Simaudio MOON 220i Amplifier

We will inform meticulous readers that the series' name MOON has no relevance to the natural satellite of our planet. This is an abbreviation, and it is deciphered as follows: the first letter is taken from the word "music", the second is the Greek letter "omega", symbolizing infinity, then comes the number 0, which speaks of the highest quality, and ends with the letter N - "note" (the musical sign). Announce is very serious. Will Simaudio MOON 220i confirm this status? Its appearance is not devoid of charm and attractiveness, and alternative colors are good in its own way - black and silver. The small input selection buttons, aligned horizontally, and the LEDs above them have a relaxing effect. A blue LED indicates power on, and an active input is indicated by red ones. Of course, one cannot do without a volume control on the right side of the front panel, plus we add a point for the headphone output located nearby. But the entrance for mobile media players seems optional for this class of equipment. The switching part offers five input stereo pairs for analog connection with external playback devices and an output from a preamplifier. On the opposite side of the rear wall of the case two pairs of screw terminals for speaker cables are mounted. Unfortunately, the details of the internal structure of the amplifier stayed behind the scenes. In fact, quite a lot of companies do not unlock all their secrets to the end. Apparently, the reason is the desire to create intrigue and thus attract increased attention to their products, but this is the right of the manufacturer. We will tell you about what it was possible to learn. Firstly, the principles of Advanced Renaissance, which are embodied in all components of the MOON series, have already been mentioned above. An extremely short signal path is placed at the forefront. Separately, we have to note the highest quality of components - Teflon printed circuit boards manufactured according to the standards of the military industry, and a lot of details of such venerable companies as Wima, Vishay, and Motorola are used in the amplifier. The tracks on the boards are made of oxygen-free copper with gold plating. The aluminum case of a special rigid design is reliably protected from external vibrations. MOON 220i is designed for continuous electrical connection, and a lowered operating temperature will extend the life of the device. The most powerful toroidal transformer participates in the power supply system. 150 watts in both channels with a load of 4 ohms is a decent value for an amplifier with rather modest dimensions and weight.

As for the performance of music, this is beyond words. You just should listen and get real pleasure - the sound is clear, airy and detailed. It is juicy, palpable and very warm, especially when MOON 220i works in conjunction with an analog reproducing device - it's only pity that there is no built-in phono amp. The device perfectly copes with any and most difficult classics, whether Schnittke, Shostakovich, or the jazz avant-garde player Soni Rollins, and even Miles Davis sometimes adds fuel to the fire - not every device can so fully open his great, though not always healthy, visions. Simaudio MOON 220i is not contraindicated to lovers of all heavy, but be careful - possible complaints from neighbors should be taken into account. Therefore, a small ship also asks for deep waters!