Simaudio Moon w5.3se

...and thanks to Kclone and everyone else for your responses.

Thanks for your posts everyone. I went ahead and ordered one. If I dont like it after 30 days Im only out return shipping. Worth a shot to me.

Will do.

Sonic, Im sorry for your past troubles,and hope your rant has left you feeling better. If I were you, I WOULD name names,if for nothing but giving a heads up to your fellow hobbyists. Also, if youve been around this sight long enough, Im sure youve noticed rants similar to your own against just about every single manufacturer. It is unfortunate when this happens ( shit customer service ), but unfortunately it does. I was soliciting opinions about a specific piece of equipment,and though your response is of little use to me, I will certainly consider your experience with this company as worth knowing about.

Sonic, thanks for the courteous reply. I didnt want this thread to degenerate into a snipe fight. Also,I hope you are right about this new piece, and all your future purchases are great ones.

Digs, I was going to wait a little longer before offering up any comment, but since you asked...
For starters: the salesman told me to give it at least 100 hrs. before serious listening, the owners manual advises 300. As of today, I have approx. 40 hrs. of actual playing time on it, so if you're a big believer of break-in ( I am),consider that. Please be aware that I am a far cry from a professional reviewer.
I also try to avoid hasty review of new gear,as I believe that many times we can be fooled into believing that " different = better ". Time has shown that to be wrong on several occasions! That being said:
I really like what I am hearing. Most noticeable difference is the sense of air and better separation of instruments. Music sounds more lifelike and open,and the treble is definitely sweeter and more extended. My wife said it sounds "live". I agree. I have noticed what appears to be a slight graininess in the upper mids at times,but this seems to be lessening,and Im hoping it is a residual of lack of break-in. The low end is a new experience for me. While not perceivably going as low as my prior amp,it is a much more visceral and physical experience. Twice I have gotten up to answer the door because I swore someone was pounding on it!I also have literally jumped several times at sudden climaxes or loud intros, even tho' I knew they were coming. The wife left the room to answer what she thought was the phone in another room. At this time, I feel that this amp imparts a physical presence that I have never felt prior.I still have 2 weeks left to play before making a final decision,so I will try to use them as best I can. I will never be able to get 100 hrs(much less 300), but I hope to at least have a good idea of what this amp is all about in the next 2 weeks. It is a very good looking piece, and it has not gotten barely warm after 4-6 hrs of playing hard. I do realize also what a good amp I already have,it surely isnt embarrased being up against something that retails over 4x its original cost.
In a nutshell, I am enjoying this piece quite a bit,I just want to give it 2 more weeks and make sure my impressions remain the same. If you are interested and I do keep it, I will update this down the road. Thanks for your interest.
Mike
Forgot to add, I am also using the new PS Audio AC10 power cord on it. $950. retail,they threw it in as part of the deal.

Sunnyjim
With all due repect, if youre seeking info on a specific piece of gear, why dont you start a thread on that instead of hijacking mine? What does a Van Alstine integrated have to do with my OP?

OK Sunnyjim, I'll take a valium if you take some reading comprehension courses,dickwad.

WOW BUNNYTIM YOU ARE SUCH A MEANIE!! But I do agree that Tom6897 is intelligent, because he clearly addresed my original post. I clearly asked about A) a specific model POWER amp by B) a specific manufacturer. Your response? "Try this INTEGRATED amp by a totally different manufacturer" Again, I suggest you spend some time with reading comprehension, and it sounds like YOU could use the valium. Peace

No, bass is excellent, fast,tight and punchy. I sent you an e mail.

Well, at the risk of sounding wishy-washy,I'll say both. I can really only compare it to what it replaced ( McCormack dna225) which I thought was a great amp. The Sim has added a level of finer detail that I never noticed before,and it also seems to put more space between instruments. It does not do this at the expense of sounding forward,hyper,or fatiguing. I think it is very balanced, having excellent bass and treble extension,but I would not refer to it in either extreme ( warm vs hyper detailed). Does that make any sense?!