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Moon 491 Pre-amp streamer
Performance and Reliability
The MOON 491 is built to manage digital and analog sources with precision, stability, and control.
At its core is MiND 2, MOON’s proprietary network streaming platform. The 491 uses the UPnP protocol, is Roon Ready, and supports Apple AirPlay, Bluetooth, Qobuz Connect, Spotify Connect, and TIDAL Connect. With the MOON MiND Controller app for iOS and Android, listeners can access major music services including Qobuz, TIDAL, Deezer, and Spotify.
The 491 also integrates MOON Hybrid Power, a proprietary power supply architecture designed to deliver ultra-stable, very low-noise DC power. Operating at switching frequencies beyond the audio band, it helps protect sensitive audio circuits and contributes to a lower noise floor.
Its DAC section uses two ESS 9039Q2M converters in dual-mono mode, paired with a precision clock and a refined output stage. This architecture supports stable, precise, and detailed digital-to-analog conversion.
As with all MOON products, the 491 is backed by a 10-year warranty.
Experience and Design
The 491 is designed to feel natural from the first interaction.
Its large colour display clearly shows volume, album artwork, and essential system information. Front-panel controls provide direct access to key functions, while the CRM-4 aluminum remote, the MiND app, and compatible streaming service interfaces give listeners multiple ways to control playback.
With its iconic black MOON chassis, bead-blasted aluminum cheeks in black or silver, and timeless design language, the 491 brings a quiet, refined presence to any listening space. It is designed to sit at the centre of a high-end audio system without making the experience feel complicated.
Sound
The MOON 491 is designed to preserve signal integrity with clarity, refinement, and coherence.
Its integrated phono stage supports both MM and MC cartridges, with menu-configurable settings for impedance, capacitance, gain, and equalization curves. This adaptability allows the phono stage to be optimized for different cartridges while preserving the richness and immediacy of vinyl playback.
As a network player, preamplifier, DAC, phono stage, and headphone amplifier, the 491 brings every source into a coherent listening experience. Paired with the MOON 461 power amplifier, it forms the highest-performing system in the Compass Collection.
Reviews
"Control, articulation, cleanliness, and dynamic confidence define this system, and the family resemblance is deliberate: Simaudio built the Compass Collection around one sound and executes it with conviction at every level of the range. The separates add their refinements quietly, through microdynamics, much improved quiet-hour listenability, headroom, and a darker background, and they leave the identity untouched. We admire a company that knows exactly who it is" read the review in SoundNews.net
Specifications
- Is a Streamer: ✅ Yes Moon Mind streamer built in
- DAC: (x2) ESS 9039Q2M in a dual-mono configuration
- Clock: ✅ Yes
- Bit Rate Capability: 32 bit/768 kHz
- USB Input for Computer: ❌ No
- USB host Input for Attached Storage: ✅ Yes
- HDMI ARC Input: ✅ Yes
- Digital out: ✅ Yes Opt (1) Coax (1) HDMI (1)
- Phono in ✅ Yes - MC and MM
- Advanced Phono mode ✅ Yes - gain selectable at 40, 54, 60, or 66 dB, impedance loading at 47 kΩ, 1 kΩ, 470 Ω, 100 Ω, or 10 Ω, capacitance at 0, 100, or 470 pF
- Analog input - ✅ Yes RCA (1) and XLR (1)
- Digital Inputs: Coax (1), Toslink (1) AES (1)
- Headphone Amp: ✅ Yes dedicated headphone amp - 6.35 mm TRS headphone output on front panel
- Variable Audio Out: ✅ Yes
- Home theater bypass ✅ Yes - on all analog inputs
- Subwoofer Out: ✅ Yes - variable analog out, not configurable
- Roon Ready: ✅ Yes
- Remote Control: ✅ Yes Moon CRM-4 machined from Aluminum remote included
- Input Sensitivity 0.3 V – 5 V
- Input Impedance 22 kΩ
- Gain 10 dB
- Frequency Response 10 Hz – 200 kHz +0.5/-3.0 dB
- Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise 0.0004%
- Intermodulation Distortion 0.0004%
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio 120 dB
- Crosstalk –108 dB
- Dimensions (width x height x depth) 16.9x3.5x14.1 in / 42.9x8.7x35.7 cm
- Shipping Weight 20 lbs
- Input Sensitivity 0.3 V – 5 V
- Input Impedance 22 kΩ
- Gain 10 dB
- Frequency Response 10 Hz – 200 kHz +0.5/-3.0 dB
- Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise 0.0004%
- Intermodulation Distortion 0.0004%
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio 120 dB
- Crosstalk –108 dB
- Dimensions (width x height x depth) 16.9x3.5x14.1 in / 42.9x8.7x35.7 cm
- Shipping Weight 20 lbs / 9 kg
- Warranty 10 years
