Simaudio Moon 761 and 861 amps

[craigr]

I am considering the Simaudio North Collection 761 or 861 amp. My dealer only has a single 761. Does anyone have experience with these amps and would be kind enough to relate the sonic differences between the 861 and 761?

Also, for these particular amps (which are described as dual mono that can be bridged to mono), does anyone have experience with bridging the stereo unit and using two as mono blocks? Is this really worth the price for this particular design?

I wil be listening to classical music. I know cables and components influence the sound of any amp, so my system consists of Sonus Faber Il Cremonese speakers, dCS Rossini Apex DAC, AMG turntable, VAC Master preamp, Shunyata Sigma power cords with Everest Conditioner and Shunyata Omega interconnects and speaker cables.

Thanks to anyone who responds.
Craig

 

[Max1205]

I am considering the Simaudio North Collection 761 or 861 amp. My dealer only has a single 761. Does anyone have experience with these amps and would be kind enough to relate the sonic differences between the 861 and 761?

Also, for these particular amps (which are described as dual mono that can be bridged to mono), does anyone have experience with bridging the stereo unit and using two as mono blocks? Is this really worth the price for this particular design?

I wil be listening to classical music. I know cables and components influence the sound of any amp, so my system consists of Sonus Faber Il Cremonese speakers, dCS Rossini Apex DAC, AMG turntable, VAC Master preamp, Shunyata Sigma power cords with Everest Conditioner and Shunyata Omega interconnects and speaker cables.

Thanks to anyone who responds.
Craig

Hi Craig,
I live in Italy and I am sorry for my English.
in July 2024 I changed my Mono Amplifiers Pass Labs X600.8 with a pair of Moon 861, not because I didn't like the sound of Pass Labs X600.8, but because they produced too much heat.
In a first moment I used them in bridge mode, but after about 10 days I didn't like this configuration in my system .... great dynamics, but to many low frequencies, lower famping factor, less fluid and musical sound. Probably it could depend on the fact that in this configuration the amplifier sees a halved impedance.
Then I connected my two Simaudio Moon 861 in passive vertical biamplification and now they sound wonderfully good.
In any case also just one stereo Moon 861 sounds so well with excellent dynamics, tight and deep bass, transparent and never fatiguing mids and highs, good soundstage ....it is an excellent amplifier. I have never made the comparison with the 761.
I hope my experience may be useful for you.
Massimo

 

[craigr]

Massimo, thank you for your response. It was indeed informative and helpful.
(And your English is far superior to any attempt by me to write in Italian!)

 

[Max1205]

I am considering the Simaudio North Collection 761 or 861 amp. My dealer only has a single 761. Does anyone have experience with these amps and would be kind enough to relate the sonic differences between the 861 and 761?

Also, for these particular amps (which are described as dual mono that can be bridged to mono), does anyone have experience with bridging the stereo unit and using two as mono blocks? Is this really worth the price for this particular design?

I wil be listening to classical music. I know cables and components influence the sound of any amp, so my system consists of Sonus Faber Il Cremonese speakers, dCS Rossini Apex DAC, AMG turntable, VAC Master preamp, Shunyata Sigma power cords with Everest Conditioner and Shunyata Omega interconnects and speaker cables.

Thanks to anyone who responds.
Craig

Hi Craig,
Yesterday I didn't compliment you on your beautiful stereo system.
Also I would like to be more precise about vertical passive bi-amplification, because this configuration works well only in some cases, not always and in any case with two identical amplifiers and if the speakers are designed for biwiring.
Many people criticize vertical passive bi-amplification on the internet and, probably, in many situations they are right to criticize it.
But if the crossover cutoff for the woofers is low (150/300 hz) and up to this frequency the impedance is low and then becomes much higher after that frequency, the advantages in terms of clarity, resolution, dynamics, ambience, reduction of intermodulation distortion are notable.
Best regards.
Massimo

 

[esing]

Going to preview a Moon 330A and 761 amplifier in home. My system consist of Moon 390, Sonus Faber Sonetto V speakers and ATI 4005 amplifier for my home theater. I’m getting an amplifier for 2-channel listening. Also, thinking about an AGD amplifier. Any experience or recommendations on any of these amps?

 

[dman777]

Hi Craig,
Yesterday I didn't compliment you on your beautiful stereo system.
Also I would like to be more precise about vertical passive bi-amplification, because this configuration works well only in some cases, not always and in any case with two identical amplifiers and if the speakers are designed for biwiring.
Many people criticize vertical passive bi-amplification on the internet and, probably, in many situations they are right to criticize it.
But if the crossover cutoff for the woofers is low (150/300 hz) and up to this frequency the impedance is low and then becomes much higher after that frequency, the advantages in terms of clarity, resolution, dynamics, ambience, reduction of intermodulation distortion are notable.
Best regards.
Massimo

Did you go with the 891 streamer/preamp to match your 861 amps? If not, can you please share what you are using with them for streaming and preamp?

 

[craigr]

I did NOT go with the 891. I had a VAC Master preamp (tube amp) which I found paired extremely well with the solid state 861. The tube added a touch of warmth without losing detail and the solid state amp provided tight, musical bass. It seems to be an excellent match with very natural sound, resolution, detail, sound stage, etc.

At the time I got the 861 I had a dCS Rossini DAC/streamer. It too, paired well withthe 861 so I did not need a streamer. (The Rossini has a built in streamer and I found the Mosaic software sufficient for both Qubuz and my network (NSF) drive.

About a year ago, I had the good fortune to be able to trade the Rossini on a used Vivaldi Apex and its upsampler (aka streamer). It sounds even better, with lower noise and hence more clarity, larger and in particular deeper soundstage, more separation between musicians, etc.

So, by chance, I did not need either a preamp or a streamer, and hence never auditioned the 891.

As an aside: At the time I got the 861, I spoke to a rep at the factory who advised me to try a single amp before purchasing two amps to run in mono. He said I would probably not need the extra power or theoretical separation with my setup and Sonus Faber Il Cremonese speakers. Thus far, I feel he was correct . I would appreciate hearing from anyone who actually got two 861s to run in mono (vs a single unit).

 

[dman777]

Oh, thanks for the information. I bet that sounds really good. I just bought my moon 861 about a month ago. Is it true that it takes about 100 hours for the sound to change? It doesn't quite sound like it did in the store, although there's other variables too.

 

[craigr]

YES, definitely takes t he 100 hours to "break in"