Moonriver Audio

Moonriver 505 Phono Stage | Stereophile review by Michael Trei

”I Could Write a Book" is my go-to track, with its bouncy bass line played by Victor Gaskin accompanying Hartman's deep, rich voice. Sibilance can rear its ugly head with this record if the playback isn't top notch, but, assisted by the Moonriver 505, the Benz really dug into Hartman's deep sonority while remaining smooth and sibilance free. Billy Taylor's solo piano also impressed, delivering the attack of each chord perfectly. The Moonriver 505 is a Swiss Army knife of a phono stage. With four inputs and an impressive array of adjustments, it can handle just about any combination of arms and cartridges. It looks elegant, is built to last, and most importantly, sounds wonderful”.

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Moonriver Audio 505 Hybrid Phono Stage | Review in Audio Music & Home Theater by Kim Moon-bu

”The actual sound is fantastic enough to understand why many reviews give this charming phono amplifier the highest score, and the amplifier's capabilities are so great that the LP record keeps spinning. It delivers a natural and flavorful sound like its appearance, and the charm of its tone is really rich and elastic. It pushes with a lot of power, and it is a product that fully draws out the original capabilities of a phono amplifier. It has excellent transparency and quietness, and the contours and edges of the sound stand out, definitely showing off its high-end appearance. The exquisite analog convenience and improved sound quality contained within its old-fashioned appearance are elements that you cannot help but fall in love with once you hear it ”.

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Instant Classic | Moonriver 404 Reference Music & Sound review by Fernando Marques

”The feature of the Moonriver 404 Reference that immediately caught my attention was the dynamic contrast. We quickly realized that the Moonriver 404 Reference had the potential to replace the resident TacT Millennium with 150 Watts per channel at 8 Ohm. Connected to the also resident planar-magnetic Diptyque dp77, with a sensitivity of just 84 dB and impedance of 6 ohms, it showed us what is currently possible to do with a well-designed transistor amplification circuit. We asked ourselves how this performance is possible with an amplifier with only 50 watts per channel? And we came to the conclusion that we cannot be guided by specifications alone, especially when it comes to power. We need to read between the lines. And in the case of the Moonriver 404 Reference, the secret really lies in the attention and care dedicated to the power supply with its custom-made toroidal transformer. The result is an amplifier with smooth sound reproduction, a neutral midrange, controlled bass and delicate high frequencies”.

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Moonriver 505 Phono Stage won the Product of The Year award! | Possible for a Nobel Prize | Moonriver Audio 505 Hybrid Phono review in LP magazine by Christian Bayer

”The 505 captures the delicacy of Nils Orland and Sigbjörn Apeland's Nordic mélange of a Herdanger fiddle with its additional resonance strings and a harmonium that seems to sound from within the earth with all its finest nuances. Tonally it's beautiful, dynamically incorruptible, totally calm and stable and anchored in the vastness of the north. But it also works with juice and strength. John Scofield, one of my great guitar heroes, has released another dream album with “Uncle John's Band”. Vicente Archer on bass and drummer Billy Stewart, who gets better as he gets older, play on “Mr. Tambourine Man” in the most subtle way. You've definitely never heard the Dylan classic like this before and I can only recommend this ECM recording to you. The Moonriver 505 brings out everything that is on offer in terms of delicate dynamic jumps and tonal delicacies and seduces me to continue listening indefinitely”.

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Editor's Choice Award! | The Ear magazine | Moonriver Audio 505 Hybrid Phono review by Chris Kelly

”This is a masterpiece of audio technology. It seemed as if it had been made to be paired with my LP12 and drew me into long, unfatiguing listening sessions. The build quality is impeccable and, at least to my eyes, it is a very handsome thing too. I can imagine pairing this with the 404 Reference integrated amplifier and living happily ever after with those, my Harbeths and LP12. Whatever I subsequently played through the 505 Hybrid, it seemed to have been voiced as perfectly as any piece of audio equipment of my acquaintance. It must be incredibly challenging for a designer to find the right balance between detail and music flow, between analysis and emotional connection, between light and shade in the subtleties of a performance. Of course this did not come as a great surprise, as I found Moonriver’s 404 and 404 Reference integrated amplifiers to be among the most musically rewarding of any that have graced my system, ever. I may not have enough time left to play every single record in my collection before I am too shaky to lower a stylus safely onto the disc, but with this in my home I would give it my best shot. If you are committed to vinyl replay, as I am, I urge you to seek out and audition this wonderful machine – you will not be disappointed.”.

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Moonriver Audio 505 Hybrid Phono review in Stereo magazine by Matthias Böde

”This phono preamp loves music. The Model 505 has the ability to coax the magic, indeed the magic, out of vinyl records. For example, when the jazz quartet From Scratch performed Jobim songs on their "Direct To Disc" album "Fotografia." Their fundamentally strong, yet delicately chiseled, colorful recording came across with angular pressure from the lower frequencies, accentuated piano, and an airy, fanned-out presentation of the nuanced hi-hat, and impressed with a smooth, neither dragged nor rushed timing. A performance with a strong audiophile touch, indeed, a high-end aura. The Model 505 sounds so crisp and delicate in the upper registers, balanced and without any tendency toward over-presence. The Moonriver seems to love music – and understand it”.

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Moonriver Audio 505 Hybrid Phono review in HiFi Statement by Carsten Bussler

”Does this phono stage have any weaknesses at all? No. However, if you're looking for whitewashing and lulling euphonic warmth with sugar coating, you've come to the wrong place. The 505 impresses with its enormous transparency and the ability to make the most subtle information audible without ever drifting into the analytical. I really shy away from using the word “perfection” in connection with hi-fi components; tastes vary too much and the risk of wear and tear from excessive use of such attributes is too great. But in terms of its tonal permeability and ability to not add any sound to the music, I think the 505 is perfect. The nice thing about this device is that it has a lasting effect on the listener, because the strengths described only become apparent after listening for a long time, and from then on this fascination remains without any signs of wear and tear. In this respect, it saddens me that I now have to return this phono preamplifier; Such sentimentality rarely happens to me and especially not when there is not a single tube in a device”.

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