moon 430HA Neo Owner's Manual

430HA Series

Headphone Amplifier

Owner’s Manual

430HA Nēo Series

Owner’s Manual

Important Safety Instructions

1. Read these instructions.

2. Keep these instructions.

3. Heed all warnings.

4. Follow all instructions.

5. Do not use this apparatus near water.

6. Clean only with a dry cloth.

7. Do not block ventilation openings. Install in
accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

8. Do not install near any heat sources such as
radiators, heat registers, stoves or another
apparatus that produces heat.

9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or
grounding type plug. A polarized plug has two
blades with one wider than the other. A grounding­type plug has two blades and a third grounding
prong. The wide blade or the third prong is
provided for safety. If the provided plug does not fit
into the outlet, consult an electrician for
replacement of the obsolete outlet.

10. Protect the power cord from being walked on or
pinched, particularly at plugs, convenience

receptacles, and the point where they exit from the
apparatus. Unplug mains cord during
transportation.

11. Only use attachments and accessories specified by
the manufacturer.

12. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or

table specified by the manufacturer
or sold with the apparatus. When a

cart is used, use caution when
moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid
injury from tip over.

13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or
when unused for long periods of time.

14. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.
Servicing is required when the apparatus has been
damaged in any way, such as when the power cord
or plug has been damaged; liquid has been spilled
or objects have fallen into the apparatus; or the
apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture,
does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

15. No naked flame sources, such as candles, should be
placed on the apparatus.

WARNING:

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT
EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

430HA Nēo Series

Important Safety Instructions (cont’d)

The lightning flash with the arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is
intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within
the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of
electric shock to persons.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the
presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the appliance.

Marking by the “CE” symbol (shown left) indicates compliance of this device with the
EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) and LVD (Low Voltage Directive) standards of the
European Community

Please read all instructions and precautions carefully and completely
before operating your Nēo 430HA Headphone Amplifier.

1. ALWAYS disconnect your entire system from
the AC mains before connecting or
disconnecting any cables, or when cleaning any
component. To completely disconnect this
apparatus from the AC mains, disconnect the
power supply cord plug from the AC receptacle.

2. The

3. AC extension cords are NOT recommended for

4. NEVER use flammable or combustible

5. NEVER operate the

Nēo 430HA must be terminated with a

three-conductor AC mains power cord which
includes an earth ground connection. To
prevent shock hazard, all three connections

must ALWAYS be used. Connect the
430HA only to an AC source of the proper
voltage; Both the shipping box and rear panel
serial number label will indicate the correct
voltage. Use of any other voltage will likely
damage the unit and void the warranty

use with this product. The mains plug of the
power supply cord shall remain readily
accessible.

chemicals for cleaning audio components.

Nēo 430HA with any covers

removed. There are no user-serviceable parts
inside. An open unit, especially if it is still
connected to an AC source, presents a
potentially lethal shock hazard. Refer all
questions to authorized service personnel only.

Nēo

6. NEVER wet the inside of the Nēo 430HA with

any liquid. If a liquid substance does enter your

Nēo 430HA, immediately disconnect it from the

AC mains and take it to your MOON dealer for a
complete check-up.

7. NEVER spill or pour liquids directly onto the

Nēo 430HA.

8. NEVER block air flow through ventilation slots
or heatsinks.

9. NEVER bypass any fuse.

10. NEVER replace any fuse with a value or type
other than those specified

11. NEVER attempt to repair the
problem occurs contact your MOON dealer.

12. NEVER expose the
high or low temperatures.

13. NEVER operate the
atmosphere.

14. ALWAYS keep electrical equipment out of
reach of children.

15. ALWAYS unplug sensitive electronic
equipment during lightning storms.

16. WARNING: Do not expose batteries or battery
pack to excessive heat such as sunshine, or fire
or the like.

Nēo 430HA to extremely

Nēo 430HA in an explosive

Nēo 430HA. If a

Owner’s Manual

Table of Contents

Introduction 6
Unpacking 7
Installation & Placement 7
Front Panel Controls 8
Optional Digital Inputs 10
Rear Panel Connections 10
Balanced Operation 11
SimLink™ 11

Operating the Nēo 430HA

12
Remote Control Operation 13
Specifications 15

www.simaudio.com

Simaudio Ltd., 1345 Newton Road

Boucherville, Québec J4B 5H2 CANADA

Date Code: 20150309

430HA Nēo Series

Introduction

Thank you for selecting the Nēo 430HA Headphone
Amplifier as a part of your hi-fi reproduction system.
This Headphone Amplifier has been designed to offer
state-of-the-art high-end performance in an elegant
package, while retaining all the sonic hallmarks on
which Simaudio has made its reputation. We have
spared no effort to ensure that it is among the finest
headphone amplifiers available. We have been building
high-performance audio equipment for over 30 years,
and the know-how gained through our cumulative
experience is an important reason why MOON
Headphone Amplifiers are so musically satisfying.

The performance of your 430HA will continue to
improve during the first 300 hours of listening. This is
the result of a “break-in” period required for the
numerous high quality electronic parts used
throughout this headphone amplifier.

Before setting up your new Nēo 430HA, we encourage
you to please read this manual thoroughly to properly
acquaint yourself with its features. We hope you enjoy
listening to the Nēo 430HA Headhone Amplifier as
much as the pride we have taken in creating this fine
audio product. We understand the power and emotion
of music and build our products with the goal of
faithfully capturing these elusive qualities.

The information contained in this manual is subject to
change without notice. The most current version of this
manual is available on our official website at
http://www.simaudio.com

Your Nēo 430HA Headphone Amplifier incorporates
many significant design features to achieve its “world­class” level of performance. This is an abbreviated list of
the more important features:

Fully balanced, pure analog amplifier includes a discrete

transconductance circuit topology

Selectable gain setting (14d or 20dB)

Defeatable analog Crossfeed circuit for better

'spacialization' and listening comfort

Balanced Outputs hidden behind sliding front panel window
(2x 3-pin XLR, 1x 4-pin XLR), as well as a 1/4" TRS jack, and
both fixed & variable line-level single-ended RCA stereo pairs

An oversized power supply using 2 toroidal transformers in
conjunction with 8 stages of DC voltage regulation

4 stages of our M-LoVo (MOON Low Voltage) DC regulation
circuit; a highly sophisticated circuit that is virtually free of
noise, yielding an exceptionally fast, precise, and stable DC
voltage. This circuit, found in the Evolution series 810LP
Phono Preamplifier and 740P Preamplifier, results in a power
supply with a virtually unmeasureable noise floor

M-eVOL2 volume control circuit using MDAC's (operating in a
current steering R-2R configuration) which alter the audio
signal's amplitude, yielding no sonic degradation of the signal,
regardless of the selected volume setting. This circuit offers
530 steps and channel matching of 0.1dB

Optional Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) with four (4)
digital inputs (S/PDIF x 2, TosLink x 1 & USB x 1) allowing for
use with virtually any digital source; Supports DSD64, DSD128
and DSD256 (USB input only); Supports PCM 16/44.4kHz to
24/192kHz (all inputs) and up to PCM 32/384kHz (USB input
only)

EuP compatible eco-friendly power (less than 0.5W) in
standby mode with defeatable 20 minutes inactivity "auto
shut off"

12 Volt trigger output for remote operations

RS-232 port for (i) full unsolicited bidirectional feedback and

(ii) firmware updates

IR input for external control

SimLink™ controller port for 2-way communications with

other compatible MOON components

Rigid chassis construction to minimize the effects of external
vibrations

Optimized selection of very high quality electronic
components

Low operating temperature for an ultra-long life
expectancy..

6