Moon Nēo 430HA Reference Headphone Amplifier
Jul 17, 2017 at 12:09 AM Post #1,546 of 1,919
yes i use the lower gain setting but higher setting is there for harder to drive HP's...never noticed anything better about the sound of the higher setting
 
Jul 17, 2017 at 1:17 PM Post #1,547 of 1,919
Hi! so what do you think about Anxios? thinking to buy it for lcd4 and moon. it looks great and fir very well to my room. but does it would sound better than for example DHC for the same money? some people think they are not so great in sounding...

Lots of opinions and subjectivity but in test results the Kimber Axios shows a higher preference levels. This test was a blind test of 60 people using the same exact gear with the only variable being the Kimber Axios against the cable you mentioned and a number of other brands we are not allowed to mention but often mentioned here on head-fi. 54 out of 60 chose the Kimber over the other brands in that blind test.
 
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Jul 18, 2017 at 11:41 AM Post #1,548 of 1,919
You can on the Moon 430HAD select gain. My question is; how does this work in the background, and why it sounds best with gain set to high (which is opposite of all logic regarding how gain works on all other devices.

Gain is the 2nd button on top; left side from the moon-logo and blue light above display of your Moon 430HAD.
For LCD-4 use High Gain option. LCD-4 are very power hungry headphones, so more power = better definition and more impactful sound.
 
Jul 18, 2017 at 12:38 PM Post #1,549 of 1,919
i was able to get by with the low gain setting for my LCD-4 but the high gain is fine as well
 
Jul 21, 2017 at 12:06 PM Post #1,550 of 1,919
Hi. I have been searching but cant fint any ting on this.

I just got the 430had. How would you recommend burning it in? Can i let it run from tidal without my headphones plugged in? Or does the headphones need to be in at all times? What volume?

Thanks alot. Best regards
 
Jul 21, 2017 at 12:12 PM Post #1,551 of 1,919
Hi. I have been searching but cant fint any ting on this.

I just got the 430had. How would you recommend burning it in? Can i let it run from tidal without my headphones plugged in? Or does the headphones need to be in at all times? What volume?

Thanks alot. Best regards

Yes you can just run it but if you have a headphone on it to load the output your burn in will take less time. You do not need to run it at high gain for burn in. It just requires light gain and continuous use if you're doing it while your away at work or something.
 
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Jul 21, 2017 at 12:59 PM Post #1,552 of 1,919
Yes you can just run it but if you have a headphone on it to load the output your burn in will take less time. You do not need to run it at high gain for burn in. It just requires light gain and continuous use if you're doing it while your away at work or something.
Thanks, I'm going to use the balanced when i use it with my he1000v2, but can i burn in with one of the jack plugs? (iem or closed headphones) its in my living room so it would make less noise :)
 
Jul 21, 2017 at 1:05 PM Post #1,553 of 1,919
Thanks, I'm going to use the balanced when i use it with my he1000v2, but can i burn in with one of the jack plugs? (iem or closed headphones) its in my living room so it would make less noise :)

Certainly and it doesn't need to be loud at all. It only needs to be running. Turn it down to the point you can't hear it unless your right next to it and you're all good
 
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Jul 21, 2017 at 1:18 PM Post #1,554 of 1,919
Youre a lifesaver, just so i got i right, does it mean that i can leave it at volume 20-25 and it would be just as good as burning in at a volume 50-55 ?
 
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Jul 21, 2017 at 1:24 PM Post #1,555 of 1,919
Youre a lifesaver, just so i got i right, does it mean that i can leave it at volume 20-25 and it would be just as good as during in at a volume 50-55 ?

Yep just to the point you can tell the headphone is getting signal
 
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Jul 21, 2017 at 6:03 PM Post #1,556 of 1,919
So this happened (see photo). (mini-review)

I've always been a huge fan of Simaudio's products, and when I first learned they shipped a balanced headphone amp, I was intrigued. About a month ago, I was finally able to get my hands on the 430HAD. Here are some initial thoughts:

How I'm listening, and what I'm comparing it to:
- Bryston BHA-1 headphone amp and Benchmark DAC2
- Oppo HA-1
- Headphones: HD800, HD650, HD600, Beyerdynamic T90 and LCD-X -- all running balanced (except for the T90)
- Both systems are being fed from either USB or via SPDIF bridge from my Mac running Audiogon or Tidal.

My first impressions of the Neo 430HAD:
(physical) This thing is both beautiful and built like a tank, just as you'd expect from Simaudio. People have commented that the cheeks are plastic, while the rest of it is aluminum. It's honestly not an issue, and I think the fact that mine has silver cheeks on a black body makes the difference less noticeable. It's a really attractive amp. The display is the usual red LED display, which is just informative enough to be useful if you are using the DAC input (D4) to display incoming sample rate. Like the other Moon products, it normally shows the volume in decimal format. A long press on the display button turns off the display, which looks much better in normal use. If you change the volume or input, it will briefly light up to show you what you need to see.

(ports) It's got pretty much everything I could want -- with a few exceptions. It accepts balanced input, so I've been able to compare the built-in DAC with the Benchmark DAC2 (more on this later). Lots of digital inputs -- but I really wish it had an AES input, as I have a USB bridge that will output to AES and other sources at the same time, which is awesome for A/B testing. On the front is the usual 1/4" TRS headphone plug, and behind the sliding door is the 4-pin (plus 2x 3-pin) balanced XLR headphone plugs I use on a daily basis.

So far so good. Now for the real test... listening.

