Over the Moon
Sound & Vision|August - September 2021
SIMAUDIO, an audio manufacturer located in Boucherville, Quebec, is well-known for both the build quality of its products and the whopping ten-year warranty it offers. Many of the company’s wares are decidedly high-end—the 230-pound Moon 888 monoblock amplifier ($118,888 per pair), which is rated to output a massive 888 watts at 8 ohms and double that down to 1,776 watts at 4 ohms, for example.
Howard Kneller
Over the Moon

In this review, however, we’re sizing up Simaudio’s Moon 280D DAC, which features its MiND 2 (Moon intelligent Network Device) wireless-capable music streaming module. With a $3,000 price tag, the 280D falls squarely within the mid-level price tier for the streaming DAC category. Given the intense competition in that space, I was curious to see what, if anything, would cause the 280D to stand out from the pack.

FEATURES

The Moon 280D is not a completely new product for the company. It was first introduced in 2015 and has been continually updated, with the MiND 2 module added in 2018. The most recent updates bring Spotify Connect and Apple AirPlay 2 support.

A fully asynchronous DAC, the Moon 280D’s ESS Technology Sabre ES9018K2M chipset is capable of processing PCM signals up to 32-bit/384kHz (including DXD) and native DSD64, double DSD (DSD128), and quad DSD (DSD256) signals, which are supported only through the USB and network (LAN/Ethernet or Wi-Fi) inputs. The 280D also fully unfolds Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) files arriving via its network inputs.

Signals streamed over a wired or wireless connection from local UPnP servers and internet-based music services are handled by the MiND 2 module, which is controlled via the Moon MiND 2 iOS or Android controller app. A separate module in the Moon 280D handles aptX Bluetooth wireless streaming.

The MiND 2 module is Roon Ready and supports Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz, and internet radio streaming, while Spotify is supported via its native app and the Spotify Connect function. Apple AirPlay 2 allows other music services to be streamed via their native apps. Lastly, the MiND 2 module permits synchronized multiroom playback on multiple MiND 2-equipped devices, with zones grouped together or run separately.

The 280D in my estimation easily rubs shoulders with the very best network music players at its price level.

この記事は Sound & Vision の August - September 2021 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Sound & Vision の August - September 2021 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

SOUND & VISIONのその他の記事すべて表示
The Big Clean
Sound & Vision

The Big Clean

Chances are you probably do not think about the state of your electronic devices too often. Oh, you might think about all the upgrades you would like to make; where you would put those new tower speakers, or how a second or third subwoofer would really tame those bass modes in your room, or how much more cinematic a larger screen would be. Sure, you think about that part of your system. But how often do you think about the well-being of your system?

time-read
5 分  |
August - September 2024
Planar-Magnetic Attraction
Sound & Vision

Planar-Magnetic Attraction

THE DIPTYQUE DP 115 speakers are a new model 2-way, ribbon, and planar magnetic driver dipole \"isodynamic\" speaker system designed and built in France.

time-read
10 分  |
August - September 2024
Full-Featured 4K
Sound & Vision

Full-Featured 4K

THE QN95D is one of two televisions we went hands-on with on a recent trip to Samsung's New Jersey QA Lab, the other being the S95D quantum-dot OLED.

time-read
10+ 分  |
August - September 2024
Party Animal
Sound & Vision

Party Animal

FOR ANY party, the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus Outdoor Bass Bluetooth Speaker is an essential invite.

time-read
7 分  |
August - September 2024
It's the End of the World. How About Popcorn and a Movie?
Sound & Vision

It's the End of the World. How About Popcorn and a Movie?

Attention all preppers! Today's column is right up your alley-or, more precisely-your tunnel to your underground bunker.

time-read
3 分  |
August - September 2024
Bridging the Analog-Digital Gap on a Recliner
Sound & Vision

Bridging the Analog-Digital Gap on a Recliner

When I shopped for a motorized recliner, I rejected models with their own Internet Protocol address and built-in speakers. No need. I had already placed a smart speaker on an étagère beside the space where I had planned to put the chair. I'd have a smartphone in my hand and the room would be bathed in Wi-Fi.

time-read
4 分  |
August - September 2024
BACK TO THE GARDEN
Sound & Vision

BACK TO THE GARDEN

AN AQUARIAN EXPOSITION in WHITE LAKE, N.Y.

time-read
10+ 分  |
August - September 2024
Big Sound, Small Price
Sound & Vision

Big Sound, Small Price

DOLBY ATMOS, once a costly premium, is enjoying a surge of popularity across a range of new audio gear.

time-read
10+ 分  |
August - September 2024
Classic Sound with Streaming Smarts
Sound & Vision

Classic Sound with Streaming Smarts

THE TWENTIETH century had its Roaring Twenties; welcome to the twenty-first's Streaming Twenties.

time-read
10+ 分  |
August - September 2024
Stand and Deliver
Sound & Vision

Stand and Deliver

IT DOESN'T seem all that long ago that SVS first entered the audio scene.

time-read
9 分  |
August - September 2024