miles_r

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $4500.00 from Online

Summary:
This Person Mazher JAFFAR Is full Of Sh!t. Go http://www.simaudio.com/reviews/tier_p-5.htm or any other professional review and they will say different. He says he used a Bryston amp. Well Iv heard It on a Bryston 4bsst and It sounded amazing.

As the review goes on In review vol #10

"There is a sonic signature and it's lean and mean, since it unmercifully reveals all backup components and their characteristics. As such, the Moon "showed off" the exquisite sound of the Topaz, the dynamics of the Bryston 8B-ST, the bass of the Lightstar and the finesse and power of the OCM1600s. It also conjured a multi-dimensional sound- stage, authentic focal information and what appears to be celerity. Low-level information comes across as realistically as fortissimos and trios sound as coherent as large orchestras; what else is there to say?

Id say that Mazher JAFFAR has a problem with another component. It sure isnt the P-5. But don't take my word for It, go listen to any Simaudio Product yourself and you be the judge.

K512

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Archive Audio, Ohio

Summary:
This review is for the P-5 LE (Limited Edition) preamplifier. I recently purchased the fully balanced Simaudio Moon LE system From Archive Audio, including the W-5 LE dual-mono amplifier; Eclipse LE CD player; and P-5 LE preamplifier. Speakers: Induction Dynamics ID1. Cables: Signal Cable Silver Resolution balanced interconnects, and a "double run" set of Signal Cable Silver Resolution speaker cables. Prior to discovering the Moon LE gear, I was seriously considering vacuum tube gear. However, upon hearing the Moon LE products I immediately fell in love. The reference grade, fully balanced, fully differential Moon LE components sound neither like tubes nor solid-state. It is so transparent as to have no sound of its own-- it sounds better than "solid state" and better than "tubes". Simply put, it just sounds RIGHT. Imaging and soundstaging are precise, natural, and stable. The attack and DECAY of musical notes is as good or better than many tube designs. In addition, the P-5 LE and associated LE gear (along with the Signal Cable Silver Resolution cables) reveal a level of sonic detail through the Induction Dynamics ID1's that one might normally expect only from electrostatic headphones. The fully balanced Moon LE gear is completely free of any hint of solid state edginess, grain, hardness, brightness, sibilance, etc. Rather, the sound of this reference gear is perhaps best described as fast and accurate, yet smooth and full-bodied, never fatiguing. Indeed, this gear is highly inviting, and I find it hard to get to bed on time these days! Driving the Induction Dynamics ID1's, bass extension is concert-like and extremely articulate. Mid-range? Total bliss. Upper registers? Extraordinarily detailed, delicate, and graceful. Construction, build-quality, appearance, and the "feel" of the controls (etc.) is reference grade. These products are overbuilt to very high tolerances. Completing the warranty registration entitles the original owner to a full, 10 year warranty. I've previously auditioned a variety of high-end electronics, most noteably Spectral and Edge; as well as Audio Research, VTL, Rogue, Bryston, and McCormack. Among all of these, the Moon LE gear sounded the best to my ears. (My second choice would be Spectral, although this gear can tend to sound over-analytical and "clinical" at times>)

Strengths:
As above.

Weaknesses:
None, although it should be noted that additional rack space is required for the ouboard power supplies of the P-5 LE and Eclipse LE CD player.

Similar Products Used:
As above.

snootybiffer

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
4.67 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1800.00 from audiogon

Summary:
The search is over! The P-5 went way beyond my expectations. I have had enough preamps to open a mid sized audio store! The last pre I had before purchasing the P-5 was the Classe' DR6 which is one of the better units around. I have placed many preamps against the Classe' and the Classe' has always stayed. The P-5 made the Classe' sound like an amature. Absolute tremendous soundstage that covers my whole wall with a depth that extends well behind and into my living room. Layer after layer of sound. Detail from crystal clear highs that keep your glued in your seat for hours. Lush voices with personality that makes the singers come to life. Instruments that float all around your living room. You can see how the musicians are positioned in the soundstage! I have always heard this kind of description and have lusted to have this type of sound. The P-5 has brought this into being, after years of changing components and jerking around with cables and wires. This unit breathes live into the music and makes it an absolute joy to listen to. I have revived all my cds and I sit and listen to music until 3 or 4 in the morning. I have owned Krell, Levinson, Proceed, Audio Research, Plinius, Jeff Rowland, Conrad Johnson, and they have not produced any sound like the P-5! I can finally sit and listen to the music instead of sitting and critizing what it should sound like. Every cd that I have played has an enjoyable sweetness to it. If you want pure sweet music without all the analytical BS, find yourself a P-5 and you will not look back! When I first listened to it, it had a bit of harshness in the high end which was gone the next day. I let it play all day and at night when I was ready to listen to the music the harshness had disappeared. Thank you Victor Sima for bringing some joy to my life. "If you want to find the truth in life, don't pass music by". Eric Burdon

Strengths:
Everything. It does not lack. You can almost see the layers. Detail, detail, and more detail! Pinpoint accuracy on ALL the instruments and singers. Incredible soundstage, witdth and depth. Any type of music that you play from Heavy Metal to Mozart, the P-5 knows how to deliver.

