![]() ![]() Setting up the Moon Neo ACE is made easy with Simaudio’s Quick Start Guide, a card pack covering in detail all aspects of the product, from rear-panel connections to network setup and controller-app features. The remote’s range of operation was excellent - I could control the ACE by bouncing commands off the front wall of my room. The keypad has a clean layout with 31 rectangular buttons, all the same size a few controls have “punch through” capability, to operate the ACE’s MiND streamer module. Speaking of that IR remote handset, it’s thin and sleek, with a rubbery surface to prevent skidding when placed on a smooth surface. For custom installations, the ACE has RS-232 and IR connections, as well as SimLink input and output jacks for operating other Simaudio components ( e.g., a CD player and/or DAC) using the ACE’s remote control. Outputs include a pair of multiway speaker connections, and a preamp output that can also be used to hook up a subwoofer (though the ACE’s setup menu provides no low-pass filtering). The extensive suite of connections on the ACE’s rear panel includes LAN and USB ports two each coaxial digital, optical digital, and analog line inputs and a phono input and turntable ground screw. ![]() The ACE measures 16.9”W x 3.5”H x 14.4”D and weighs 24 pounds. Also on the front panel are a 1/4” headphone output jack, and a mini-jack input for connecting a smartphone or tablet. Buttons are provided for input selection and setup, and the large volume knob at the left glides smoothly when turned to adjust the gain in 0.5dB increments. The left and right “cheeks” of its all-black metal case (it’s also available in black with silver cheeks in some markets) curve inward to a central, slightly recessed front panel with an OLED screen that displays the artist, album, track title, format, and sample-rate info for audio streamed via the ACE’s MiND network module. Like other Simaudio components, the ACE offers substantial build quality and eye-catching design. The ACE has a built-in aptX Bluetooth module, and comes with a plug-in antenna for Wi-Fi connectivity. Via a network connection, it can handle PCM up to 24/192 and DSD64 files. An ESS9010 DAC supports up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM via USB input, along with DSD64, DSD128, and DSD256 files. The specified power outputs of the ACE’s class-A/B amplifier are 50Wpc into 8 ohms and 85Wpc into 4 ohms. The ACE is like having a whole hi-fi system up your sleeve. Just connect it to speakers, link it to your wired or wireless network, and plug in any legacy components you have lying around. And a complete system it is, housing a moving-magnet phono stage, DAC, network player/streamer, preamplifier, power amplifier, and headphone amp in a single, compact box. ACE is an acronym for A Complete Experience, and Simaudio is pitching it as a contemporary extension of the stereo receivers that drove the hi-fi boom of the 1970s. That’s the way Simaudio sees its ACE, the latest model in the Canadian company’s value-oriented Moon Neo line ($3500 USD). It’s often said - usually about fashion - that what’s old becomes new again: every decade or so, flannel shirts and skinny jeans come back in style. ![]()
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