grisly I have owned the i5,now own the 240i & have demo’d the 340i several times with Harbeth M40.1,M30.1 & Dynaudio Excite X18 speakers..
IMO the i5 was the Pinnacle of their lower priced units..It’s build quality was a step up compared to more plastic in the current options..The sound to me was just a bit sweeter,NOT a huge amount but just a touch,like moving from current production EL34 tubes to some NOS Wing C’s if you can relate to that analogy..
I haven’t heard the 250i or the Ace but I can’t see there being ANY difference between the 240i & Ace as they are the EXACT same except for the Ace having the Streamer built in...When I demo’d the 340i with the M30.1’s & Excite X18’s I found almost no difference between the sound of the 240i & 340i...Changing the the huge M40.1’s made a big difference between the 240i & 340i,those big cabinets & woofers really needed the extra power,solidifying the bass & opening up the imaging & staging...
Currently I own the 240i driving Harbeth M30.2Xd’s & feel it’s about as good as I can possibly get from a Solid State system..The staging could be a touch deeper but I don’t think that’s possible without switching back to a tube set up...
Thank you @freediver I used i5 or 240i is in my budget, the 340i probably isn't. So would you say the 240i is significantly better than the i5?
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No,actually as I said,I felt the i5 was just a touch sweeter..Like changing from current production EL34 tubes to NOS Winged C or NOS Gold Lion tubes..NOTHING night & day but with SUPER resolving speakers, a slight highlighting of the midrange,like the sun going from a beautiful warmish yellow(240i) to a deeper redish/orange(i5) as it sets.. |
thanks @freediver there is one i5 on a-mart right now, that looks very good. I wish there was a dealer near me to audition it. |
Hello @grislybutter , per discussions with SimAudio and reading, the 300 class of integrated amplifiers have many advantages over the 200 series. Not only more power, but their dual mono amplifier design will create quieter separation and better performance all around. In the Moon Reps words, "the amplifier section for the 340i outclasses a 200 series unit in every way". The ACE is unique in that it houses an onboard MInd streamer (and DAC), making it a true All-in-One unit. |
Thanks @fastfreight! Is the ACE comparable to the 200 series? |
Hi Grisley, Yes the ACE is basically a 240i without the Mind Streamer. I think Moon moved away from the All-in-One (ACE) as they also sell their separate streamers. I just bought and quickly listed the ACE as it seemed underpowered for my needs. It sounds sweet though, I just like to turn things up! I have a 340i coming. For low volume and efficient speakers, I think the ACE is great. |
@fastfreight I am small room, low volume, efficient speakers. I have no use for a streamer but I will look for you ACE, is it listed here? |
Had the ACE and think it is quite impressive. It will be difficult to beat its value proposition, particularly used, if the watts are sufficient to drive your speakers. Later moved to the 390/330A separates. Ran TV into ACE with optical cable and now use HDMI ARC into the 390. I enjoy the flexibility of listening to music and also running the TV seamlessly through the Sim gear.
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thanks @dokosan ! I wonder about the naming, I was just told by Simaudio that the ACE and the 240 are one and the same aside from the streamer. |