Weaknesses:
The cord from the power unit supply could be longer so you could put it on the floor.

Similar Products Used:
Krell, Rowland, Conrad, Classe', Audio Research, Plinius, Mark Levinson, Proceed.

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Canada

Summary:
Excellent soundstage and crisp detail. There is a slight dryness on the low bass, but not enough to worry about. There is definitely a synergy between this pre and certain amps like the McCormack DNA125.

Strengths:
Extremely detailed sound and solid construction.

Weaknesses:
Could use more balanced inputs.

Similar Products Used:
McCormack, Sansui, Sony, Madrigal products

Price Paid:  $3344.00 from Mumbai [Bombay] INDIA

Summary:
15th June, 2001.

SIMAUDIO MOON P-5 PRE AMPLIFIER

Serial Number :- A 081291 – PRE.

Date of Purchase / Delivery :- 19th October, 1999.

Price Paid :- US $ 3,344/- + transport cost from Canada to Mumbai [Bombay] + Customs Duty [Indian].

A well built Pre Amplifier. 2 Chassis; 1 pre amplifier, 1 power supply.
Reasonably good sounding, but probably works best with Simaudio W-5 Power Amplifiers. I was using it with Bryston 7B ST Mono Blocks and I was not particularly ‘moved’ with ‘emotions’ when I played my favorite music. My front end too was Simaudio Moon Eclipse CD Player [Serial Number A 211294 – CD].

I tried the same front end with Mark Levinson ML380 & Bryston BP 25 [both pre amplifiers], keeping the power amplifiers, cables and speakers constant and the ML sounded more ‘open’ and ‘coherent’, more life like, while the BP 25 was in a different league [not because the pre amplifier is better, but just that the ‘synergy’ between the pre and power amplifiers was present].

I would have preferred the pre amplifiers to be supplied with 2 balanced inputs [for evaluating different CD Players and / or attaching 2 components with balanced outputs].

I would also have preferred the ‘volume jog’ / ‘spindle’ to have been a little less smoother, the volume increase and decrease is very fast and one has to be very careful in using it.

The remote control definitely needs to be replaced. It not only weighs a ton and is too long and big, but is one of the most confusing IR Remote Control I have ever used or come across.

To give the pre amplifier the benefit of the doubt, it may sound better when used along with its own power amplifier [W-5], but as a stand alone pre amplifier to be used with other brands of power amplifier; is a different story altogether, I would not recommend the same.





Testing and review carried out with :-

A] Equipment

Simaudio Moon Eclipse CD Player
Electrocompaniet EMC-1 CD Player
Ultech Audio UCD-100 CD Player
Simaudio P-5 Pre Amplifier
Bryston BP-25 Pre Amplifier
Bryston 7B ST Power Amplifier
Dynaudio Confidence 5 Loudspeakers
vdH [Van den Hul] ‘The Second’ Balanced XLR Interconnect
vdH [Van Den Hul] ‘The Revelation’ Speaker Cable

B] Music

M.A. Recordings - Begona Olavide / Mudejar MA042A
Water Lily Acoustics - Tabula Rasa WLA-CS-44-CD
ECM Records – Making Music / Zakir Hussain ECM – 1349
Moment Records – Ustad Sultan Khan MRCD – 1006
Reference Recordings – TUTTI ! RR-906CD
Telarc – A tribute to Oscar Peterson CD – 83401
Chesky Records – The Raven / Rebecca Pidgeon JD 115
Mercury – Essential / Yello 512 390 – 2

Mazher Bashir JAFFAR

15th June, 2001.

Mumbai [Bombay] INDIA

e-mail :- schwinn@bol.net.in

www.schwinnwarehousing.com

Strengths:
Build Quality
Looks [asthetically very pleasing]
Seperate Power Supply

Weaknesses:
Not Transparent
Poor Dynamics
Only 1 XLR Balanced Input
Poor IR Remote Control
Volume Jog moves very fast and volume inflates very quickly

Similar Products Used:
Mark Levinson ML 38
Bryston BP-25
Adcom GFA750
Meridian 502