Should I get the Moon 891 streamer/dac/preamp for my Moon 861 amp? Or separates?

While I agree you shouldn’t buy blind, I can tell you that I’ve heard the North 861/891 combination and it’s very, very good. Can you do better? Sure. But, the $25k spend for a device that includes a quality DAC, streamer, and preamp, while eliminating the need for several expensive cables, is not excessive but a strong value. Importantly, to borrow an old phrase (that’s not quite so true any more) from Apple - “it just works”.

I think the weakest part of the North system is their streaming function, but it’s still quite good and the software seems stable. 

Honestly, I have two systems - both of which I’ve managed to make more complicated than necessary. If I were to do it over - for at least one of those systems, I would pair their 800 series preamp/DAC with the 761 amp which I own already. I’d be happy to- and essentially done. And have spent a LOT less time and money getting there.

My $.03 (inflation)

@audphile1  I wish that was the case, it would make life so much easier... I have heard of those. There are none where I live. 

@mgrif104 Thanks... that is the impression I have gotten so far from a dealer that I spoke to. He said that since the 891 is more recent with tech. it sounds as good as separates that would cost more money. But I have android and I am a little worried about the app. Also being locked in to just one app I am also worried about for that price level. With separates, I was thinking if the app was horrible I could at least switch streamers?

@dman777 

You raise a fair point, but I would also note that you aren’t really locked into their proprietary app. Their app is good, but you could operate the 891 with Roon for library management and use the mechanical remote Simaudio provides (which is really, really nice) to control source and volume. So, you’d not be stuck. 

From a performance standpoint, I wonder if you could do materially better with $25k to spend on DAC, preamp, streamer and cables separately. Perhaps, but I’m skeptical. Of course, it becomes an expensive proposition if you might choose to go further upstream down the road. If you are ikely do that, then perhaps go separates now. If you think you’re likely to be done after this, then I personally think it’s a great route. And, I say this as someone who has typically gone the route of more expensive separates.  

Regardless - their app is not horrible. Indeed, I found it comparable to others I’ve used in the past like BluOS, Aurender Conductor, Lightning DS, etc., No - it’s not as good as Roon from a UI, but Roon also hasn’t, at least in my experience, sounded as good as the native apps provided by a manufacturer.  And, I believe you can actually run Roon as well and switch between MIND and Roon as you see fit.

Best, 

@mgrif104  I'm seriously considering the 891 because I need to come down to reality. I don't really have the money to keep playing around with different equipment. Roon sounds like a great option. If I use Roon on the 891, do I lose any sound quality?

@dman777 

I can’t say if you’ll lose sound quality with Roon when played through the 891. But, I wonder if it matters as you could use the MIND2 app for serious listening and Roon for music discovery if you found there was a difference. Best of both worlds and an easy switch of inputs.

And you might find you like navigating w/ the MIND2 app just fine. I’ve used it - and it’s significantly better than the T+A Music Navigator that I routinely use with my equipment. And the remote that goes with the 891 is vastly better too. 

In my experience, all gear has some element of compromise. There is no perfect component.  Yes, you can optimize each but there are limits there.

I like the Simaudio gear and think it’s a good value at that price. While I can think of a couple of competing options I also like very much in that range ($25-$40k), the 891 is the best value, comes from a great company from our friends in Canada who’s been around a long time and supports their gear with strong warranties. 

You should do what works for you, but I don’t think the software will be problematic for you. To repeat myself - if I were to do it again, that’s the unit I’d buy and I’d have saved myself lots of money, time and effort.