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| Ah, May 1992. It was the height of grunge. It was no time or place for heavy metal. Or, if you were a heavy metal act, you better have put out a top-notch album. So when Iron Maiden came out with Fear Of The Dark in May 1992, people were already tired of shitty grunge. These people snapped up Fear Of The Dark, which did well in its first week.
But then people listened to it, and found it not so great. But it does include a surprising (for Iron Maiden) power ballad, "Wasting Love."
One mild May night, I was listening to Fear Of The Dark in my college apartment's living room. Check out the guitar solo from "Afraid To Shoot Strangers." It's one of those hidden gems, which only fans know about. My housemate Dave was smoking on the balcony, watching passers-by below and in the distance. One guy howled, and then started mooning. At whom, I don't know; he was just letting off steam. The Simaudio Moon 600i comes standard with a chrome logo (above). If you have a few extra bucks, you can order that logo in black, gold, or pewter.
Dave's female friends lived in the apartment building downhill from ours. They are the ones who played a trick on us, and suggestively mooned and flashed us. Dave said that, while it's great to see a full moon, sometimes it's sexier to show just a sliver of your butt. Full moon or crescent moon, let us take a peek at the 600i's rear.
I don't know anyone who uses an RS 232 port, but the 600i has one. Using a cable with 1/8" mini-headphone jacks, the 600i utilizes Simaudio's Simlink communcations. If you have other Simaudio gear, Simlink allows cheesy and cheeky remote-controlled operations. You can dim or brighten all displays. You can kick the whole system into standby. When you press Play, a CD will start [assuming you're using a Simaudio Supernova, Andromeda, 650D, or 750D], and the 600i will switch to the appropriate input.
After the 91-92 school year ended, I returned home to San Francisco. I bought the CD single for "Wasting Love," above. KJ came over, and we actually saw the video (on MTV) for "Wasting Love."
Hmmm, in 1992, all my electronic components had fixed powercords. Smartly, the 600i uses an IEC jack. Moreover, it is the common 15-amp variety. Thus, you do not have to make special accommodations for a 20-amp plug.
Whenever I could, I was always plugged into KJ. Seriously, after-market powercords are an important variable in the 600i's performance. I will report on some of those at a later date. Crescent moon or partial eclipse, there's more to the 600i's rear. I'll cover (or is it uncover?) it later.
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| 25 years ago, there were no cell phones, internet, and Wi-Fi. If we wanted to learn about heavy metal, we had to rely on word of mouth. And so it was that my classmate and I discovered a "new" kind of metal, thrash.
I don't know how they did it, but my friends found Testament's The Legacy. We felt good about Testament being a "local" band. They came from the East Bay, so we called them "ours." Him, why does big, domineering Chuck Billy sound so small and whiny on The Legacy? It turns out that Steve Souza wrote the lyrics for most of the songs, some of which are now considered classics. Souza, who has a higher-pitched voice than Billy, would become Exodus' lead singer.
In 1987, vacuum tubes were still being made in the United States. This looks like a tube box, but it isn't. It holds the Simaudio 600i's spikes and discs. Rock/thrash guitarists used tube amps, to get that crunch, followed with distortion. Why doesn't today's music sound the same? Partially because those vacuum tubes from the 80s sound different from current-production. And with tube demand at an all-time high, supplies of old tubes don't exist.
One of my friends had a black leather jacket, par for the course. He asked some of us, if he should get metal spikes put into that leather jacket. The Simaudio 600i comes with four screw-type cone-shaped spikes. A few years ago, you could spend more, to get these spikes in other finishes, such as gold or pewter. I'm not sure if that option still exists. But as you can see, the stock chrome is nice enough.
As you saw the other day, the 600i does not have a flat bottom. At its corner are legs, where you screw in the spikes.
