Simaudio Evolution 880M Owner Manual

Owner’s Manual

Evolution Series

880M

Reference Mono Power Amplifier

880M Reference Mono Power Amplifier

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 grounding-type 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.

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880M Reference Mono Power Amplifier

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 Simaudio MOON 880M Mono Power 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 suppy cord plug from the AC receptacle.

2. The MOON 880M must be terminated with a three-conductor AC mains power cord which includes a
protective earthing connection. To prevent shock hazard, all three connections must ALWAYS be used.
Connect the MOON 880M 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

3. AC extension cords are NOT recommended for use with this product. The mains plug of the power supply
cord shall remain readily accessible.

4. NEVER use flammable or combustible chemicals for cleaning audio components.

5. NEVER operate the MOON 880M 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.

6. NEVER wet the inside of the MOON 880M with any liquid. If a liquid substance does enter your 880M,
immediately disconnect it from the AC mains and take it to your MOON dealer for a complete check-up.

7. NEVER expose the MOON 880M to dripping or splashing of liquids and no objects filled with liquids, such as
vases, shall be placed on top.

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 MOON 880M. If a problem occurs contact your MOON dealer.

12. NEVER expose the MOON 880M to extremely high or low temperatures.

13. NEVER operate the MOON 880M in an explosive 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.

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880M Reference Mono Power Amplifier

Table of Contents

Introduction ..................................................... 6

Unpacking........................................................ 7

Installation & Placement ................................... 7

Rear Panel Layout ............................................ 8

Connecting the 880M......................................... 9

Balanced Operation ........................................... 9

Operating the 880M......................................... 10

Troubleshooting ............................................ 10

Remote Operation ..........................................11

Specifications ................................................ 12

www.simaudio.com

Simaudio Ltd., 1345 Newton Road

Boucherville, Quebec J4B 5H2 CANADA

Date Code: 20140909

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880M Reference Mono Power Amplifier

Introduction

Thank you for selecting the MOON 880M Mono
power amplifier as a part of your hi-fi reproduction
system. This power 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 two-channel 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
amplifiers are so musically satisfying.

The performance of your 880M 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 amplifier.

Before setting up your new MOON 880M, we
encourage you to please read this manual
thoroughly to properly acquaint yourself with its
features. We hope you enjoy listening to the
MOON 880M Mono power 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 MOON 880M Mono Power Amplifier incorporates many significant design features to achieve its “world­class” level of performance. This is an abbreviated list of the more important features:

Proprietary “Lynx” Technology which eliminates
feedback. The results are: Real-time amplification is
achieved since interactions from the speaker back to the
amplifier are virtually eliminated; More accurate musical
reproduction with respect to tonality; Virtually non­existent transient intermodulation distortion (which is far
more degrading to sonic performance than harmonic
distortion); The elimination of common phase errors
resulting from feedback.

A custom proprietary toroidal transformer design
with lower magnetic, electrical and thermal loss, yielding
an improved power transfer and lower regulation factor,
resulting in increased current speed and better dynamics.

Fully balanced differential circuitry up to the output
stage.

Output stable to any known speaker impedance.

Class A output to 10 watts for greater efficiency.

RS-232 port for i) full unsolicited bidirectional feedback

in custom installation setups and ii) firmware updates.

An oversized power supply.

An exceptionally short signal path for a faster
transient response.

Precision matched and fully decoupled proprietary
MOON Bipolar Output transistors with unprecedented
gain linearity resulting in improved bass response and
even more accurate sonic reproduction.

A high damping factor which yields superior musical
dynamics, improved signal speed and refined timbre
accuracy.

Ultra rigid chassis construction to minimize the effects
of external vibrations.

Designed to be powered up at all times for optimal
performance.

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6

880M Reference Mono Power Amplifier

Unpacking

The MOON 880M power amplifier should be removed from its crate with care.

