I bought one. Nice amp and I loved it.

However, I had a problem with it, it got real hot, too hot too touch. I sent it back to the local distributor (Australia) and they could not repair the problem. I talked direct to Sim Audio in Canada several times over a few months and I was unhappy with the support. My choices were, send it back to us in Canada ($1000 cost, at my expense) and we will see if we can repair it. No Promises!. In fact, they said the amp was discontinued and they had few parts. Or we can sell you the latest model for 2k, a good price, but why would I want buy another? Especially as I am getting NO support with the current one.

The amp supposedly had a 10 year warranty, I had the unit for just under 4 years. I would expect more for an amp that retails for 7k in Australia.

Summary.
Amp great, when its working. Support poor!

imaging, clarity, soundstage....good overall performer

May not have the finesse and sophistication needed for classical and acoustics style musics.

I just purchased a moon audio I-5 from a friend as I’m building a secondary system. I hooked up to my KEF reference 3.2 and Orelle evo2 CD player The moon audio I-5 is quite a talented amplifier. The sound in upper range is detailed and the bass is tuneful and well controlled. I was quite impressed by the precision and quality of acoustic material. Instruments where detailed and accurate while still maintaining a linear response. Many amplifiers are a tad bit bright to perceive and achieve better detail however this was not apparent in the I-5. Vocals while playing Diana K showed a real presence in purity with very little coloration in sound. The soundstage was open and imaging was quite superb you could feel Eric Clapton’s guitar in Layla played with such precision and dimension. A true sign of a good amplifier. I would recommend this integrated to anyone who listens to vast majority of music and just wants an overall good performer. I just wanted something that could at least come close to my primary system which consists of Orelle products and to a certain degree it achieved its goal. It may not be as transparent and articulate as my Orelle integrated however for the price(1800cdn) that I paid for my I-5 I can’t complain.

Similar Products Used:

Orelle SA100 evo2 Exposure 3010 Arcam fmj a32 Bryston 3b

Very detail and stable soundstage image (front to back, left to right) - instrument and voices stay put (or move as they were recorded, Think Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon). This integrated amplifier makes my PSB 5Ts sing in a way they never have before.

Would like to have a headphone "jack"

Because I am new to this forum, I have not the slightest idea how to start a new review on a product not listed - in this case the Moon i3 intergrated amplifier. I can't say enough good about this product. I researched this purchase along with other products (see below along with KARAN Acoustics i180) for nearly one year - excessive maybe, but I don't have $1,660 skins to plop down every week so I put a lot of thought into this purcahse. I could not be happier. The bass is strong but not bloomy or opressive, the midrange is natural and comfortable, the highs are detailed and pleasent. The integrated handles my rather eclectic musical interests (Asleep At the Wheel to Steve Roach to Goreki's Symphony Sorrowful Songs and all styles in-between) with a delicate control and finesse I am not accustomed to. I simply set the listening level, sit back and lavish in the music. My listening area is nearly the ideal, the "magic triangle" (isosceles triangle) and the imaging is wonderful. If one were concerned with "only" 100 watts RMS into 8 ohms, let me say something. Watts are importnat, but also look at the power supply. If the power supply is deficient all the watts in the world are not going to help. This integrated amplifier will produce SPLs in excess of what is wise (with efficient speakers). My wife and teenagers all complain about my listening into the wee hours of the morning (imagine teenages saying the music is too loud - heehee). I enjoy this product so much I plan on purchasing the Sim Audio Moon Eclispe CD player and then I'll look at upgrading my speakers - but as it stands now I may not need to. Happy listening ......

Similar Products Used:

None - First audiophile-level purchase. Auditioned Perreaux i200R, Bryston B60R.

Very clean but not boring sound.

Remote control while is very very solid and heavy have tendency to jump 2 instead of 1 readings.

All I can say this is a marvelous amp. It produces very clean, open but not analytical sound. Soundstage is holographic. In a beginning I was going to buy i-3. Once I auditioned that - I could not resist. It worse it. 70 watt per channel is more than enough for me. I highely recommend it.

For this price, almost everything.

Hve not found yet.

This is a amazing amp, before I buy it, I compared it with Carry Audio's tube integrated SLI-80 Signature amp side by side, some area I5 even sounded better, and it do sound like a tube amp!But carry sounded better on piano, and warmer than I5.

Musical, no sound coloration, fast, unique amp, keeper...

None at this price.

This is one unique amplifier. It is fast, no sound coloration, great separation, reliability, build quality... But, most importantly it is very musical, moving and has unique emotional impact. I am very happy with a purchase, and can't see myself selling it, ever... If I ever need bigger amp... I'll just get another one... I-5 is truly in-replacebaly for things it does.

Similar Products Used:

I had couple of amplifiers in the past... but nothing that compares to this one.

True audiophile class equipment. Speed. very musical. Detail. Separation and dynamics.

Don't expect too much from 85 watts as it will give you very good sound at reasonable to loud levels. But if you want to test your neighbours tolerance level then look elsewhere and ask yourself whether what you are after is music.

