Simaudio Moon I-3RS Integrated Amplifier

It is really difficult for me to not start this out buy just saying the Moon i-3 is stupendous. It is.
I hooked it up into my system, let it warm up for half a day, played two songs and turned around to find every member of my family dancing in the kitchen! And for months has continued to do so. (This does not normally happen in my house.)
This is the highest praise any piece of audio equipment can receive (IMHO). The i-3 motivates and inspires.

It clearly conveys emotion, pace, timing and detail like nothing I have ever had in my house before. The clarity and detail are of particular note. I could analyze and go on about how it sounds but I highly recommend having a listen/audition for yourself.

Like most, I have owned all the usual suspects over the years; NAD, Cambridge Audio, Audio Refinement, Rotel, Bottlehead, Antique Sound Lab, Sonic Impact (T-Amp), Luxman, Rega, Bel Canto…and have auditioned many, many more.

Just as I am doing now, I have posted my opinion on some of these. The i-3 showed me just how ignorant I was in regards to the meaning of High Fidelity. (Guess I should just leave reviews to the professionals) Not that some of these amps were not great pieces of equipment. (Like the Bel Canto.) The i-3 however is just in a different and parallel world compared to anything else. (Try listening to a good SET tube system.)

Build and design is all top notch. The only gripes I have are 1) The feet leave a little to be desired but this can be upgraded. 2) I would put the remote’s mute button in a different location. I keep hitting it instead of the volume up or down button. But I will get used to it someday.

So, is the i-3 the end-all-be-all of amplifiers? No. Within the first couple hours of listening the thought crossed my mind to sell it. ‘Why?’ You may ask. To upgrade in the Moon product line, that’s why. You start reasoning to yourself “Wow, if I was to sell the amp then spend another $1000.00, I could get more of this!” I am Sim/Moon audio disciple now. (Guess the designers at Sim Audio have done their job.)

If you do get one I recommend some nice ProAc speakers to go with it. You will be a happy
Hi-Fi person/Audiophile for a little while at least.

Note: Mine is the non-RS and non-SE version.

Very musical, solid build,

None at this price.

The simaudio I3 is quite the amp. Great bass, tight dynamic, easier to follow bass lines than the rotel ra 1062 or roksan caspian I had previously. Instruments sound much more natural, piano, strings, are standouts. Drums sound more natural and cymbals decay like they should. (go into any music store and give the cymbals a few strikes and you get an ideal of how they should decay).

Definetly leave the main power on all the time as it takes a few days if you do not for the amp to reach it's peak performace again. Don't know how well it was broken in before as I bought it used but I have played the heck out of it for the past 2 weeks and it just seems to get better and better. I use the simaudio in a 2 channel stereo music and home theatre setup, running my cd player, tv, and dvd player and I couldn't be happier.

Listening fatigue is now a thing of the past as the simaudio never gets too bright or harsh in anyway yet is still very detailed throughout the frequency range.

check out the simaudio website for more details on this terrific integrated amp, and the design philosophy behind it.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel RA 1062
Roksan Caspian

Build quality, musical sound, easier to follow bass lines ,handles all types of music well

none at the price I paid.

Bought the I-3 used and have been putting it through it's paces. It replaces a Rotel Ra 1062. I also have had a roksan caspian which was good for jazz but nothing else, so I sold it and have had the rotel for over 2 years until now.
The simaudio has great tight solid bass. Where the rotel could sound bloomy and loose in the bass department the simaudio is more musical and now I can actually make out the bass line clearer(hear the notes being played clearly) The other area where the greatest difference is noticed is with piano. The simaudio sounds much more natural than the rotel. In general all instruments have a more realistic tone but piano is the most noticeable. As for the treble, the simaudio is not as bright as the rotel and is easier to listen to for long periods. Surprisingly the rotel comes close in detail to the simaudio, with the I-3 having just a tad more detail. Overall I am thrilled with the more musical sound of the simaudio.
The build quality is second to none. I may have had the rotel for over 2 years, (and enjoyed it very much and for the price used I got it a great deal) but the simaudio will be around for a longgggg time.
Next upgrade I want to make is to a simaudio cd player.

Similar Products Used:

roksan caspian
rotel ra 1062

Power, 100 watts of high current... You can drive any kind of speakers with that, or almost... Very nice built, digital. The bass is very present and the mediums are very clear. Sim audio provide you a solid 10 years warranty if you register your integrated within your first 30 days, if not registered its 3 years parts and labour. if we go with the price/value, you will have a very hard time finding something better than that. the remote is so heavy and its solid as a rock! You cant break it!

Serioulsy, i am trying to find one and i cant find something smart to say...

I bought this i3 a few days ago and i can tell you, i am VERY surprised about what this integrated can give you... Let say that a few years ago i had a very big audio system and i had to sell it. i had a w3, P3 and paradigm reference speakers. So i finally decided in the last weeks to buy myself something that could give me the kick that i had with my old system. One day, i found someone who was seeling his i3 and i went to ear it. The first song he made me listen to was a song from zztop. I was so surprised of what i was earing, boy... The integrated was at 40/50 and the sound was terrific! loud, clear... The bass was solid, deep... I was seriously wondering if he wasnt fooling me by hiding a W5 behind the wall that would be driving the i3! After that, he made me listen to jewel, wow... I thought she was beside me... her voice was so present... Of course, its not a P3 and W3, but its around 1500$ instead of 6000$... But seriously, for 1500$. wow, you can't miss it...

Similar Products Used:

W3, P3