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Simaudio's Moon LP5.3 MM/MC phono preamplifier ($1400) is silly good! It has single-ended RCA inputs and both single-ended and true balanced-differential outputs. It also offers a wide range of adjustments for gain (54, 60, and 66dB), resistive loading (10, 100, 470, 1k, and 47k ohms), and capacitive loading (0, 100, and 470pF), all accomplished via a series of internally mounted jumper banks. You can even choose RIAA or IEC equalization. Removing the top plate to get to the adjustments reveals boards filled with high-quality parts for the well-isolated power-supply and signal-handling…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state MM/MC phono preamplifier with both RIAA and IEC equalization and unbalanced/balanced outputs. Gain: switchable, 40, 54, 60, and 66dB (balanced output gains are all 6dB higher). Input impedance: switchable, 47k, 1000, 470, 100, and 10 ohms. Input Capacitance: adjustable, 0, 100, and 470 pF.
Dimensions: 8" (200mm) W by 3.25" (80mm) H x 11" (280mm) D. Shipping weight: 7 lbs (3kg).
Price: $1400. Approximate number of dealers: 80.
Manufacturer: Simaudio, 95 Chemin du Tremblay Street, Unit 3, Boucherville, Quebec J4B 7K4, Canada. Tel…
Sidebar 2: Measurements from October 2007 (Vol.30 No.10):
In the March 2007 Stereophile, Michael Fremer devoted part of his "Analog Corner" column to a rave review of the Moon LP5.3 phono stage ($1400) from Canadian manufacturer Simaudio. "Out of the box, the LP5.3 proved quiet and sweet-sounding, with bass that was well-controlled, tuneful, and rhythmically solid, a harmonically rich midband, and a somewhat closed-in top end," he wrote. "The LP5.3's macrodynamics lacked the exuberance of the finest phono stages I've heard, but thanks to its impressively low noise, the 5.3's nuanced…
Sidebar 3: More Measurements, from November 2007 (Vol.30 No.11):
Last month, I followed up Michael Fremer's March 2007 review of Simaudio's versatile Moon LP5.3 phono preamplifier ($1400) with a set of measurements. In general, the LP5.3 got a clean bill of health, with very low noise, superb linearity, and excellent channel separation. However, I was concerned about its low overload margin at 20kHz and above, which I felt restricted the LP5.3 to use with phono cartridges with lower-than-normal output levels.
In his "Manufacturer's Comment" in the October issue (p.210), Simaudio…
Recording of October 2007: This Is Somewhere
Hollywood D00038502 (CD). 2007. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, prods.; Mike Daly, prod., asst. eng.; Joe Chiccarelli, eng.; Kennie Takahashi, Travis Huff, Tim Bright, Wayne Warnecke, Otto D'Angelo, asst. engs. AAD? TT: 48:34
Performance ****½
Sonics ****
Hollywood D00038502 (CD). 2007. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, prods.; Mike Daly, prod., asst. eng.; Joe Chiccarelli, eng.; Kennie Takahashi, Travis Huff, Tim Bright, Wayne Warnecke, Otto D'Angelo, asst. engs. AAD? TT: 48:34
Performance ****½
Sonics ****
To paraphrase a gem from back when The Simpsons was funny: "Rock chicks—is there anything they can't do?"
Grace Potter, the most piquant rock frontwoman to come along in some time, and her adroit blues-rock quartet, the Nocturnals, have spent the past four years pounding…
I made myself comfortable. The system—Linn Unidisk universal player, Meridian digital active speakers—was obviously working well: "For unto us a Child is born..." pum pum pum pum...
I didn't know the listening room, but I've loved Handel's Messiah since I made my debut as a boy soprano in a 1959 school performance; the DVD-Audio recording that engineer Philip Hobbs had burned from one of his SACD masters (footnote 1) was living up to my expectations.
The second refrain began. I shifted in my seat. The sound now wasn't quite as spacious as in the first refrain , not quite as silky…
"I have something I think might interest you," said Elite AudioVideo Distribution's Scot Markwell. "Kevin Halverson has some, shall we say, different ideas about universal players."
We walked into Elite's dark demo room at last year's Consumer Electronics Show and Markwell stepped aside with a flourish, gesturing toward a quasi–industrial-looking, powder-coated box: the Polyhymnia universal disc player, from Halverson's Muse Electronics.
"Ta-daa!" Yes, he said it.
I must not have looked impressed. "Oh, I forgot," he said. "It's only fancy on the inside." And—as…
As a CD player, the Polyhymnia impressed me from the get-go. Chickasaw County Child: The Artistry of Bobbie Gentry (CD, Shout! DK-32278) was a revelation. Joan Osborn said that Gentry's voice is to women's voices as Sophia Loren's curves were to women's bodies: the epitome. The Polyhymnia captured that hyper-femaleness, setting it within baroque soundscapes that had width, height, and, most of all, depth. The bottom end was impressive, as was the top-end sparkle.
John Coltrane's Settin' the Pace (CD, JVCXR-020202) put a big tenor sax in the center of my room, spitting overtones at the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Universal disc player with remote control. Formats supported: CD and MP3 discs, DVD-V, DVD-A, and SACD discs in two- and multichannel formats. Analog outputs: RCA (1 pair), balanced XLR (1 pair); optional analog output module includes 4 pairs of RCA jacks for surround-sound and subwoofer outputs. Digital outputs: S/PDIF (BNC). Video outputs: composite (BNC), component (3 BNC), S-VHS. Conversion type: 24-bit. Reconstruction filter: passive, third-order. Maximum output level: 2V RMS. Frequency range: not specified. Power consumption: 23W typical, 50W…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Source: Ayre C-5xe universal player.
Preamplifiers: Ayre K-1xe, Conrad-Johnson ACT2, Krell Evolution 202.
Power Amplifiers: Krell Evolution 600, Portal Paladin.
Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Confidence C-1, Wilson Audio Specialties WATT/Puppy 8.
Cables: Interconnect: Shunyata Research Aries & Antares, Krell CAST. Speaker: Shunyata Research Lyra.
Accessories: Ayre L-5xe line filter; Furutech eTP-609 distribution box; APC APCS15 AC line conditioner; Furutech RDP panels, RealTraps Mini & Mondo Traps.—Wes Phillips