The line probably originated in a long-forgotten commercial, but I frequently use it at work to inject humor into complaints about never-changing, Dilbert-esque idiocies. But for an audio reviewer, it is good to have islands of stability in our ever-changing systems: We need a stable backdrop against which to compare components and combinations. In my case, the typical system changes resulting from review components coming and going has been magnified by a complete remodeling of my listening room: new walls,…
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"Isn't it nice to have some bastions of stability in an ever-changing world?"
At press time, Simaudio announced a few minor changes to the Moon Eclipse, none of which are said to change its sonic performance: a small modification to the power-supply circuit to reduce sensitivity to electrostatic discharge, an upgrade of the Philips transport software that clears the last CD's ToC as soon as the drawer is opened to make way for the next one, and a slight alteration in the clamp. Other than that, according to Simaudio's Lionel Goodfield, the Eclipse continues to be made as tested, and will be so for several thousand more units.
The System Built on the Bastion
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The Eclipse's top-end performance, dynamics, detail, pitch—you name it—were excellent. Transients were clean and fast, and instruments' power didn't diminish a bit as their pitches ascended. The cymbals on Duke's Big 4 were a luscious mix of bell-like ring and metallic shimmer. Triangles rang sweetly, their fundamentals cutting through the orchestra, their ringing overtones expanding out in a halo from the image itself. Even instruments like piccolos, and violins at the top of their range, seemed to have a wonderful, extended structure of overtones extending upward in pitch and space.
On…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-chassis integrated CD player, with remote control and HDCD decoder. Input: 1 S/PDIF digital (BNC). Outputs: 1 S/PDIF digital (BNC), 1 pair balanced analog (XLR), 1 pair unbalanced analog (RCA). Digital filtering: Pacific Microsonics PMD100 (HDCD), Burr-Brown DF1704, both 8x-oversampling. D/A conversion: 4 Burr-Brown PCM1704Ks, 24-bit/96kHz,. Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz, +0/-0.2dB. S/N ratio: 109dB. THD: 0.003% at 1kHz, 0dBFS (A-weighted). Channel separation: >110dB. Maximum analog output: 4V balanced, 2V unbalanced. Analog output impedance…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: VPI TNT Mk.IV turntable, JMW Memorial tonearm, Grado Reference cartridge; VPI TNT Mk.V Hot Rod turntable, JMW Memorial tonearm, Benz-Micro L04 cartridge.
Digital sources: Oracle, Ultech UCD100, Parasound CDP1000 CD players.
Preamplification: VAC CPA1 Mk.III preamplifier, Conrad-Johnson Premier 15 phono stage and 17LS line stage.
Power amplifiers: Classé CAM350, VAC Renaissance 70/70, VTL Ichiban, Mark Levinson No.20.6.
Loudspeakers: Magnepan MG 3.6/R.
Cables: Nirvana S-X Ltd interconnects and T-2 digital cable, Synergistic…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I hadn't seen Brian Damkroger's review text when I measured the Moon Eclipse, and so hadn't noted that he preferred to use the unit with its digital output linked to its digital input. Nevertheless, I did collect a full set of measured data via the unit's digital input, which will be representative of its performance as auditioned by Brian.
The Eclipse's error correction was excellent; it played up through track 34 (which has 2mm gaps in its data spiral) of the Pierre Verany Test CD without dropouts. The Eclipse proved to be non-inverting from all outputs…
The Moon Eclipse's analog output stage seemed unflappable, with only a faint trace of third-harmonic distortion apparent in the spectrum of a full-scale 50Hz tone (fig.6). Intermodulation products (fig.7) were also superbly low in level.
Fig.6 Simaudio Moon Eclipse, spectrum of 50Hz sinewave, DC-1kHz, at 0dBFS into 100k ohms (linear frequency scale).
Fig.7 Simaudio Moon Eclipse, HF intermodulation spectrum, DC-24kHz, 19+20kHz at 0dBFS into 600 ohms (linear frequency scale).
Levels of wordclock jitter were low. The Miller Audio Research Analyzer indicated a…
Brian Damkroger wrote again about the Eclipse CD Player in April 2003 (Vol.26 No.4)
I was very favorably impressed with the Simaudio Moon Eclipse CD player when I reviewed it for the April 2001 issue of Stereophile—enough so that I adopted it as my reference CD player. While its sound continued to impress me in the two years since that review, it seemed to be getting increasingly finicky about reading CDs. When I discussed the problem with Lionel Goodfield of Simaudio, he suggested that we upgrade my unit to the latest production standards, and off to the factory it went.
The Moon…
Sidebar: 2003 Associated Equipment
Digital source: GamuT CD 1 CD player.
Preamplifier: VAC CPA-1 Mk.III.
Power amplifiers: VTL Ichiban, Mark Levinson No.20.6, VAC Renaissance 70/70.
Loudspeakers: Audio Physic Virgo III.
Cables: Interconnect: Nirvana S-X Ltd., Audience Au24, Nordost Valhalla. Speaker: Nirvana SL, Audience Au24, Nordost Valhalla. AC: Audience PowerChord.
Accessories: Bright Star Big Rock, Little Rock, Air Mass isolation devices; Nordost ECO3, Disksolution CD cleaning/treatment fluids; MIT ZCenter, ZSystem power conditioners; AudioPrism NoiseSniffer AC line…
Perhaps I first should have consulted my horoscope in the local newspaper. But I can't imagine what it could have said that might have warned me off. So, in blissful ignorance, I went to the local big-box consumer-electronics chain retailer and laid down my lettuce. I thought I was buying the SACD version of Norah Jones' Come Away With Me (Blue Note 5 41472 8), but, by the end of the affair, I felt I'd gotten The Royal Scam (footnote 1).
I went out and bought the Come Away With Me SACD because I wanted a well-enough-recorded and very musically listenable pop album to use in evaluating…