[crrrddddeeeee]

  I have both the Dave and the 430 and I have the Utopia and can state categorically that the Dave drives the Utopia easily...in fact the Dave drives everything quite easily other than my LCD-4 which is a power hog...even with the LCD-4 i tend to listen straight out of the dave more often than not.....the 430 with the dave is a great combo for hard to drive HP's like the LCD-4 or HE-6..the Dave is worth the effort to acquire,it really is that good

Hi jlbrach, do you feel that the LCD-4 is being powered to its full abilities with the DAVE or you you feel that the extra power from the 430HA powers them better (say with DAVE as the DAC and the 430HA as the amp)? Just curious because I just ordered the DAVE and not sure if selling the 430HA would be a good move. 

 

[jlbrach]

  Hi jlbrach, do you feel that the LCD-4 is being powered to its full abilities with the DAVE or you you feel that the extra power from the 430HA powers them better (say with DAVE as the DAC and the 430HA as the amp)? Just curious because I just ordered the DAVE and not sure if selling the 430HA would be a good move. 

I find it to be a completely different experience listening through the dave direct as opposed to the 430 and dave....with the 430 the sound is bigger,there is more grunt but with the dave directly it is more transparent and intimate....i find i listen direct from the dave more often...the dave drives the LCD-4 very well but the 430 does add something to it...it is pretty much up to the individual preference

 

[JohnnyCakes]

  I find it to be a completely different experience listening through the dave direct as opposed to the 430 and dave....with the 430 the sound is bigger,there is more grunt but with the dave directly it is more transparent and intimate....i find i listen direct from the dave more often...the dave drives the LCD-4 very well but the 430 does add something to it...it is pretty much up to the individual preference

so you are saying there is a loss of transparency and intimacy if you run the music thru the Neo 430 between the Dave and headphones?

 

[jlbrach]

 
so you are saying there is a loss of transparency and intimacy if you run the music thru the Neo 430 between the Dave and headphones?

yes,not dramatic but yes....on the other hand the 430 adds a larger soundstage and more grunt...both sound great it is individual preference

 

[crrrddddeeeee]

Thank you for your thoughts! That's pretty impressive of the DAVE if there is a loss of transparency through the 430 as I thought the 430 was amazing in terms of transparency. That intimacy does sound like something I can't wait to hear.

 

[jlbrach]

  Thank you for your thoughts! That's pretty impressive of the DAVE if there is a loss of transparency through the 430 as I thought the 430 was amazing in terms of transparency. That intimacy does sound like something I can't wait to hear.

the 430 is a fabulous amp and it does not subtract much in terms of transparency but anything between the source and the HP will result in some loss of transparency

 

[crrrddddeeeee]

  the 430 is a fabulous amp and it does not subtract much in terms of transparency but anything between the source and the HP will result in some loss of transparency

Excellent point! 

 

[JohnnyCakes]

i run a very simple connection.... USB-C out of my MacBook Pro (Tidal) into USB-B in the back of my Moon Neo 430.
 
but there is only 1 cable that i can find in existence that is this configuration (USB-C to USB-B).  a $20 Griffin jobby.
 
is there any better quality option here?
 
seems silly to have $500 Silver and Black Dragons running from Neo to my headphones with such a cheap link between my source and DAC.  
 
 
and if this quality cable doesn't exist, would it be better to get like a Blue Dragon USB-A to USB-B cable, and then use the Apple adaptor to do the A->C conversion?

 

[slash]

My listening got complicated recently with a Pass Labs HPA 1 and David.  I got the HPA to mate better with my other PL gear and while the Pass and Moon are both incredible one has to go and I am leaning toward selling the Moon only due to the more favourable or different flavour the David digital side presents.
 
Before I sell off the 430HA D does anyone know of an internal upgrade to the DAC that might begin to compete at the extreme level of the David?  I love the jam of the Moon amp, the pure ease of use, completely dark soundstage and simply need that last sliver of detail and hate to give up the convenience the 430 delivers.
 
Ideas please.

 

[iDesign]

  My listening got complicated recently with a Pass Labs HPA 1 and David.  I got the HPA to mate better with my other PL gear and while the Pass and Moon are both incredible one has to go and I am leaning toward selling the Moon only due to the more favourable or different flavour the David digital side presents.
 
Before I sell off the 430HA D does anyone know of an internal upgrade to the DAC that might begin to compete at the extreme level of the David?  I love the jam of the Moon amp, the pure ease of use, completely dark soundstage and simply need that last sliver of detail and hate to give up the convenience the 430 delivers.
 
Ideas please.

There are no internal upgrades to the 430HAD DAC but I saw some small improvements when I used a microRendu with its integrated DAC.  

 

[Velomane]

  but there is only 1 cable that i can find in existence that is this configuration (USB-C to USB-B).  a $20 Griffin jobby.
 
is there any better quality option here?
 

You could simply ask one of the many cable producers out there whether they can make you one and give them a price range.

 

[edwardsean]

  You could simply ask one of the many cable producers out there whether they can make you one and give them a price range.

Ever since I got the new MacBook Pro I've had the same issue with USB-C. I've been looking high and low for an audiophile USB-C cable, and they don't exist yet. I've been in contact with the Cable Co. and they looked into It for me and they confirmed that right now there are no options. Audioquest makes a USB-C adapter, but it's not a real solution, and I am worried about cable strain on such a small connector. 
 
I think for the near future the only available route is, as Velomane said, to contract a custom cable with an audiophile cable maker. 

 

[edwardsean]

 
There are no internal upgrades to the 430HAD DAC but I saw some small improvements when I used a microRendu with its integrated DAC.  

I saw a significant improvement by adding an Audiophileo transport and going into the coaxial input. 

 

[slash]

The 430HAD is a great piece.  Ability to drive and control is second to none, this you can readily hear compared to any other amp, period.
 
Such a feature rich piece, tough to let it go.
 
Balanced and SE
DAC with ByPass
PreAmp capabilities
Beautiful machining

 

[draytonklammer]

So, even with nothing plugged in, does anyone get a really high frequency from D1-D4 (the DAC portion of the 430HAD)?
 
I can somewhat hear it at any volume, but at maximum volume (80) it's very apparent that it's there through my Utopia.
Almost nothing what so ever from the analog portion.
 
I've tried different methods of supplying power, nothing plugged into the DAC portion, nothing plugged in at all, but no luck trying to figure this out...
 
It's a HUGE bummer though and I am about ready to sell my 430HAD to fund a DAVE and just use the DAVE stereo output. That, or I might get a rag/yggy combo, or something.