Enter Simaudio's Moon 891 network player/preamplifier ($25,000; footnote 2). Also called a "streaming preamplifier"—Simaudio frequently struggles with how to clearly and succinctly brand its Moon products—it includes a DAC…
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No fewer than eight boxes, powered by six after-market power cables, comprise my current reference front-end (footnote 1). As much as separate boxes can afford superior isolation and provide far more room for visionary engineers to work their magic, the advantages of a single box, which requires a single power cable and far fewer after-market interconnects, are obvious.
Before proceeding, I asked Koulisakis which file source—a streaming service or USB stick—would sound superior. He replied, "Network playback via Qobuz or Tidal should be better. The problem with a USB stick is that it is designed as a convenience solution. There is minimal buffering, unlike the state-of-the-art servers which host Q or T. In addition, the USB stick user interface requires traditional file browsing (even though you are using the MiND app), as opposed to the much more enjoyable experience of a DLNA server which sorts and displays the music by utilizing all the handy metadata…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: One-piece network player/D/A processor/analog preamplifier with phono stage, BRM-1 intelligent remote control, and built-in Moon damping base. Integration: Roon Ready, Apple AirPlay, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, local media servers. Streaming services: Qobuz, HighRes Audio, Deezer, and Tidal. Digital inputs: HDMI with ARC for TV, AES3, S/PDIF (2), optical (TosLink) (2); USB Audio, USB (type-A) host, network/RJ45 (2). DAC decodes PCM and MQA up to 32/384, upconverting 24-bit to 32-bit, and DSD up to DSD256. Analog inputs: two pairs line RCA (single…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi APEX D/A processor, Vivaldi Upsampler Plus, Vivaldi Master Clock; EMM Labs DV2 Integrated DAC, Meitner MA3 Integrated DAC; Innuos Statement Next-Gen Music Server and PhoenixNET network switch; Small Green Computer Sonore optical Module Deluxe with Broadcom/Avago AFBR-5718PZ 1GB SX-SFP, Gen 5 Fiber Optic module (2); Nordost QNet switch and QSource linear power supply (2); Sonore Audiophile Linear Power Supply; Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS with Ferrum Hypsos linear/switching hybrid power supply; Linksys MR9000 mesh router and Arris…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed a full set of measurements on the Moon 891 using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system, repeating some of the testing with the magazine's higher-performance APx555 analyzer. For logistic reasons, I measured a different sample from that reviewed by JVS; mine had the serial number 310A22426340. Before I lifted the Moon onto the test bench, I unfastened the three transit bolts on its base—a good thing I read the startup guide before starting the testing! I installed Moon's MiND app on my iPad mini, which allows the 891's volume to be controlled but doesn't…
With the Moon 891's balanced and single-ended line inputs, the preamplifier preserved absolute polarity at the balanced and unbalanced outputs. With the volume control set to the maximum, the voltage gain at 1kHz was 9.75dB from the balanced output with both balanced and unbalanced inputs, and 9.66dB from both output types with an unbalanced input. (These gains are lower than the specified 13.5dB.) Setting the output level to "Fixed," the gain from both output types was 0dB, ie, unity gain.
For musicians' sake, the terms "sure thing" or "a hit" should be permanently stricken from the music business lexicon. Like Beetlejuice, if you say it enough, bad things are sure to occur. But in the long annals of the music business crushing the dreams of artists who were a "sure thing" and singles or albums that were guaranteed to be "a hit," few have risen higher and fallen faster than Lone Justice. Rising stars on the Los Angeles music scene in the early 1980s, they melded punk-rock attitude and ethos with a love for classic country music. The New York Times called them "Impressive,…
A quick survey of 1977's rock albums shows a vibrant genre, pushing in many directions at once. British punk went major label, with debut albums from The Clash, The Damned, Wire, and The Sex Pistols (their only studio album). The Ramones released Rocket to Russia. David Bowie explored a new direction with both Low and Heroes. Mainstream blockbusters included Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, News of the World by Queen, Slowhand by Eric Clapton, and Pink Floyd's Animals. Not to mention Meat Loaf 's Bat Out of Hell and the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever (footnote 1).
Amid all of this, there was…
To watch as Rega very slowly expands its turntable offerings upmarket requires the patience of a Thomas Pynchon addict waiting for each new tome from the notoriously slow-working and reclusive author. Starting out 51 years ago with just one turntable model, Rega now offers turntables at seven different price levels, plus a few minor variations in between (footnote 1). During the "lost years" of waning turntable and vinyl sales in the 1990s and early 2000s, Rega boss Roy Gandy (footnote 2) candidly admits that the company put little effort into advancing its turntable designs, as sales at the…
Fig.1 Rega Naia speed stability.
All Rega turntables from the Planar 6 up come with an external power supply, and the Naia's is called the Reference Power Supply. Rega hand-adjusts each power supply to match the actual motor and turntable it will be paired with, so while there is a way to fine-tune the speed, I found that the Naia was set perfectly right out of the box (fig.1) with no additional tweaking required. The power supply lets you change the speed between 33 1/3rpm and 45rpm—there's no 78 speed—and turn the motor off. This is certainly a far cry from my own original Planar 3…