This integrated is very musical and very detailed. Need to match it with good equipment as it is very accurate. I have listened to many before buying this - Musical Fidelity A300 (not audiophile class) not accurate and lacks speed, only for beginners, poor separation - I was disappointed with its performance as it was what I had intended to buy, Gryphon integrated - not bad, but expensive and no where near the I-5's detail, dynamics and separation. Classe Audio integrated was OK, not bad but not exceptional - almost the same price as the I-5 but not in the same class. I-5 is very neutral and accurate - be sure that what you want to listen to is accurate reproduction of music as this is what it will give you. Also listened to Krell 300 iL - don't touch it as it is not even close to the integrated amps that I mentioned above, very disappointed with Krell for producing such a poor product from such a reknowned manufacturer of high class solid state amps. Listened to Arcam Diva 85 - not bad for its price but not the same pedigree as I-5. I have matched it with Dynaudio Audience 72 speakers and Meridian 507 CD player with Van Den Hull speaker cables and interconnects. Very happy with the outcome. Have owned many hifi sets as I started to listen to all sorts of music - jazz, pop, classical, ambience/new age etc since 1976. Have owned equipment from Cyrus, B&W, Thiel, Classe Audio, Aragon, Harbeth, Kef, Rogers, Audio Innovations, Wadia, Dahlquist, Luxman. Advice - audition as many as possible before buying - I listened to many sets more than once to be sure. Power handling of I-5 is not a problem even with 4ohm speakers like Dynaudio. You will get very clean power with very low noise floor, very fast and can handle quick responsive music. But if you want to bring the house down then it is not really music you are after. When testing make sure you listen to equipment at low and high volumes as you will get very different sound and if possible make sure it is warmed up properly. Also check what equipment and ancillaries they are using to audition the equipment - they must be of the same class - otherwise you will be very disappointed when you take it home. Like I said, if music is what you are after, you will be very happy with the I-5. Make sure your listening area is not too large - mine is 25 ft. X 18 ft. Good luck.

Similar Products Used:

Classe Audio, Aragon, Copeland, Gryphon, Musical Fidelity, Roksan, Arcam.

aucurate, vivid music with out sounding dry and lifeless, griping sound stage

not a weakness but would love a tad deeper sound stage

my mission is simple two-channel listening. my price point about 2k-3k. after interviewing several integrated amps, including krell 300il, naim nait 5, manley stingray, primare 30.1 and lfd mistral. please keep in mind, all these candidates are giants. to anyone looking for solid two channel listening, I would have no reservation with recommending any one of these. it just comes down to personal taste. moon i-5 emerges a champion. I do qualify this bold statement with saying. many people may attempt to disparage one product to account for contrast relating to another product. in this case, it just aint so. slight differences in each product make it tough to discern which I prefer, with only about 7% separation on a possible scale of 100. moon has the best performance. the contenders. krell, naim, primare as well as an offering from anthem. all were to dry, rigid and analytical. more so a collection of amazing tone and perfect timing vs. music. finalist; mistral and manley now this is serious stuff music is more than just an accurate reproduction of tones. more so MUSIC!! meaning, more cohesive. mistral had an incredible sound stage depth. when I brought it how to listen, it had an awful humming noise. manley, had a wide and vivid sound stage. colorful, amazing lifelikeness. if I hadnt heard the moon. manley would have been my winner. moon does not have the great depth of soundstage like the mistral but sound stage is kin to that of manley with better extension and stability through out the hi to lo ranges. soundstage has better lateral spacing and a tad more dynamic than any contender. my set up: source- linn mimik II cd player amplification- moon i-5 speakers- b&w dm 604 s2 interconnects- linn black speakers cable- ted's excellent cable insight bi-wired.

Similar Products Used:

naim nait5, manley stingray, lfd mistral, primare 30.1, krell 300 il

Incredibly clean and transparent with great PRAT. Makes music exciting and ALIVE! Fantastic paired with high sensitivity speakers. I am using Coincident Speaker Technology Conquests (92 dB/w/m). Plugged into my PS Audio P300 Powerplant the I-5 draws only 50w when playing as loud as I can stand in my 20x16x8 listening room. Sweet!

Remote is VERY heavy and could break bones if you drop it on your foot.

The I-5 is a revelation. I have enjoyed some nice amps, including the Golden Tube Audio SE-40 SE, Odyssey Stratos, AES AE-25 Superamp, Belles 150A HotRod, Monarchy Audio SM-70s, through my Classe CP-35 pre-amp. The Moon I-5 is so good I can't even compare it to any of my previous amps. I wanted to simplify my system from separates (get rid of the extra IC) and from what I'd been reading lately integrateds have become as good as some of the more exotic separates. Based on the reviews I'd read and the reviews here I started watching for an I-5. As luck would have it I found one for an incredible price on Audiogon. If you have the money and are tired of the audio game and just want to settle down with an amazing amp that can play anything with beauty, delicacy, harmonic complexity, kick, slam, and incredible imaging buy one and be happy.

Refined/Soundstage/Imaging/Musical

Lack of power

Barely have it for less than a week. This little imposing integrated amp. is still shocking me every time I listen to it. It is a bargain for such an overachieved performer is all I can say about the I-5. I've owned several hi-end separate gears before but this is by far the best buy I've made to date. It produces the kind of soundstage and image that can make my Gershman RX-20 literally disappeared with very respectable low frequency as well. Simaudio has done it again. Five stars all the way!
My associated components:
SFCD1-Player
Gershman Acoustics Avant Garde
Synergistic Research Kaleidoscope Phase 2 Interconnect
Bi-wiring mode consists:
Synergistic Research Signature 3 spkr cables for mid/hi
Wireworld Polaris III spkr cable for low level.

Similar Products Used:

W5