purchased an Antipodes Core server as well as an OpticalRendu. This now feeds a Chord Cutest DAC. Streaming Tidal via Roon.

This has led me to a much more smooth and engaging sound that I have been thoroughly enjoying. 

Thanks to those that posted suggestions, certainly was solid advice that is much appreciated.

Cheers
Wow, that's great info on the cables, thanks for chiming in! Sounds like the 390 might work with my Katana's after all. Please do get back with your future impressions of the 390 with the 8C's.

I was advised to maybe look at a Rogue RP7 which is a tube pre without streaming and Dac. I've also been looking at an Audio Research Reference 6 on the used market. It's possible I may end up going with a tube preamp.
 
It's such a hard call to make and a lot of money to spend, I'd hate to bring something home only to find out it was a lateral move, or worse, it doesn't sound as good as what I have now.


I have owed a SimAudio Moon 390 for about 3 weeks. I currently have it connected as a preamp to an old system with a McCormack DNA-1 amp. Using Joseph Audio RM 22si speakers. 

The 390 is running as a Roon end point.

My initial testing showed that the music was not very engaging and seemed very laid back. Not quite what I was looking for. While I continued to listen over about 2 weeks the sound did not get better. 

Then I received new Synergistic Research cables and put them in to give them a try. The entire sound changed. The sound is now very engaging with a very focused soundstage. The 390 is very detailed and transparent. The 390 is a high quality digital product in this setup.

In another week I should have the 390 connected as the front end for new Dutch & Dutch 8C's active speakers. I will report back after I receive the new speakers. The 8C's are supposed to be truly transparent speakers. They should reveal the character of the 390 much better than the Joseph Audio speakers I am now using.

I'm not sure if moving away from the P6 would be a good move or not? I thought the Moon 390 was slightly warm but I better go hear one before I commit. 

It would be nice to hear from Moon 390 owners to see what their impressions are and what speakers they are using?

Also, I'll see if I can hear a CODA pre. Thanks for the reply I'll research Fiber Optical wiring as well.

Thank you for the reply!
You will be going to more neutral gear with the new choices. Would your Be tweeters on the Kanata 2 be OK going away from the Parasound P6?

I was thinking of getting a Paradigm Persona 3F at one time and the Sim and Bryston would not be what I would have paired with it. I would have looked for a warmer preamp.

I have been searching for a warmer preamp for a while now for some very bright sounding gear I have and finally bit the bullet and bought the CODA 07x. It is $6K and more than I wanted to spend but I can see myself keeping it forever.

For streaming, consider Fibre Optical wiring. I use a Sonore OpticalRendu.