Simaudio Moon 600i (TAS 210)

Forget Everything you Know About Integrated Amplifiers

I’ve long admired the approach Simaudio takes toward building integrated amplifiers. Rather than treat the integrated amplifier as a budget-oriented product unworthy of its best technology, the Canadian firm has instead strived to create truly exceptional products that are simply scaled down in size from their flagship efforts. This path has resulted in a long and unbroken string of great-sounding integrateds, including the Moon i-7 I found so beguiling when I lived with it for a few months nearly 5 years ago. The i-7 stands out in my mind today as being a notch above the competition in build-quality, features, and most importantly, musical performance. I greatly enjoyed my time with the i-7; it had a certain magic that just sounded musically “right.”

When I learned that the 30-year-old Canadian firm had replaced the i-7 with the Moon 600i, I jumped at the chance to review it. There’s something compelling about a compact piece of electronics that is beautifully built and rivals or exceeds the sound quality of separate preamplifiers and power amplifiers. Would the new 600i live up to the high standards established by its predecessor?

Priced at $8000, the 125Wpc 600i will never win the “most-watts-per-dollar” contest, but it would win just about any other contest that judges design, build-quality, and fit ’n’ finish. The 600i is impeccably made in every way, from its fully balanced, dual-mono architecture (unusual in an integrated amplifier) down to the feel of its remote control. The unit exudes a sense of luxury and refinement that overlays some serious hardware inside the chassis (see sidebar for the technical details).

The 600i is software-controlled, imbuing the amplifier with a host of convenience features. You can adjust the gain of each input independently so that there are no volume jumps when switching sources, select any input as a “theater bypass” when using the i600 with a multichannel controller, name each input for viewing on the large front-panel LED display, and set the maximum volume for any input. The software can be updated via an RS232 port. A SimLink port allows you to connect other Simaudio components for integrated control and operation.

Four unbalanced inputs and one balanced input are provided. The line-output jacks allow the 600i to be used as a preamplifier to drive an external amplifier. These single-ended jacks can be configured as fixed-level or variable-level outputs. A large display (dimmable) shows the selected input, volume, or balance setting. Output terminals are high-quality WBT binding posts. The remote control, machined from a solid block of aluminum, offers direct selection of inputs, volume and balance controls, mute, and power buttons. The remote’s lower section includes controls for Simaudio’s CD players. The remote is gracefully curved and fits nicely in the hand, unlike some aluminum remotes that feel chunky and awkward.

Listening

Before getting to the listening impressions, I should note that the unit we photographed for the cover is the 30th Anniversary edition of the 600i, but the unit I auditioned is the standard black chassis with brushed-aluminum faceplate. We just couldn’t resist the visual impact of the Anniversary edition’s chrome faceplace and Ferrari red paint. The 30th Anniversary edition, which features some parts upgrades, carries a $6000 price premium. Only 30 Anniversary edition 600i’s will be built.

I had high expectations for the 600i based on my previous experience with Simaudio’s integrated amplifiers, but that didn’t prepare me for just how great this amplifier sounded. Dropping the 600i into a world-class, reference-quality system (including the $97,500 Rockport Altair loudspeakers), I was startled not just by the 600i’s specific sonic attributes, but by its sheer ability to communicate musical expression. And this was with the 600i replacing $145k worth of BAlabo preamplifier and amplifier—a tough act to follow if ever there was one. The 600i never failed to involve me in the performances, encouraged long listening sessions, and continued to reveal strengths over the weeks the amplifier was in my system—all signs of a great product.

The 600i sounded like expensive separates, not an integrated amplifier. The first thing that struck me was how resolved and dimensional the music sounded. The soundstage was richly layered, with depth portrayed along a continuum and a real sense of bloom around images. More importantly, the 600i resolved individual instruments and musical lines anywhere along that depth continuum, creating a sense of musical vividness. This paid dividends in the 600i’s ability to communicate the composer or performers’ intentions. Many amplifiers—even some expensive ones—tend to obscure the timbres (and thus musical contributions) of quiet instruments when in the presence of louder ones, diluting musical expression. The 600i’s resolution of low-level instruments, along with the outstanding clarity of timbre, fostered the impression of a richer and denser canvas, and along with it, a greater sense of life and vibrancy.