25 years ago, I was a sophomore. My fellow sophomores that school year were taking Family Life. Since it spent no time on sex, and all time on drugs and health, this class was a huge disappointment. Screwing in the 600i's spike is kinkier than anything we read in Family Life. That's how bad the class was.
Just as we need protection during sex, your audio shelves need protection from the 600i's spikes. Enter the included protective dimpled discs. Again, at one time, you could order these, at a premium, in other finishes, kind of like trying a variety of condoms. I'm not sure if Simaudio still offer these discs in other colors. But do note that the underside of the discs have a rubbery compound, which helps adhere to the shelf.
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| Sigh, spring 1987... 25 freakin' years ago... What was the most popular musical genre at my alma mater, Lowell High? Modern rock. That was before it got stuck with the name "alternative." Every month, Lowell would have a dance. The rap DJ would take the gym. The modern rock DJ would take the courtyard. With or without those dances, my classmates listened to the Psychedelic Furs' "Heartbreak Beat," from Midnight To Midnight. Damn, in 1987, I was 15 years old. 25 freakin' years ago... Most of us used Walkmen to listen to music. However, those modern rock fans in the courtyard would use a boombox. How these students didn't have the boomboxes confiscated, I know not.
In May 1987, I already had a Walkman. My home stereo consisted of a Sony CDP-520ESII, ST-7TV, STR-AV780, and APM speakers. I loved the Sony ES CDP player. I entertained thoughts of someday replacing the receiver with ES components. After school, I'd take Muni Metro to Van Ness station, then take a bus to the Good Guys on Van Ness & Bush. I was disappointed that the Good Guys no longer carried Sony ES. That meant, on another day, we'd have to take Muni Metro to Castro station, and go to Eber. Eber kept the Sony ES and Infinity Kappa speakers locked in a room. Only "exclusive" customers were allowed to go in there. Everyone else was too afraid to ask. This is why customers said, "Fuck that," and moved on to high-end audio instead.
But I digress. In spring 1987, Sony had an ES integrated amplifier called the TA-F700ES. I forget which classmate joked that TA-F stood for The Anal Fucker or Tits Ass & Fornication. Anyway, the TA-F700ES had big, easy-to-use knobs. Please, no sex jokes. But it had no remote, no bright multi-colored display, no rosewood side panels. Even if I could afford one, the TA-F700ES' lack of features turned me off.
In 1987, no one had heard of Canada's Simaudio. Or were they called Celeste, back then? I may have had one classmate named Celeste. But that name was better for frozen pizza. Simaudio? Haha, you wouldn't even name your dog or robot that!
In 1987, the Raiders were in Los Angeles, and the NFL was having labor discord. Good news, Raiders and Midnight To Midnight fans. Simaudio's 600i's color scheme is silver and black. Notice that the top plate is no a flat surface. So if you are going to stack something on top of the 600i, beware. Notice that their are ventilation slots. The good news? Not that I ever blast the stereo, but I've never had the 600i run any warmer than cool. The bad news? Dust gets into those rather wide slots. Please, no sex jokes.
Some of you readers are still getting your jollies of that photo of Gwen's bottom. Now please turn your attention to another bottom: that of the 600i. Note that the 600i is almost 20" wide. Therefore, many audio racks will not be able to accommodate it. Note, too, that while the bottom panel is flatter than the top, there are more ventilation slots. So if you are going to ignore the 600i's corner feet, and opt to use your own after-market footers, beware.
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| Ozzy Osbourne's Tribute, a collection of recordings with the late Randy Rhoads, was instrumental in heavy metal's late-80s rebirth. The video for "Crazy Train" was popular on MTV. Once this hit the airwaves, the table was set for other metal acts.
Oh holy hell. Here am I in my Ozzy Osbourne "Tribute" t-shirt. That must have been summer '87, while walking a trail in Honolulu's Makiki heights.
Heavy metal? The Simaudio 600i used to come with the FRM-2 remote. Yes, it is the exact same model, which came with the Andromeda, I-7, P-8, and Supernova I blogged about a few years ago. Yes, it subscribes to the Phillips RC-5 code.
