Simaudio Moon 110LP Owner Manual

Owner’s Manual

MOON

Series

110LP

Phono Preamplifier

MOON 110LP Phono Preamplifier

Table of Contents

Congratulations ............................................... 3

Unpacking and Warnings ................................... 3

Introduction .................................................... 4

Installation & Placement ................................... 4

Circuit Board Layout ......................................... 5

Internal Adjustments ........................................ 6

Rear Panel Connections ..................................... 7

Operating the 110LP ......................................... 8

Specifications .................................................. 8

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Date Code: 20140930

MOON 110LP Phono Preamplifier

Congratulations!

Thank you for selecting the MOON 110LP Phono Preamplifier as a part of your music/cinema system. This component 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 amongst
preamplifiers available. We have been building high-performance audio equipment for over 25 years, and the know-how
gained through our cumulative experience is an important reason why MOON audio components are so musically satisfying.

The performance of your 110LP will continue to improve during the first 300 hours of listening. This is the result of a “break­in” period required for the numerous high quality electronic parts used throughout this phono preamplifier.

Before setting up your new MOON 110LP, we encourage you to please read this manual thoroughly to properly acquaint
yourself with its features. We hope you enjoy listening to the MOON 110LP Phono Preamplifier 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

the finest

phono

Unpacking

The MOON 110LP Phono Preamplifier should be removed from its box with care.

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

9

External AC power supply

9

Quick Reference Guide

9

5/64” Allen key to remove the chassis cover and make internal adjustments

9

As soon as the phono preamplifier is safely removed from its box and placed down, perform a thorough physical inspection
and report any physical damage to your dealer immediately
in a safe, dry place in the event that you’re required to transport this product. The customized packaging is specially designed
to protect the MOON 110LP Phono Preamplifier from potential damage that may occur during shipping.

Product Registration Information

. We suggest that you keep all of the original packaging, storing it

Please write the serial number of your new Simaudio MOON 110LP in the space provided below for future reference.

Serial No.: ________________

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Congratulations / Unpacking 3

MOON 110LP Phono Preamplifier

Introduction

Your MOON 110LP Phono Preamplifier incorporates many significant design features to achieve its “world class” level of
performance. This is an abbreviated list of the more important features:

End-user adjustable impedance loading (100 and 47k ohms).

End-user adjustable capacitance loading (0 and 100pF).

End-user adjustable gain settings for moving magnet (40dB) and moving coil cartridges (60dB).

Two-layer PCB tracings using pure copper for low impedance characteristics. The advantages include better circuit
layouts resulting in a much shorter signal path and a vastly improved signal-to-noise ratio.

Inductive DC Filtering for a significantly lower noise floor.

Accurate matching of military-grade components with ultra-tight tolerances using surface-mount technology for
extremely short signal paths.

Compact, rigid all-aluminum chassis with gold-plated RCA connectors.

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

Low operating temperature for a longer than normal life expectancy.

Installation & Placement

The MOON 110LP 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 this component’s performance and reliability.

place another component directly on top of this phono preamplifier.

The 110LP is more sensitive than most other types of audio components to EMI (electro-magnetic interference) from power
supplies and motors. Consequently, it should be placed at a minimum distance of 18 inches from power supplies, turntables,
tape decks, AC line filters, etc.

IMPORTANT: A turntable with a functional cartridge MUST be connected to the MOON 110LP Phono

Preamplifier prior to connecting the AC power cord, otherwise you may damage your
amplifier and/or loudspeakers.

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Introduction / Installation & Placement 4

You should never

MOON 110LP Phono Preamplifier

Circuit Board Layout

A B A B

C

Figure 1: MOON 110LP Circuit Board layout

Available Adjustments:

A – Capacitance loading jumper

B – Resistance loading jumper

C – Gain level jumper

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Circuit Board Layout 5

C

MOON 110LP Phono Preamplifier

Internal Adjustments

There are three (3) types of input adjustments available on the MOON 110LP Phono Preamplifier allowing you to configrue it
for either a moving magnet or moving coil cartridge; Capacitance loading, Resistance loading and Gain level. Each adjustment
is made through the use of jumpers. For each type of adjustment, there are 2 banks of jumpers – one each for the left and
right channels. This is the result of the 110LP’s genuine mirror-image circuit design which yields exceptional stereo
separation.

Always disconnect your 110LP from either your preamplifier or integrated amplifier prior to changing any of the following
input settings. Then disconnect the external AC power supply from the rear of the MOON 110LP

There are a total of four (4) screws on the rear side of the chassis that you must remove using the included allen-key. Once
these screws are removed, carefully slide off the chassis cover. Once the cover is removed, you are ready to make all of the
necessary internal adjustments to the 110LP to achieve optimal sonic performance.

Moving Magnet Cartridge Loading:

There are two (2) different settings available for each the resistive load and capacitive load; One for moving magnet (MM)
cartridges and moving coil cartridges (MC). The 110LP has a factory default setting for an MM cartridge (refer to figure 2).
The capacitance is set to 100pF, whereby both of the jumpers are mounted into the two right-most pins in socket C9 (left
channel) and socket C17 (right channel). The resisitance is set to 47kΩ, whereby both of the jumpers are mounted into the
two left-most pins in socket R9 (left channel) and socket R24 (right channel).

Figure 2: Left and right channel jumper banks for moving magnet (default) loading adjustments

The gain setting for an MM cartridge should be 40dB (refer to figure 3), whereby the jumpers are mounted into the right-most
pins for socket J17 (left channel) and socket J22 (right channel).