The following accessories should be included inside the box with your amplifier:

9

AC power cable

9

This owner’s manual

9

Warranty and product registration information (USA and Canada only)

Once the 880M is unpacked, inspect it thoroughly
and report any damage to your dealer immediately.
We suggest that you keep all of the original
packaging, storing it in a safe, dry place in case

Please write the serial number of your new MOON 880M in the space provided below for future reference.

Serial No.: ________________

you’re required to transport this product. The
customized packaging is specially designed to
protect the 880M from any potential damage during
transit.

Installation & Placement

The MOON 880M Mono power amplifier is both
powerful and heavy. It requires reasonable
ventilation to maintain an optimum and consistent
operating temperature, especially since it will radiate
heat when driven hard. Consequently, it should be
placed in a location with empty space around it for
proper heat dissipation. You should never place
another component on top of this amplifier. As well,
the amplifier should be placed on a solid level
surface. You should avoid placing it near a heat
source or inside a closed cabinet that is not well
ventilated as this could compromise the amplifier’s
performance and reliability. The 880M uses two
large toroidal transformers in its power supply; even
though they are well shielded, you should not place

this amplifier too close to source components
sensitive to EMI, such as turntables, phono
preamplifiers and CD Players.

If the surface you have chosen isn’t perfectly level,
each of the four (4) cones of your 880M are height
adjustable; carefully using your fingers, you can
either raise each leg by turning the cone underneath
clockwise, or lower each leg by turning it
counterclockwise.

We strongly recommend that you leave these cones
mounted to the component at all times for reasons
related to both performance and aesthetics.

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880M Reference Mono Power Amplifier

Rear Panel Layout

Figure 1: Rear panel of Moon 880M Mono Amplifier

The rear panel will look similar to Figure 1 (above).
There is one balanced (differential) input on an XLR
connector and one unbalanced (single-ended) input
on a RCA connector. There is no switch to toggle
from balanced mode to single-ended mode. You
may operate the amplifier in either mode, but only
one mode at one time. When you’re using the
balanced XLR input, you must first remove the

factory installed “dummy” XLR jumper (see
figure 2 below) from the back panel XLR connector
and store it in a safe place. This jumper is required
ONLY when using the single-ended RCA input. If
you decide to switch to single-ended input mode,
you must reinstall the XLR jumper (between pins 1
and 3) exactly as show below:

Figure 2: XLR connector without and with jumper accessory

There are two pairs of heavy duty gold-plated
speaker binding posts to accommodate bi-wiring.

The upper mid-section has an RS-232 input on a
DB9 connector. To the right of this connector are
two 12 Volt triggers, each on a 1/8” mini-jack; one

input and one output, the latter for use in the event
that wish you to “daisy chain” a second power
amplifier on the same trigger circuit. The lower mid­section has from left to right; the “AC Fuse” socket
cover; the power “main switch”; and the “AC Input”
IEC receptacle for the power cord.

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8

880M Reference Mono Power Amplifier

Connecting the 880M

Prior to making any connections or removing the
XLR jumpers, the power amplifier must be turned off
and the AC cable disconnected for at least 1 minute.

1. Connect the input cables running from your
preamplifier’s outputs, whether balanced or
single-ended, to the amplifier’ s XLR or RCA
input, respectively. We highly recommend that
you use the balanced XLR input (provided that
your preamplifier has balanced outputs) to take
full advantage of 880M Power Amplifier’s
capabilities. Please refer to the next section,
“Balanced Operation” on for further information.

not connect cables to both the XLR and

Do
RCA inputs at the same time. Damage to
both the MOON 880M and the connected
equipment can result that is not covered
by warranty.

Don’t hesitate to use a high quality interconnect

cable*. A poor quality interconnect cable can
degrade the overall sonic performance of your
system. It is recommended, though not
mandatory, to use balanced interconnects
between your preamplifier and the MOON
880M when using long cable runs (i.e. more
than 3 meters in length).

