Yesterday, Simaudio released the Moon 371, the first product in its new Compass Collection. I had advance knowledge of the Moon 371 and the Compass Collection, having attended a briefing session at Simaudio’s headquarters in mid-September. Although no other Compass Collection products were released, or even mentioned, we were given a hint of what’s to come. Simaudio told the group that this new series takes both technology and inspiration from the more-expensive North Collection line, which was launched in 2023 and comprises six models: the 641 integrated amplifier, 681 streaming digital-to-analog converter (DAC), 761 and 861 power amplifiers, and 791 and 891 streaming preamplifiers. Where North is the pinnacle, Compass has been designed as its natural companion, one intended to point you northward—a series that remains proudly high-end, but one that also opens the door for a wider audience to experience Moon products at their best.
Dominique Poupart presenting
The Moon 371 unveiling comes on the heels of a two-day event in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on September 15 and 16, during which I joined eight other hi-fi journalists, all from outside Canada, to visit the company’s headquarters in neighboring Boucherville. The gathering brought together voices from England, the United States, France, Belgium, Germany, and Norway, underscoring the international importance Simaudio placed on this launch. In fact, Simaudio had never before invited such an international press group to its headquarters in its 45 years of business.
For me, there was an additional layer of satisfaction to the event. I have often described Simaudio to others as a “world-class hi-fi manufacturer.” I’ve visited the company dozens of times over the past 25 years and watched it grow into a manufacturing powerhouse—one that not only makes all its products in-house, but also many of the parts that comprise them, such as the circuit boards and even some of the metalwork. Having colleagues from so many different countries experience the company and its people firsthand had now reinforced my claim. It wasn’t just my word anymore—I saw the looks on their faces and knew that these journalists left Boucherville carrying the same impression back to their own audiences. That shared recognition seemed to validate not only the company’s status but also its decision to unveil the start of this new product line to a more global audience.
The Moon 371 is a streaming integrated amplifier, or, as Simaudio defines it, a network player/amplifier. In a single case measuring 3.5″H × 16.9″W × 15.2″D, the 371 combines a preamplifier, stereo amplifier, DAC, streamer, and phono stage. Its claimed technical specifications include 100Wpc output into 8 ohms, 200Wpc output into 4 ohms, and a signal-to-noise ratio of 108dB at full power output. Visually, it resembles models in the North Collection—but surprisingly, despite being cheaper than any component in that series, it has a couple of design cues that I like better. These include a revision of the company’s signature “cheeks,” which now blend more smoothly from the front to the sides, and rectangular pushbuttons that are vertically aligned to the left of the 17cm color front screen, which to me look more modern than the round metal buttons used for the North components.
Two proprietary Simaudio technologies are central to the design. One is MDCA (Moon Distortion-Cancelling Amplifier), used to reduce distortion and improve linearity. It was first introduced in the North Collection. Instead of the traditional feedback mechanism that most amplifiers use to lower distortion, with MDCA an error signal comparing the input to the output is combined with the main signal after the voltage-gain stage but before the current stage. Some might be tempted to refer to this as a feedforward type of design, but co-owner and CEO Thierry Dufour, who conceived of the idea and passed it to the engineering team to perfect, and product director Dominique Poupart say that’s not accurate. Nor is it correct to call MDCA feedback. Nevertheless, it is unique to Simaudio and now implemented in the 371.
The other is Moon Hybrid Power (MHP), a power-supply design combining switching and linear topologies. This power-supply architecture has been used extensively in Moon line-level products, such as preamplifiers, phono amplifiers, and DACs, not only in the North Collection but in other series too. But this is the first time it’s been implemented in an amplifier, which Poupart described as a major but necessary challenge.
According to Poupart, the challenge had to do with adapting the MHP architecture to the wide power swings that occur as a power amplifier operates. These swings aren’t nearly as much of a concern in a line-level component. The necessity came from Simaudio wanting to create the very low-noise environment that MHP enables so the company could, for example, implement a phono stage without noise from the power supply intruding—which is what would happen with a normal linear supply fitted into such a small box. That’s precisely why the sole integrated amplifier in the North Collection, the 641, doesn’t have a phono stage, Poupart told us—it uses a linear supply.
For streaming, the 371 employs Moon’s MiND 2 platform, which has been used extensively in other Moon products and supports services including Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer, and Spotify. It also works with Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, Apple AirPlay, and Roon, and it includes Bluetooth connectivity. Network connectivity is via Wi-Fi or ethernet, with Simaudio recommending the latter for greater reliability. It also has a second ethernet port for output, should another device need a wired connection. Handy. That said, I’ve had the 791 streaming preamplifier connected to my network via Wi-Fi for over a year, and it’s worked flawlessly.