Figure 3: Left and right channel jumper banks for moving magnet (default) gain adjustment

The capacitance, resistance and gain setting sockets for each channel must always have a jumper inserted into them,
otherwise the 110LP will not produce an output signal. As well, you should always maintain the same settings for both
channels, otherwise sound will vary significantly between the left and right channels of your audio system.

Moving Coil Cartridge Loading:

To configure your MOON 110LP for use with a moving coil (MC) cartridge (refer to figure 4), we recommend setting the
capacitance to 0pF, whereby both of the jumpers are mounted into the two left-most pins in socket C9 (left channel) and
socket C17 (right channel). The resisitance must be set to 100Ω, whereby both of the jumpers are mounted into the two
right-most pins in socket R9 (left channel) and socket R24 (right channel).

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Internal Settings 6

MOON 110LP Phono Preamplifier

Internal Adjustments (cont’d)

Figure 4: Left and right channel jumper banks for moving coil loading adjustments

The gain setting for an MC cartridge should be 60dB (refer to figure 5), whereby the jumpers are mounted into the left-most
pins for socket J17 (left channel) and socket J22 (right channel).

Figure 5: Left and right channel jumper banks for moving coil gain adjustment

Rear Panel Connections

Figure 6: MOON 110LP Rear panel

The rear panel will look similar to Figure 6 (above). There is one pair of single-ended inputs on RCA connectors located in the
center with a ground post directly above. Connect the cables from your turntable to these inputs and the ground lead wire to
the ground post. There is one pair of single-ended outputs on RCA connectors located to the left of the inputs. Using a pair of
RCA terminated interconnect cables, connect these to your preamplifier/integrated amplifier. Don’t hesitate to use high
quality interconnects. Poor quality cables can degrade the overall sonic performance of your system. Finally, on the right side
is the power supply input connector, labeled “18VDC INPUT” for use with the included power supply.

All rear panel connectors on the MOON 110LP have been chosen because they provide the best possible connections for
your unit. A poor contact will degrade the signal substantially, and plugs and sockets should all look clean and free of dirt and
corrosion. The easiest way to clean them is to remove the cables from their sockets and push them back in again. This
procedure requires that your Phono Preamplifier and the rest of your components be completely turned off. Not heeding this
warning may result in serious damage to your equipment. Special contact cleaning fluids and enhancers should not be used,
as they deposit a difficult to remove residue which can degrade the performance of your components over the long term.

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Internal Settings / Rear Panel Connections 7

MOON 110LP Phono Preamplifier

Operating the 110LP

We recommend that you leave your MOON 110LP Phono Preamplifier powered up at all times to maintain optimal
performance. In the event that you plan to be away from your home for a few days, powering off the Phono Preamplifier may
not be a bad idea. Once fully “broken-in”, please keep in mind that your 110LP will require several hours of playing time
before it reaches its peak performance after you’ve powered it up again.

cartridge MUST be connected to the MOON 110LP prior to connecting the AC power cord, otherwise you may damage your
amplifier and/or loudspeakers.

Making the AC Connection

For the best sonic performance, it is preferable that you plug your MOON 110LP power supply directly into a dedicated AC
outlet and avoid using an extension cord. Then connect the terminated end of the power supply cord to the input labeled
12VDC, located on the rear panel of the phono preamplifier’s chassis. In order to obtain the maximum performance from your
audio system, we strongly recommend that the power supply cord not come into physical contact with any of the interconnect
cables running to and from your 110LP. In the event that this can’t be avoided, you should ensure that any cables coming
into contact with each other are crossed at ninety degree angle to minimize the contact area.

Powering up your MOON 110LP for the first time

Since this Phono Preamplifier is not equipped with an on/off power switch, when connecting/disconnecting the AC power
cord you are actually turning the unit on/off. Prior to making the AC connection for the first time, make sure that every
cable is properly connected to avoid any problems. Once the 110LP is connected to an AC source, The blue LED on the
unit’s front panel will illuminate.

On and Off Sequence

To avoid having any annoying noises (ie. “thumps” and “pops”) emanate from your speakers when powering your 110LP on
or off, you should i) Always power up your 110LP before powering up your preamplifier and/or integrated amplifier and ii)
always power down your 110LP after powering down your preamplifier and/or integrated amplifier.

IMPORTANT: A turntable with a functional

Specifications

Circuit Layout ................................................................... Mirror-image symmetrical circuit

Single-ended inputs ........................................................... 1 pair (RCA)

Input Impedance - Adjustable ........................................... 100 and 47kΩ

Input Capacitance - Adjustable .......................................... 0 and 100pF

Single-ended output ......................................................... 1 pair (RCA)

Gain – Adjustable ............................................................. 40 and 60dB

Input overload @ 40dB gain / 60dB gain ........................... 45mV RMS @ 1kHz / 4.5mV RMS @ 1kHz

Signal-to-noise Ratio (full scale @ 40dB gain / 60dB gain) .. 104dBr / 87dBr

Maximum Output (1kHz @ 10KΩ)....................................... 3.0 Volts

Frequency Response........................................................... 20Hz - 20kHz (± 0.5dB)

Crosstalk @ 1kHz ............................................................. -97dB

Intermodulation Distortion ................................................ < 0.009%

THD (20Hz - 20kHz) ........................................................ < 0.001%

Power Consumption ........................................................... 2 Watts

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

Shipping Weight ............................................................... 2.5 lbs / 1.1 Kgs

Dimensions (W x H x D, inches) ....................................... 5.0 x 2.9 x 6.5

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Operating the 110LP / Specifications 8