Anyone tried integrateds by SimAudio? How does the sound signature compare to Naim?
They’re located close to the Totem HQ - so there should be some synergy - even though totem is often demoed with naim.
About 10 years ago I home auditioned a Nait XS and the comparably priced Simaudio integrated, as well as a T+A. I had them all simultaneously. The Naim and Sim had very similar sound, but in the end I found listening to the Sim for more than a few hours was somewhat fatiguing whereas the Naim was not. I can’t say it applies to Sim in general since I have heard higher end Sim sound great at my dealer. However, in the end I stuck with Naim.
SimAudio Moon product is always worth an audition IMO. From my experience of ten or more years ago, that line tended to a refined posh sound perhaps slightly on the warm side but very engaging in musical terms. I ran their W-5 amp for many years- ‘grain’ free and powerful well thought out design.
I use it in the game to keep the Sims happy!
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Worth an audition definitely…
I remember them from many moons ago… paired with Morel speakers and Monitor Audio.
Do they have a UK service centre? We know we can send our kit to Salisbury and be well looked after.
After the nightmare of sending a camera lens back to France (10+ weeks!) I would never ideally never buy specialist equipment that I couldn’t get serviced or repaired in the UK
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I haven’t heard their integrated but I have heard their all-in-one Nova equivalent and it sounded lovely.
I have auditioned a fair number of £1,500-£4,000 phono stages though and ended up with the SimAudio 310LP/320S phono stage, as it sounded by some margin the most tonally natural, engaging and “just plain right” with a Dynavector XX-2 mk 2 cartridge.
re servicing, & robustness, it comes with a 10 year warranty and for servicing it will eventually go straight back to my long-standing vinyl dealer, who will forward it to the Sim Audio representative in the UK.
Separately, I have been thinking about auditioning a Moon 700i integrated amp as a simpler alternative to the 52/SC/135 multi-box affair.
Have a SimAudio Moon i5 for the last 20-years. Used daily, as when not playing 2-channel, are Front L+R in my 2.1 AV system, using the HT bypass on input 4 (Rears & Centre, and a Roksan 3-channel Amp are in storage, as not suitable for this current pad).
Has not skipped a beat in 20-years. One fuse blown about 15 years ago.
Sounds great with “ the first 5 watts in class A“, which with a pair of B&W 805 Signature is all I probably use most of the time, but then the continuous/peak current delivery capable at some 9/16A gives them a firm hand.
Great build quality too, with WBT RCA and Speaker bindings, you don’t get on a Naim integrated.
Thought about trying the 600i, now in Mk2 or the 700i (also in Mk2) as are just integrated amps and same build quality as the i5 (and i7 at the same time), but better spec’ed with twin transformers etc. but they are €9,200 and €14,500 a piece.
The 340i X (€4,400) doesn’t seem to have the same build quality as these and includes a DAC and headphone amp, which I don’t want or need.
I love a good made in Canada product. One thing rarely mentioned in the audio press is the difference in price of gear by region. I have a Moon 230 HAD which is remarkably similar to the DAC V1. I kept it after auditioning both. In Canada it retailed for roughly half of the DAC V1.
Solid, great sounding equipment.
Here is a contrarian view
I am quite active with headphones and the Moon 430HA is considered a top end headphone amplifier. In my experience, while I find the build quality to be exemplary, the sound is slow, lethargic and veiled. Definitely not to my taste and several others on the Headfi forums have said the same.
The same source , Linn KDS, played through a different amplifier, reverts back to its normal engaging self.
Best
Gregg
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About 20 years ago, when I decided to upgrade my A&R Cambridge A60, the Moon i5 integrated was in a close race with the Nait 3. In the end I settled for the Nait 3 with a CD3.5 and never looked back.
A few years later, my sister-in-law compared a Moon pre/power amp with Naim 202/200 and she settled for the former, paired with Vienna Acoustics speakers. I listened to her system a few times, it’s different from Naim (less agile, more impactful) but very enjoyable. Last time I saw it was still working perfectly.
Claude
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