It really does take a while to live with an amp before you get to know the sound. If you quickly switch between the 430HAD and the Bryston+Benchmark pairing, they are mostly similar-sounding. In fact, it's really difficult to characterize what's different. To my ears, the Moon seems a little less bright, but projects a very-slightly more spacious soundstage (but this is a very subtle difference). It's really hard to say which one I like more than the other... they're both quite amazing amps that sound quite accurate to my ears.

What is definitely a difference is the DAC section. The built-in DAC in the 430HAD is quite good, but it's definitely not quite as enjoyable as the Benchmark DAC2. Note, the difference I'm talking about here is very subtle, but there's somewhat of a slightly more effortless quality that you hear from the Benchmark when running on the 430 HAD's balanced input. This is definitely my favorite combination. It's close enough that you don't miss it once you've switched back to the built-in Simaudio DAC -- but each time I go back to the DAC2 there's just something more there. The built-in Simaudio DAC does sound quite similar to the Oppo HA-1 (compared to the Oppo when driving the 430HAD through the balanced analog connection).

Headphone impressions:
- HD 800 (unmodded)
People seem to either love or hate this headphone. When I first bought it, I thought the HD800 was quite "tinny" and a bit bright -- similar to what many people here on head-fi seem to think. But I noticed a HUGE change once I switched to a balanced headphone cable. It literally became a different headphone to me. Now, I love it. It's definitely resolving enough to reveal the details of each amp and source. Before the 430HAD, I loved it on the Bryston BHA-1 and the Benchmark DAC2. It's really a great combination. Super clear and airy midrange and treble, and incredibly tight and authoritative bass. But now, I think I might actually prefer the HD800 on the Simaudio setup. It's very subtle, but there's a little less high-end "ring" on the Sim than the Bryston. It never bothered me before, but it sounds great on the 430HAD -- but it's definitely with the HD800 where I notice the difference in DAC between the Sim and the Benchmark.

- LCD-X
This is quite an amazing sounding headphone (if not a bit bulky), but it's remarkably consistent across different amps and sources. It's also incredibly sensitive. You have to turn the volume way down when you switch to the LCD-X. I like it better on the Sim than the Bryston, mainly since the Bryston has a non-zero floor on the volume control -- and you can hear small variance between channels once you turn the Pot all the way down. I found myself having to adjust the volume on the Benchmark source instead of the Bryston when using the LCD-X. With the 430HAD, it sounds great and the volume control scales much better to this sensitive headphone. Before the Simaudio amp, I normally listened to the LCD-X on the Oppo HA-1.

- Sennheiser HD650 and HD600
Wow, this headphone really scales. I've never heard a headphone (other than the Audio Technica M70x) that improves so much with better amplification. Sounds great on the Simaudio, but I might prefer it on the Bryston+Benchmark combo. It's just a slightly brighter source and amp, which pairs nicely with the HD650. As for the HD600, I'm actually somewhat torn. It sounds great on both amps, and I can't really decide if I have a favorite. I do find myself listening to it on the Simaudio more though.

Anyhow, thanks for looking. Let me know if you have any questions based on this combo of headphones and sources/amps...
 

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Jul 21, 2017 at 8:42 PM Post #1,558 of 1,919
Forgot to attach the photo. Here's the rig, with the Simaudio 430HAD, the Bryston BHA-1 and the Benchmark DAC2 ...

Yes the 430 is pretty nice. It pairs well with so many headphones
 
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Jul 23, 2017 at 5:20 AM Post #1,559 of 1,919
Im having trouble with my internet disconnecting, could i use an iPad running tidal connected to the 430had with usb, to break in ? That way i can get offline playlist that won't stop. Would this be equal to running tidal from desktop in exclusive mode, regarding if the burn in will get the same effect? And the moon does the same job?
 
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Jul 23, 2017 at 12:59 PM Post #1,560 of 1,919
Im having trouble with my internet disconnecting, could i use an iPad running tidal connected to the 430had with usb, to break in ? That way i can get offline playlist that won't stop. Would this be equal to running tidal from desktop in exclusive mode, regarding if the burn in will get the same effect? And the moon does the same job?

[edited to add more detail]
This works... I'm listening to it right now.

It sounds the same to my ears as running it from the desktop. But, it's hard to tell if it's in exclusive mode or not.

IMG_0008.JPG

The best test of this is to see if I can push out something more than 16/44.1 from the phone, but the Tidal iPhone app doesn't seem to have access to the Masters (better than CD quality) content. All I could get is 44.1 from Tidal... so there's not an easy way to test if the bits are somehow getting munged on the way out. Changing the volume on the iPhone while playing doesn't seem to affect the sound, so this is a good sign that iOS isn't doing anything horrible to the audio bitstream.

Bottom line: this should do what you want it to do...

Here's how to make this whole thing work:

It's pretty simple, but you need to jump through two hoops first:
1) You need the USB Camera Connection kit (this is a "dongle" with a USB (female) adapter on it
2) You also need an external *powered* USB hub (more on this in a sec)

Note: I only had a USB camera connection kit for an old 30-pin iPad/iPhone, so I didn't get to test this with a current iPhone or iPad -- so I had to use this on my old iPhone 4s that was gathering dust in the closet.
I love all of you on Head-Fi, but $30 for a new USB dongle is $30, so we'll have to go with what I had laying around...

First, when you plug in the Moon 430HAD to the USB connection kit, you get this:
IMG_0005.PNG
This is because the iPhone will limit the power on the device, and it looks like the Moon (for some inexplicable reason) is requesting power over the USB port...

You can fix this by using an external USB hub. If it's powered (you can find any number of these with a few ports and a small power brick) then the connection to the iPhone/iPad doesn't request power...

So, here's the working topology:
iPhone --> USB Camera Connection Adapter --> powered USB hub --> Moon 430HAD

Hope this helps...
 
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