AUDIO Magazin on the Moonriver 404 Reference

Lothar Brandt's verdict in AUDIO 09/2022 lands on the cover headline "Alter Schwede!" — the German exclamation of surprise that doubles as a wink to the Reference's Malmö origins. The 404 Reference, he writes, is a beautiful integrated amplifier in the old-school tradition: four matched rotary controls, two toggle switches, a single power button, an LED that can be dimmed or extinguished, and cherry-wood side panels that lend the chassis weight without ever feeling fussy.

What the Reference upgrades

Compared to the standard 404, the Reference is built around a substantially reinforced power supply. The five secondaries from the toroidal transformer now feed a combined 107,000 µF of reservoir capacitance — up from 57,000 µF — with 21,000 µF dedicated solely to the discrete preamplifier section. Optional MM (€400) or MM/MC (€540) phono boards mount internally; bi-amping is supported via two pre-outs.

“Der seidig-souveräne Klang des Moonriver 404 Reference ist definitiv für Genießer.”

— Lothar Brandt — AUDIO Magazin

How it sounds

Brandt describes a noticeable jump in composure and authority over the standard 404 — Schandmaul's "Knüppel aus dem Sack" and James LaBrie's "Static Impulse" landed on the diaphragm with weight, and Wolfgang Haffner's Dream Band came across as nuanced as it was articulate. Beethoven symphonies at civilised volume revealed the amplifier's real gift: every micro-dynamic step taken by the hand, never glossed. The MM phono board impressed too — "feine, frische Phono-Kunst, die sich da schön transparent eröffnete."

The caveat

Push the Reference past its modest sinus rating — 35/53 W into 8/4 Ω, with music-signal peaks of 40/45/60/70/70 W into 8/6/4/3/2 Ω — and the magic gives way to ugly complaint. Inside its envelope, however, AUDIO's measurement lab confirms a clean, well-behaved amplifier (AUDIO-Kennzahl 48). Outside it, look elsewhere.

Verdict

KLANGTIPP. 125 points for line, 120 for MM. "Highendig überragend" on price-to-performance. Brandt's editor's note seals it: he didn't miss the (then-unavailable) DAC board — that belongs at the source — but the phono stage is enough to convince audiophiles, and the 404 Reference's silky, sovereign sound is unambiguously for connoisseurs. From €4,490 (with MM phono €4,890), distributed by Audio Offensive.