What High-End Audio Design Should Be: Swedish-Made Moonriver Model 404 Integrated Amplifier Features an Immense Power Supply Section, Modular Architecture, Enhanced Chassis, and Spectacular Fidelity

Equipped with a total of 107000uf capacitance in its stunning power-supply section, the Moonriver Model 404 Reference integrated amplifier spurs even hard-to-drive speakers to immense heights and, by association, digs out micro- and macro-detail from your recordings. This aptly badged model showcases tremendous low-end authority and weight; delivers exceptional low-level information retrieval and command; portrays tremendous air and separation between instruments; and reveals tangible texture and atmospherics. Trademarked WBT nextgen speaker terminals further ensure the high-current flow gets where it needs without interference or compromise. 

Hand-assembled in Sweden and designed to reproduce even the faintest nuances of any style of music with tonal balance and effortless ease, Model 404 Reference is a throwback to the days when nearly all high-end audio components were built to last decades and operate with reliability, stability, and ease. Outputting a very conservative 50Wpc into eight ohms, the modular 28.66-pound unit can handle both analog and digital sources — and thereby transmit what’s on your discs, streams, files, and LPs with smile-inducing dynamics, purity, and clarity. And when it comes to the ability to drive even notoriously difficult speakers (ATC, for example), Model 404 Reference doesn't shy away from the challenge. Just wait 'til you hear the results.

Boasting a total of five separate power supplies, each with overload protection, Model 404 Reference acts as a powerhouse on intimate terms with driving loudspeakers to their full potential. A fully discrete preamplifier section, high-output stage optimized for wide bandwidth and ultra-low distortion, and hand-selected parts — including a blue ALPS volume pot, relay signal switches, a 30A relay soft-start circuit that even covers the longevity of the on/off switch — all translate to stunning neutrality, fast transient speed, and black backgrounds. Notably, Model 404 Reference doesn’t use any surface-mount devices in its analog circuitry, instead opting for more expensive and labor-intensive through-hole architecture. 

What’s more, Model 404 Reference touts a few very practical features many modern integrated amplifiers now lack. For starters, you’ll get an in-parallel-implemented balance control that helps you dial in an exacting soundstage with your speakers no matter your room boundaries, furniture array, or wall locations. And you’ll also enjoy the return of a tape monitor loop, which not only provides its fundamental purpose — real-time monitoring of the difference between recorded and source material — but invites you to add a digital or analog room-correction device, buffer, noise-reduction system, or similar component any time you desire. Finally, a stereo/mono switch means you can enjoy your mono recordings as they are meant to be experienced. 

Plus, the 5.3 x 16.9 x 15.4-inch (HWD) Model 404 Reference when it comes to connectivity. Four pairs of RCA line-level inputs, a USB input, and two pairs of preamplifier outputs accompany the aforementioned tape in/output and a phono ground. If you want to easy-to-access phono preamplifier and/or DAC functionality, just add one of the optional Moonriver phono and DAC modules. 

The elegant front panel on 404 Reference hosts four robust aluminum knobs and two switches, all of which just feel good turning and flicking. A vibration-dampening chassis with absorbent materials, integrated mechanical support, and solid walnut side panels — and a three-year manufacturer warranty — round out an integrated that serves as a literal and figurative model for others to follow. 

If fortune or fate has brought you to Model 404 Reference, take the next step and arrange for a risk-free in-home audition. Contact a Music Direct audio consultant at 312-433-0200 for more information. 

“[The] Moonriver 404 Reference integrated may be the longed-for component, just waitin’ round the bend, that transports you to audio nirvana. With dutiful attention to setup and component matching, the Moonriver Model 404 Reference integrated amplifier can deliver Class A sound at a Class B price, and joyful listening.”
—Stereophile, Class A Component 

“If there was any justice, the name Moonriver Audio ought to be mentioned in the same breath as that of many much more widely acclaimed brands. I congratulate the Moonriver team on this achievement – they are going to have their work cut out to produce something better than this.”
—Chris Kelly, The Ear, Editor’s Choice Award

"There's no overt 'hi-finess' here, but instead an honest, rich, and enveloping sound from boogie to sweeping orchestra to sultry jazz. While some will wish for more power, a headphone socket, or even a functioning USB input, the 404 Reference still offers a refreshing alternative to amplifiers with more obvious physical size and swagger.”
—Andrew Everard, Hi-Fi News, Highly Commended review

“I reckon Moonriver Audio's 404 Reference must be one of the best integrated amplifiers currently available. It delivers an outstandingly clear, dynamic, and full-bodied sound, with great timing, plus levels of clarity and refinement that few rival regardless of cost approach. I absolutely loved it. [A] veritable wolf in sheep's clothing, it offers a monstrous musical performance.”
—James Michael Hughes, StereoNet, Applause! Award

“Despite low wattage figures, that combination acts like a muscle amp. High voltage gain means quick torque on the throttle. [In] very meaningful ways, his 404 Reference is what in the natural order of things often becomes the ideal of well traveled audiophiles tired of the endless chase. They want to settle down with something solid, reliable, fully satisfying, and simple.”
—6Moons

“Drum Improvisation is crisp, refreshing, and energetic with contrast between big and small percussion instruments. The soundstage and front-to-back layers are clear. It also makes me think that Model 404 Reference is class AB but it sounds like a class A with higher bias, so it is not only that has delicate tone, but it is also vigorous and lively.”
—Chen Haichuan, HiFi Review

"The 404 Reference model managed to expose fine micro-details and creative, breathtaking depth, towards a calm, quiet, and velvet-black background. This little class AB amplifier delivers all the spellbinding realism and truly tangible sense of presence that is usually reserved in low-power (expensive!) amplifiers with minimum of components in the signal path.”
—Swedish Hifi & Musik 

“The silky, confident sound of the Moonriver 404 Reference is definitely for connoisseurs. The 404 Reference didn't overwhelm the fine, internal dynamic levels and basically took the listener by the hand for every slight increase or decrease. It was a fine, fresh sound that opened up beautifully and transparently.”
—Audio Magazine 

"Consequently, it delivers the most organic tone we have heard from transistors, regardless of price.  The 404 Reference has the freest and clearest flow we've ever heard from a solid-state amplifier. The most natural regeneration of the attack and the erasure, the most realistic performance of the duration and the way each note beats.”
—Sound & Vision HiFi

“I was impressed by the Moonriver 404 Reference’s ability to create a totally rich soundscape while at the same time making it easy to hear every single sonic nuance from every different instrument.”
— Steve Holding, Esoterica

"Taking a $6700 integrated amplifier as an example, the Moonriver Audio Model 404 Reference's performance in terms of music texture, solidity, smoothness, macro- and micro-dynamics is indeed beyond expectations and beyond value.”
— Hi-AV 

“The low frequencies were bouncing shockingly and the sound was more pliable than ever before. Firm, drum-skinned texture, like real, shocking waves in the air. The guitar performance and the bass sound even more lively. The 404 Reference reveals layer by layer the low-frequencies, and enriches the sound. It's the most ‘human’ sound I've heard recently.”
—Hong Ruifeng, Audio Forum Magazine 

"No matter what kind of music you play, the richness, dignifiedness, and stability stand out. The realism of vocals and piano, and the majesty and resolution of the large arrangement are also commendable. Visual satisfaction and sound quality are all grade A.”
—Audio Home Theater