2. Connect your speaker, with the cable of your
choice, to the MOON 880M’s speaker binding
posts. Take care to respect the polarity (“+” , “­” ) of the outputs. Once again, don’t hesitate to
use high quality speaker cables*. Poor quality
speaker cables can degrade the overall sonic
performance of your system. Both pairs of
speaker connectors are internally connected
together. Consequently, it doesn’t matter which
pair you use.

3. Connect the supplied AC power cable to the IEC
receptacle, located on the amplifier’s rear panel.
Ensure that the AC wall outlet you use has a
functioning ground. For the best sonic
performance, it is preferable that you plug your
MOON 880M directly into a dedicated AC outlet
and avoid using an extension cord. If you have
the time and willingness, consider installing a
superior quality AC wall outlet such as a hospital
grade Hubbell*.

* Please speak with your MOON Authorized Retailer
about the benefits of high quality cables for your
system, and superior quality AC wall outlet.

Balanced Operation

When using an unbalanced interconnect, the audio
signal runs through both the center wire and the
shield/ground wire. Any noise picked up by this
interconnect (ie. nearby magnetic fields such as an
AC power cord) will be reproduced by the amplifier
and heard through the loudspeakers. Conversely, a
balanced interconnect has three separate
conductors; one for the ground and two for the
actual signal. These two signals are identical except
that one is 180 degrees out of phase with the other.

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For example, when one conductor is carrying a
signal of +5 Volts, the other will be carrying a signal
of –5 Volts. When these two inverted signals on a
balanced line are input into a differential power
amplifier such as the MOON 880M, any noise
picked up by the interconnect will be eliminated
since a differential circuit amplifies only the
difference between these two signals: Noise on a
balanced interconnect will be equal on both
conductors and therefore cancel out.

9

880M Reference Mono Power Amplifier

Operating the 880M

We recommend leaving your 880M powered up at
all times to maintain optimal performance. When
you plan on being away for a few days, it may not
be a bad idea to power off your amplifier. Please

Turning on your MOON 880M for the first time

Prior to turning the amplifier on for the first time,
make sure that every cable is properly connected to
avoid any problems. Then turn on your preamplifier
connected to the 880M. Flick the main rocker
switch, located on the rear panel, labeled “POWER”
to the ‘1’ (on) position. The blue LED on the front
panel will blink for up to 10 seconds while it
achieves standby mode. When it stops blinking and

On and Off Sequence

To avoid having any annoying noises (ie. “thumps”
and “pops”) emanate from your speakers when
powering your 880M on or off, you should always

keep in mind that once fully “broken-in”, your
880M requires several hours of operation before
reaching optimal performance after powering it up
again.

is not illuminated, your 880M is in standby mode.
Next, briefly press the push button labeled
“Standby” located on the front panel. You will hear a
very faint click sound confirming that everything is in
order. The blue LED on the front panel will
illuminate, indicating that the 880M is now powered
up and ready for use.

power up your preamplifier prior to powering up
your 880M. As well, always power down your
880M prior to powering down your preamplifier.

Troubleshooting

The blue LED located on the front panel also
indicates the operational status of your MOON

880M

blinking on and off during use, the circuitry is either
over-heating or has detected the presence of DC in
the input signal:

Your MOON 880M is a “smart” power amplifier
equipped with a self-diagnostic system that will
automatically shut itself down when it detects DC
(direct current) from any input. If your 880M
power amplifier turns itself off or will not power up,
there may very well be DC present in one (or more)
of the amplifier’s inputs coming from one (or more)
of your preamplifier/processor’s outputs or
connected source components. You must determine
if there is any DC present. The best way to
accomplish this is by first powering down the 880M
via the main power rocker switch, then physically
removing all inputs to the 880M leaving only the
speakers connected. Attempt to power up your

Mono power amplifier. When the LED starts

Left Channel DC protection ............ LED blinks 2 times

Right Channel DC protection .......... LED blinks 3 times

Left Channel Over-heating .............. LED blinks 4 times

Right Channel Over-heating ........... LED blinks 5 times

Unknown Problem ......................... LED blinks 6 times

880M again: A successful power up will indicate the
presence of DC coming from your preamplifier or
one of your signal sources (ie. CD Player).

