(^42) [ April May 2019 [soundandvision.com
DIGITAL PERFORMANCE
As a participant in the Qobuz
U.S. Beta release program (right
around the time we were closing
this issue, the service moved
beyond the Open beta phase it
had announced at CES 2019 to
full U.S. availability), I was eager
to experience high-res streaming
via my Sublime+ account with the
Moon 390. Not only that, but I was
curious to compare the same high-
res tracks streamed from Qobuz
with their MQA “folded” counter-
parts on Tidal —something the
390’s support for both services
and its MQA decoding capability
made possible.
Cueing up an MQA’d
24-bit/96kHz version of “I Love
the Life I live” from Van Morrison’s
recent album The Prophet Speaks
on Tidal, I heard clean separation
and distinct sense of air between
vocals, organ, saxophone, drums,
and guitar in the bluesy, lounge-y
track. Transients like a nimble
organ lead or a sudden snare drum
thwack sounded crisp and dynamic
without being in the least bit harsh.
When I switched over to listening
a 24-bit/96kHz FLAC stream of the
same track on Qobuz, the sound
was equally clear, dynamic and
compelling. Like they say, six of one,
a half-dozen of the other.
Next up was another high-res
24-bit/96kHz track, Led Zeppe-
lin’s “Whole Loa Love” from Led
Zeppelin II. The sound was notably
punchy, with a level of detail that
evoked the band—and specifically
John Bonham’s drums—in a vivid
and three-dimensional manner.
This was most evident in the song’s
mid-section, where the metallic
“ping” of the cymbals cut through
the shiing psychedelic chaos
with a level of clarity that seriously
grabbed my aention. (It’s always
a revelation to go back and listen
included a Pioneer BDP-88FD
universal disc player, Pro-Ject
Debut turntable with Clearaudio
Aurum Beta/S moving magnet
cartridge, GoldenEar Technology
Triton One.R tower speakers,
and a 150Wpc Hegel H190
integrated amplifier. The preamp
was connected to the integrated
amp using its variable analog
RCA outputs, with the Hegel set to
bypass mode so it would function
purely as an amplifier. Speaker
cables and interconnects were
Nordost Purple Flare.
Simaudio’s remote control is a
full-featured handset with a glossy
surface that can also be used to
operate other Moon components
such as a CD player. The remote’s
rubbery back surface makes it easy
to grip and also prevents it from
accidentally skidding off a coffee
table or other surface when it’s set
down.
Although I mainly tapped Roon
as the music streaming control app
for this review, I also spent time
using Simaudio’s utilitarian, but
otherwise handy MiND iOS and
Android app to play music and for
basic setup functions. Aside from
leing you directly access your
library and playlists from Tidal,
Qobuz, Deezer, as well as TuneIn
internet radio and UPnP media
servers—JRiver Media Center, for
instance—that you have running on
your network, the app can access
albums and tracks stored on your
portable device and on a USB drive
aached to the preamp. During
playback, the MiND app displays
full album art and track format info
(e.g., FLAC 44.1 kHz). Controls are
provided to pause, play, and skip
forward and backward through
tracks, as well as adjust and mute
volume and switch inputs on the
Moon 390.
DIMENSIONS (WxHxD,
Inches): 16.9 x 3.5 x 13.1
WEIGHT (Pounds): 22
INPUTS: AES-EBU, coaxial,
optical digital, USB type-A,
USB type-B, HDMI 2.0 (5, 1
ARC); phono (configurable MM/MC); analog
RCA stereo, balanced XLR
ADDITIONAL: LAN (2), IR repeater input, 12v
trigger output, Simlink input and output
AUDIO OUTPUTS: analog RCA stereo (2, fixed
and variable), balanced XLR, headphone
(1/4-in stereo, front panel)
WIRELESS: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, multiroom
STREAMING: Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer, TuneIn
internet radio, UPnP-DLNA media servers;
Roon Ready; MQA-enabled
COMPUTER AUDIO: HRA capable up to
32-bit/384kHz, including native-DSD 2.8/5.6
MHz;
test report
Specs
The Moon 390's
extensive
connectivity
options include
four HDMI 2.0
inputs and one
HDMI-ARC port.
MOON 390 NETWORK PLAYER/PREAMPLIFIER
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