In 1987, Walkmen and Discmen used primarily AA batteries. Remember how quickly the use of the cassette or CD would drain the batteries?
Well, the FRM-2 uses 3 AAA batteries. You will need to use the (supplied) allen key wrench to open and close the battery compartment. The FRM-2's bottom has rubber bumpers, lest the remote scratches the surface you place it on. I recommend pointing the FRM-2 directly at the 600i's remote sensor. Beaming the signal off the walls doesn't usually work. I had the FRM-2 for many months, used it frequently, and didn't have to change the batteries. I'll see how long this FRM-2 lasts 
The 600i comes with manual, "Simlink" cable (for unifying operation of multiple Simaudio components), cone feet and discs, allen key wrench, and powercord.
N.B.: the Simaudio 600i now comes with a so-called FRM-3 backlit remote. I have not yet seen an FRM-3, so I am not at liberty to comment. However, the price of the 600i has also risen. When we got it a couple years ago, it retailed for $8000. With the FRM-3, the 600i now retails for $8500.
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| Think back 25 years to the Spring '87 semester. The Bay Area had hot and sunny weather. Heck, even out at Lowell High School, it was warm and free of fog. In the courtyard, where the modern rock fans liked to hang out, I overheard some of them thinking of a prank. One guy suggested they run out, form a line, and moon. Moon whom, I know not. Then one girl thought about how it'd work, if they could form a human pyramid, and moon.
Back then, Erasure were popular, cornering the synthpop market, after albums from A-Ha (Scoundrel Days), Depeche Mode (Black Celebration), and OMD (The Pacific Age) had run their course. Funny thing is, Erasure had released singles, and weren't banking on album sales. Fueled by "Victim Of Love," Erasure's The Circus started to garner some sales. Nevertheless, The Circus did not sell well, while the singles remained popular.
Since we were in high school, no one had money for stereos. We exhausted our money on Walkmen and the like. Stereo components cost even more than Walkmen. However, some of those modern rock fans were discussing stereos. One guy said a receiver (tuner, preamp, and power amp in one chassis) would provide the biggest bang for the buck. Another guy said that an integrated amp (preamp and power amp in one chassis), by not having a tuner introduce interference, potentially could offer better sound than a receiver. But in those days, a tuner, as a separate component, started around $200. And in those days, the tuner was, at least for many of high school students, the most listened-to source. Therefore, integrated amps just did not make economic sense for us.
What just came back from the moon?
Well, it's not the moon, but Simaudio hail from Canada. Veteran readers of this blog have long read and re-read my posts on the Simaudio Andromeda, I-7, P-8, Supernova, and W-7. I think it's been at least a couple years since I last blogged about a Simaudio product. Well, finally, here is the 600i integrated amp. While most electronics are made in Asia nowadays, the 600i is actually made in Canada.
25 years ago, someone in my homeroom said that "moon" is "moron" without the letter "r." Well, the morons at Simaudio claim that their MOON actually stands for Music, Omega, "O" class stars, Note. God, that is awful. I'm not going to name names, but one of my friends joked that MOON stood for Masturbation, Oral, Orgasm, Nipple. Much better!
Personally, when I considered going from a receiver to separates, I didn't give much attention, weight, or time to integrated amps. In the summer of 1992, when I got my first jobs, I went to Berkeley's dB Audio, and saw what I think was the Creek 6060. I passed on the 6060 [that's story I'll write later this year], but a few years later, when my brother went to UC Davis, I bought him a Creek 4330R. That 4330R was my/our first integrated amp. And over the years, as I reviewed a few more integrated amps, my overall favorite, if forced to choose, became Creek's Destiny. That Destiny integrated amp which you've seen in these pages is now with another audiophile.
So while you are staring at the moon (celestial or human), say hello to the Simaudio Moon 600i.
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