Simaudio Neo 330A Owner Manual

Owner’s Manual

Series

330A

Power Amplifier

330A 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.

____________________________________________________________________________________

330A 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 Nēo MOON 330A 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 supply cord plug from the AC receptacle.

2. The MOON 330A 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
MOON 330A 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 330A 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 330A with any liquid. If a liquid substance does enter your MOON
330A, immediately disconnect it from the AC mains and take it to your MOON dealer for a complete check­up.

7. NEVER spill or pour liquids directly onto the MOON 330A.

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 330A. If a problem occurs contact your MOON dealer.

12. NEVER expose the MOON 330A to extremely high or low temperatures.

13. NEVER operate the MOON 330A 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.

____________________________________________________________________________________

330A Power Amplifier

Table of Contents

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

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

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

Rear Panel Layout ............................................ 9

Connecting the 330A ........................................ 9

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

Bridged-Mono Operation ................................. 10

Operating the 330A ........................................ 11

Remote Operation .......................................... 12

Specifications ................................................ 13

www.simaudio.com

Simaudio Ltd., 1345 Newton Road

Boucherville, Quebec J4B 5H2 CANADA

Date Code: 20140909

____________________________________________________________________________________

330A Power Amplifier

Introduction

Thank you for selecting the Nēo 330A 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 330A 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 Nēo 330A, we
encourage you to please read this manual
thoroughly to properly acquaint yourself with its
features. We hope you enjoy listening to the Nēo
330A 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 Nēo 330A Power Amplifier incorporates many significant design features to achieve its “world-class” level
of performance. This is an abbreviated list of the more important features:

Proprietary “Advanced Rennaisance” Technology
which eliminates feedback. The results are: Real-time
amplification, more accurate musical reproduction and
the elimination of transient intermodulation distortion.

Balanced differential circuitry.

Proprietary MOON Bipolar Output transistors with
unprecedented gain linearity resulting in improved bass
response and even more accurate sonic reproduction.

Class A output to 5 watts for greater efficiency.

An exceptionally short signal path for a faster
transient response.

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

RS-232 port for i) full unsolicited bidirectional
feedback in custom installation setups and ii) firmware
updates.

12 Volt Trigger input and output.

Rigid chassis construction to minimize the effects of

external vibrations.

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

Low operating temperature for an ultra-long life
expectancy.

____________________________________________________________________________________

6

330A Power Amplifier

Unpacking

The Nēo 330A Power Amplifier should be removed from its box 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 Nēo 330A 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 you’re required to
transport this product. The customized packaging is specially designed to protect the 330A from any potential
damage during transit.

Please write the serial number of your new Nēo 330A in the space provided below for future reference.

Serial No.: ________________

Installation & Placement

The Nēo 330A Power Amplifier 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 integrated
amplifier. As well, it 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 330A uses a large
toroidal transformer in its power supply; even
though it is well shielded, you should not place this
power amplifier too close to source components
sensitive to EMI, such as turntables, phono
preamplifiers and CD Players. Finally, y

ou should
never place another component directly on top of
this power amplifier.

____________________________________________________________________________________

7

330A Power Amplifier

Rear Panel Layout

Figure 1: Rear panel of Nēo 330A Power Amplifier

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

first remove the factory installed “dummy”
XLR jumpers (see figure 2 below) from the back

panel XLR connectors and store them in a safe
place. This jumper is required ONLY when using the
single-ended RCA inputs. When you decide to switch
to single-ended input mode, you must reinstall the
XLR jumpers (between pins 1 and 3) exactly as
shown below:

Figure 2: XLR connector without and with jumper accessory

The left side of the rear panel has a pair of 12 Volt
triggers, each on a 1/8” mini-jack; one input and
one output, the latter for use if you need to “daisy
chain” a second power amplifier on the same trigger
circuit. Immediately to the right of these 12V
triggers is an RS-232 input on a DB9 connector.

____________________________________________________________________________________

In the middle of the rear panel you will find a two
(2) pairs of heavy duty gold-plated speaker binding
posts – one pair each for the left and right channels.

On the far right side, you will find (from top to
bottom); The power “main switch”; The “AC Fuse”
socket cover and the “AC in” IEC receptacle for the
power cord.

8

330A Power Amplifier

Connecting the 330A

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
inputs, respectively. We highly recommend that
you use the balanced XLR inputs (provided that
your preamplifier has balanced outputs) to take
full advantage of Nēo 330A 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 330A and the connected
equipment can result that is not covered
by warranty.

Don’t hesitate to use high quality interconnect

cables*. Poor quality interconnect cables can
degrade the overall sonic performance of your
system. It is recommended, though not
mandatory, to use balanced interconnects
between your preamplifier and the 330A when
using long cable runs (i.e. more than 3 meters
in length).

