Pre/Power Amplifiers

As Simaudio approaches its 40th anniversary, it is not only the products but also the reach of the brand itself that is witnessing great change. John Carroll of distributor Renaissance Audio picks up the story. 'As I have been the UK supplier of MOON products for over two decades, it's timely that we now formally integrate with the brand. We have formed a new division of the company, a premium global distribution network called MOON International, and my new role will be as Brand Director.'

Clearly, John has been assisting in the development cycle of MOON products for some time, so what prompted the big shake-up behind the 860A v2? 'This is not just a replacement for the outgoing 860A,' says John, 'but also a replacement for the much pricier 870A and, used as a pair, also a replacement for the 880M mono amplifiers. We simply learned so much from the development of the £120k MOON 888 amplifiers that we could move the 860A on to an entirely new level relatively easily.

'In part this is down to bespoke components like our in-house capacitors and output transistors but also to a few small but significant tweaks in circuit design. Much of the 860A v2's sound is driven by the DC-coupled servos, for example, which give amazing transparency. Like all MOON products the 860A v2 also conforms to our high standard of construction and, as always, fits into any of our network or remote-controlled systems for ease of use.'