If your 880M still doesn’t power up, turn off the
main power switch and check the AC fuse. If the
fuse appears OK, put it back in its socket and then
try to power up again the usual way. If the fuse is
blown, replace it with a fuse of the same rating, and
repeat the above process. At this point, you should
be able to power up your 880M. If not, immediately
consult your dealer for assistance.

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10

880M Reference Mono Power Amplifier

Remote Operation

Figure 3: Remote Operation with 12V Trigger

In figure 3 we have a 850P Preamplifier and a pair
of 880M amplifiers connected together via their
respective 12V triggers; The 12V trigger output on
the 850P is connected to the 12V trigger input on
the top 880M (using a 1/8” mini-jack cable). The
12V trigger output from this 880M connects to the

Figure 4: Remote Operation with 12V Trigger

In figure 4 we have a 850P Preamplifier and a pair
of 880M amplifiers. Each of the two 12V trigger
outputs on the 850P are connected to the 12V
trigger inputs on each 880M (using a 1/8” mini-jack

12V trigger input on the bottom 880M (also using a
1/8” mini-jack cable). When you turn on the 850P
via remote control (or its Standby button), both
880M’s will turn on automatically. The same rule
applies when you put the 850P into Standby mode.

cable). When you turn on the 850P via remote
control (or its Standby button), both 880M’s will
turn on automatically. The same rule applies when
you put the 850P into Standby mode.

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11

880M Reference Mono Power Amplifier

Specifications

Configuration ................................................ Mono

Power Supply Transformers ............................ 2 x 1.3kVA

Power Supply Capacitance ............................. 260,000µF

Class Of Operation ........................................ A/AB

Design ........................................................... Fully Balanced Differential

Input Impedance .......................................... 47,500Ω

Input Sensitivity ............................................ 2250mV

Output Device Type ....................................... Bipolars - 32

Output Power at 8Ω ...................................... 800 Watts

Output Power at 4Ω ..................................... 1600 Watts

Frequency Response ...................................... 10Hz - 200kHz +0/-3dB

Output Impedance ........................................ 0.004Ω

Damping Factor (static) ................................ 2000

Gain ............................................................. 31dB

Signal-to-noise Ratio ..................................... > 106dB @ full power

Maximum Output Voltage ............................... 80 Volts

Slew Rate ..................................................... 70V/µs

Maximum Current – Peak ............................... 100 amperes

Maximum Current – Continuous ...................... 42 amperes

Intermodulation Distortion ............................. Unmeasureable

THD (20Hz - 20kHz @ 1 watt) ....................... < 0.015 %

THD (20Hz - 20kHz @ 800 watts) .................. < 0.04 %

Power Consumption @ idle ............................. 48 Watts

AC Power Requirements ................................. 120V / 60Hz or 240V / 50Hz

Shipping Weight ............................................ 150 lbs / 67 Kgs

Dimensions (W x H x D, inches) ..................... 18.75 x 7.5 x 17.5

Balanced Pin Assignment:

Pin 1........................... Ground

Pin 2........................... Positive

Pin 3 .......................... Negative

12 Volt Trigger: Logic........................... Direct (0V off, 12V on)

Jack............................ 3.5mm microphone jack

Input Impedance ......... 1kΩ

Current Consumption ... 12mA

NOTE: If you require the RS-232 codes for your 880M, please visit the "Contact Us" page

and complete the "Information request" form on our website at www.simaudio.com.

Fuse Replacement: For the 120V version use a 10A fast blow (3AG size).
For the 230V version use a 5A fast blow (3AG size).

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