The front screen can show album art, track details, and settings. It can also be used to configure the 371’s various options, including the provision for a maximum-volume setting—something I think is mandatory these days for any component having a volume control, to avoid inadvertently blowing up the connected speakers.
Control can be managed directly through the pushbuttons along the left-hand side of the screen and the volume knob, meaning the amplifier can be operated entirely without a remote or app. For those who prefer handheld or mobile control, the Moon MiND app and the CRM-4 remote, created for the Compass line, are available. The BRM-1 remote from the North Collection—a gorgeously designed and meticulously constructed device with its own color screen and volume control—is also available as an option, which I think is a nice thing to offer in this series since it’s such a treasured part of that more-expensive product line.
At US$6500, CA$8800, £5200, or €6800, the 371 isn’t cheap, but it isn’t outlandish in today’s high-end hi-fi market. And like every Moon component, it is built in Canada and backed by Simaudio’s ten-year warranty. If it all works as well as is being described, it can be seen as good value.
The Montreal gathering offered more than a technical introduction. On September 15, a dinner was held where co-owners Costa Koulisakis and Thierry Dufour addressed the guests. They spoke about Simaudio’s growth to become a company employing more than 50 people, their belief that quality and innovation must guide every product design, and the company’s team-oriented culture. While the main concept for the 371 came from Dufour and Poupart, both credited the broader engineering staff and the people in manufacturing for bringing it to life. Although it wasn’t said there, I think it’s also important for me to add that Koulisakis and Dufour have carried forward the visions of founder Victor Sima and later-owner Jean Poulin, from whom they purchased the company in 2013 with partner Louis Lemire—who helped modernize its manufacturing before his unexpected passing in 2021—by building Simaudio into a hi-fi company with international credibility.
Thierry Dufour and Costa Koulisakis
The next day Poupart delivered detailed presentations on the technologies inside the 371, explaining how the MHP and MDCA sections operate and outlining the choices made to balance performance, simplicity, and cost. His ability to break down complex circuitry with clear explanations set the tone for communicating how carefully engineered and well-thought-out the product is. That day had begun with a tour of the R&D and manufacturing areas. For the international journalists, this was their first look at how Moon products are made. For me, having visited many times before, it was familiar—but it was rewarding to watch others respond to the hand assembly, the quality-control procedures, and the evident pride of the staff. The company’s insistence on servicing every product it has ever made was also highlighted, a practice several journalists pointed out as situating Simaudio among the best companies in the world. Koulisakis likes to refer to what Simaudio makes as “heirloom” products, given the products’ reliability, warranty backing, and potential for servicing.
Montreal itself contributed to the overall impression. With its strong music culture, the city was a fitting backdrop for a launch of this kind. That sense of place carried into the demo sessions, where the Moon 371 was united with a pair of Dynaudio’s Contour Legacy loudspeakers. (We recently produced a video about the Contour Legacy for our YouTube channel.) The system showcased the amplifier’s ability to control the speakers, deliver scale, and resolve detail. Conversations afterward confirmed that many in attendance were impressed by both the sound and the unit’s functionality—music was pulled from Simaudio’s server, streamed from Qobuz and Tidal, and played on vinyl throughout the two days.
In one of the sessions, Étienne Gautier, Simaudio’s chief commercial officer, described the 371 as “the future of modern audio.” His point was not only about technology but about the process: listening to customers, improving usability, and creating a product that integrates design and sound quality.
For Simaudio, the Compass Collection is more than just a new line of products. The name itself reflects its role: a guide to high-end audio, a stablemate to the North Collection, and a symbol of direction for the company and its customers. By debuting the range with the Moon 371, Simaudio has crafted a product that embodies its ethos—Canadian-made, engineering-driven, carefully styled, and built to last.
What struck me most over those two days in Montreal was how Simaudio positioned the 371 as both an heir to its tradition and a marker of new beginnings. The 371 does more than provide a statement of what to expect from future Compass Collection components. It establishes that Simaudio, from its home in Quebec, is producing hi-fi equipment designed to stand with the world’s best. Yesterday’s launch, together with their press event two weeks before, was not just the introduction of a new integrated amplifier—it was the moment a Canadian company showed it is ready to take on the world.
. . . Doug Schneider
das@soundstage.com
To support this coverage, we’ve also produced two companion videos on our YouTube channel—one focused on the 371 itself and another explaining the MDCA and MHP technologies—and released a SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast episode where Étienne Gautier expands on his vision for the Compass Collection.