Moon by Simaudio

Any Moon lovers out there in Roon land? That is anyone that has, or just loves Moon by Simaudio gear. Specifically their DAC/streamer units. I am a huge fan, and my system is all Moon. Has anyone done an upgrade from a 680D to the 780D v2? I’d love to know your thoughts.

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Got my 780D v2 a year ago. Love it. My previous was a ten year old 380D v2. This 780D gets more out of early (80s and 90s) CD quality recordings than I thought possible. And it’s delivery of the MQA files is outstanding. Glad I made the jump. I also splurged on a Moon 740P preamp working into a pair of McIntosh MC 1.25 KW amps. The system pulls it all together very nicely.

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That must sound amazing! I too got a 740P a month ago. It’s a beast. The volume takes a little getting used to, but once you do you can’t go back. I love my 680D but since they updated the 780D I think I will trade up to the 780D v2 next year. I’ve only had the 680 for a couple months. Your power amps sound intriguing. The only way you’d get that power with Moon is with a pair of the 888’s and that’s way above my budget.

Owned my Neo Ace for a couple of years now and couldn’t be happier with it. The network ability of the native app is terrible, but the Roon integration is absolutely seamless, so I never use the native app other than for firmware updates. Great piece of kit

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I owned a 780D v2 for a while and really enjoyed it. It’s a beautiful device. The chassis design is distinctive and striking in its appearance - not just another generic black box in the rack. Its performance specs are state-of-the-art. It sounds absolutely heavenly. I found it to be easy to use and always reliable.

I’m aware of the 680D, but have not auditioned it, so I can’t offer any first hand perspective on it. I read an interview with Dominique Poupart, Simaudio’s Product Manager, in which he discussed the technical differences between the 780D and the 680D. The 780D uses two converter chips in dual mono mode, where the 680D uses one. The 780D uses a more expensive “femto second” clock, where the 680D uses a lesser clock. The SNR, THD, and IMD specs are very slightly better in the 780D. While a notable engineering achievement, I doubt I would be able to hear a difference between them. At any rate, the 780D is still their statement piece and that means something to many audiophiles.

https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/blogging-on-audio/133-doug-schneider/877-more-than-90-of-a-780d-v2-for-60-of-its-price-the-inside-scoop-on-simaudios-new-moon-680d-dac-streamer

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I don’t any SimAudio streaming units but I do and have owned SimAudio preamps and power amps for over 20 years. Great equipment and very well made. Currently I have the Moon W-5 dual mono power amp and the Celeste P-5002 preamp. The P-5002 is a two box unit with the second box being a separate power supply.

The unit I’ve currently got on my wish list is the Moon 390 Network Player/Preamplifier.

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I liked the 390 a lot when I had it in Ralph. Currently in discussion about getting one of the new 280D dac/streamers in as well. Nothing commited but we’re trying to make it happen.

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I had the 280D for just under a year. Used the “Reach for the Moon” program to trade up to the 680D. The 280 is a wonderful DAC/streamer for the money. Much better than the 300D v2 and the 100D v2 that I still own. You’ll definitely be impressed with the 280D. I didn’t want to return it, but I had to to finance the 680D.

The W5 is still one hell of a power amp. I’d be hard pressed to ever get rid of that if I was you. Amps are Moon’s strong suit, but now their DACs/streamers are on the same level. I’ve had four different ones, and currently still own three. Next year I’ll trade up to the 780D v2 from my current 680D.

FYI, Sun Myung Moon = moonies

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Well we don’t want that! I didn’t know the word was taken by a religious group. Thanks for the heads up.

I have an 430HAD since a few years, the absolutely best headphone amp i’ve listened to. And actually the built in DAC3 module does an excellent job,

I also use a 740P preamp in my main system which i find very neutral and cohesive, very good.

And recently i auditioned an 380D with Mind2, but unfortunately i didn’t find it particularly good. I suspect it might have had some issues in the digital end though.

Go Get it You wil not be disapointed

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I waited 3 months to get my 390 /330a ( Black) delivered to me in Hong Kong in 2019 and never been happier and proud.
I use the Roon App only and just use the mind App for firmware upgrade.

I do have a problem now after the new upgrade of Roon version. The 390 while it does switch on, I get a flash screen - “System has failed to switch to Roon”. Is there any one else having this issue?
I need to press the play button 2 or 3 times and then the system starts playing. This was not there earlier. I have the latest firmware on the 390

While I don’t know the solution to your problem. It can be greatly alleviated by leaving your system on 24/7. And for sure leave the computer with your core on all the time as well. Moon recommends leaving the gear on all the time.

Hi. Thanks. I keep the system on Standby when not in use. The Roon Rock core is on all the time. Just today, the 390 has had the firmware updated . I will check now

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I had my nephew, who’s a computer engineer, set up a hot rodded Asus computer I wasn’t using as my core that runs ROCK. Ever since he did that I haven’t had the slightest issue and it’s been six months or more. Nucs are fine and what Roon recommends, but nucs are less reliable than most computers. Any computer with an SSD and decent ram can run the core. Now when Roon is running slow I check to see if there’s an update, and there’s always one for the core or remote. I hope it’s working well for you after the update.

Hi.
Yes indeed. The last updated and not completed which has now corrected and now everything is perfect

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I’ve got an all Moon system - 780Dv2, P8, W8. I went from the 650D transport/DAC to the 780D, so I don’t have experience with the 680D. Compared to the 650D with a MiND 180, the 780D is more detailed but not in an obvious kind “I can hear things I couldn’t hear before” way. It’s more like everything sounds more realistic and exists more in real 3 dimensional space. I use Roon for the great interface and user experience but I find that music sounds a little better through the MiND app (supported by Asset upnp on my computer).

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Wow, you’re very much in the deep end of the pool! Some very serious gear there. I’ve found the same thing when I’ve upgraded to better Moon DACs. There was a significant improvement over the 280D I had a few months ago. The 680D is a significant improvement. The sound is more holographic, realistic, and dynamic. I’ll be doing either two 760A’s or an 860A v2. I haven’t decided yet. I’m using two 400M’s that I bought cheap of my best friend. They’re a nice, but temporary measure. It’s nice to hear I’m not the only crazy person buying this gear. I’ve sold every big brand years ago, but I always go back to the Moon.

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