2. Connect your speakers, with the cables of your
choice, to the 330A’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.

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
330A 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.

____________________________________________________________________________________

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 Nēo 330A, 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

330A Power Amplifier

Bridged-Mono Operation

Figure 3: Bridged-Mono operation of the Nēo 330A Power Amplifier

In the event that you wish to operate the Nēo
330A Power Amplifier as a monoblock amplifier, it
can be converted to bridged mode without any
complex modifications. Only a MOON XLR-BRIDGE
adapter cable is required. This custom cable will
allow one input signal to be sent to both channels of
the amplifier’s inputs, as pictured above in Figure 3.
One lead from the “Y” adapter must plug into right

channel XLR input and the other lead must plug into
left channel XLR input. As well, you must use the
positive terminal of each output binding post
(exactly as in figure 3) for the loudspeaker
connection. If you are unsure about how to
accomplish a bridged-mono mode of operation,
don’t hesitate to contact your Authorized MOON
Retailer.

____________________________________________________________________________________

10

330A Power Amplifier

Operating the 330A

We recommend leaving your Nēo 330A 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 Nēo 330A 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 330A. 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 330A on or off, you should always

Troubleshooting

Your Nēo 330A
self-diagnostic system that will automatically shut
itself down when it detects either DC (direct current)
or it enters into thermal protection mode due to
overheating. When either of these situations occur,
the blue LED on the front panel will begin to blink
continuously. If your 330A power amplifier turns
itself off or will not power up, there may very well
be some DC present in the amplifier’s input coming
from your preamplifier’s outputs. To determine if
there is any DC present power down your 330A via
the main power rocker switch, then disconnecting
the input to the 330A leaving only the speaker
connected. Attempt to power up your 330A again:

Power Amplifier is equipped with a

keep in mind that once fully “broken-in”, your 330A
requires several hours of operation before reaching
optimal performance after powering it up again.

is not illuminated, your 330A 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 330A is now powered
up and ready for use.

power up your preamplifier prior to powering up
your 330A. As well, always power down your 330A
prior to powering down your preamplifier.

A successful power up will indicate the presence of
DC coming from your preamplifier or one of your
signal sources (ie. CD Player). When your amplifier
has overheated, simply wait until it cools down
before attempting to power it back on again. If your
330A 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
powering up again. 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 330A. If not, immediately consult your
Authorized MOON Retailer for assistance.

____________________________________________________________________________________

11

330A Power Amplifier

Remote Operation

Figure 4: Remote Operation

In figure 4 we have a Nēo 350P Preamplifier and
330A Amplifier connected together via their
respective 12V triggers; The 12V trigger output on
the 350P is connected to the 12V trigger input on
the 330A using a 1/8” mini-jack cable. When you

turn on the 350P via remote control (or its Standby
button), the 330A will automatically turn on. The
same rule applies when you put the 350P into
Standby mode.

____________________________________________________________________________________

12

330A Power Amplifier

Specifications

Configuration ................................................ Balanced Differential, Stereo

Power Supply Transformer ............................. 400VA

Power Supply Capacitance ............................. 85,000µF

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

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

Input Sensitivity ............................................ 800mV

Output Device Type ....................................... Bipolars

Output Power at 8Ω ...................................... 125 Watts per channel

Output Power at 4Ω ..................................... 250 Watts per channel

Output Power – Bridged Mono at 8Ω ............... 400 Watts

Frequency Response ...................................... 10Hz - 125kHz +0/-3dB

Output Impedance ........................................ 0.02Ω

Damping Factor (static) ................................ 400

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

Signal-to-noise Ratio ..................................... > 100dB @ full power

Maximum Output Voltage ............................... 40 Volts

Slew Rate ..................................................... 62V/µs

Maximum Current – Peak ............................... 28 amperes

Maximum Current – Continuous ...................... 13 amperes

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

THD (20Hz - 20kHz @ 1 watt) ....................... < 0.02 %

THD (20Hz - 20kHz @ 400 watts) .................. < 0.05 %

Power Consumption @ idle ............................. 36 Watts

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

Shipping Weight ............................................ 33 lbs / 15 Kgs

Dimensions (W x H x D, inches) ..................... 16.9 x 3.5 x 14.0

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 Nēo 330A, please visit the "Contact Us" page
and complete the "Information request" form on our website at

Fuse Replacement: For the 120V version use a 6A fast blow (3AG size).

For the 220 - 240V version use a 3A fast blow (3AG size).

www.simaudio.com.

____________________________________________________________________________________

13