[TonyNewman]

The fact that it has no balanced preamp has turned me off!
I never tried unbalaned and I am afraid that it affects the sound quality. What do u think?

Also the fact that u find it a little harsh before 100 hours, might be a problem!
The 430 has SAPRE DAC which is well known for being a non musical DAC (honest or bright). This might create a DAC Amp combo that is too bright.

 
I have A/B tested both my Auralic Vega and Auralic Taurus with each other and other components I have that have both XLR and RCA connections. If there is a sonic difference between XLR and RCA I can't hear it in any testing I have done. If you can hear a difference then your hearing must be very much better than mine (which is very possible).
 
I don't think the DAC chip itself matters very much - it is the chip implementation that matters. My Vega uses the Sabre chip - and it is a musical and engaging device that renders treble beautifully.
 
Sorry for not making this clear in my earlier post - my 430HA is amp only. I already have the Vega, so have little interest in the add-on DAC. I do hear it is a very good DAC for the money, but it is of no value to me.
 
As I stated earlier - to my ears the 430HA + Vega combination is highly musical and engaging - more so than my WA5 tube amp or Triode Corp 845 tube amp. My Auralic Taurus just isn't in the game against the 430HA. This is at 100 hours of usage. I don't think I can stack the praise any higher than that.
 
If you have any doubts I would strongly suggest giving the 430HA an audition. This is a stunningly good device as a headphone amp or a preamp.

 

[Dark Ayla]

I have A/B tested both my Auralic Vega and Auralic Taurus with each other and other components I have that have both XLR and RCA connections. If there is a sonic difference between XLR and RCA I can't hear it in any testing I have done. If you can hear a difference then your hearing must be very much better than mine (which is very possible).

I don't think the DAC chip itself matters very much - it is the chip implementation that matters. My Vega uses the Sabre chip - and it is a musical and engaging device that renders treble beautifully.

Sorry for not making this clear in my earlier post - my 430HA is amp only. I already have the Vega, so have little interest in the add-on DAC. I do hear it is a very good DAC for the money, but it is of no value to me.

As I stated earlier - to my ears the 430HA + Vega combination is highly musical and engaging - more so than my WA5 tube amp or Triode Corp 845 tube amp. My Auralic Taurus just isn't in the game against the 430HA. This is at 100 hours of usage. I don't think I can stack the praise any higher than that.

If you have any doubts I would strongly suggest giving the 430HA an audition. This is a stunningly good device as a headphone amp or a preamp.

What loud speakers and power amp did use to compare the balanced vs unbalanced?

Thanks,,,

 

[TonyNewman]

What loud speakers and power amp did use to compare the balanced vs unbalanced?

Thanks,,,

The only ones I have: Accuphase P-4200 power amp and Brodmann F2 speakers. I don't have a suite of high end power amps and speakers to play with - wish I did

 
The P-4200 accepts both RCA and XLR input. I hooked it up to the Taurus which has both XLR and RCA outputs and started swapping cables. I could not hear a difference.
 
EDIT - apologies - completely forgot about my Triode Corp 845 amp - I run this as a power amp and have also A/B tested this with XLR vs RCA connections from the Taurus also. Have also played around with the inputs to the 430HA from the Vega - it accepts both XLR and RCA - again, no difference I can hear.
 
Best information I have is that it makes little difference except where interference is a problem, such as on very long cable runs. Has anyone ever had an audible difference in a home HiFi setup? Rather curious about this. I generally use XLR where it is available mostly for non-audio reasons - I like the positive locking of the connectors - I don't expect a SQ difference.

 

[Dark Ayla]

  The only ones I have: Accuphase P-4200 power amp and Brodmann F2 speakers. I don't have a suite of high end power amps and speakers to play with - wish I did

 
The P-4200 accepts both RCA and XLR input. I hooked it up to the Taurus which has both XLR and RCA outputs and started swapping cables. I could not hear a difference.
 
EDIT - apologies - completely forgot about my Triode Corp 845 amp - I run this as a power amp and have also A/B tested this with XLR vs RCA connections from the Taurus also. Have also played around with the inputs to the 430HA from the Vega - it accepts both XLR and RCA - again, no difference I can hear.
 
Best information I have is that it makes little difference except where interference is a problem, such as on very long cable runs. Has anyone ever had an audible difference in a home HiFi setup? Rather curious about this. I generally use XLR where it is available mostly for non-audio reasons - I like the positive locking of the connectors - I don't expect a SQ difference.

Nice speakers and power amp 

 
What about aftermarket cables for headphones, do you believe that they improve SQ?

 

[TonyNewman]

 
Nice speakers and power amp 

 
What about aftermarket cables for headphones, do you believe that they improve SQ?

Not for me. Tried the fancy cables and interconnects and power cords and other such. Not one of them has ever made a difference I have ever heard. That might be my less than perfect hearing, but my view is that if there isn't an audible difference then don't bother. Other folks feel very differently on this - that's great - good luck to them. There's room for all sorts of opinions in this hobby. It would be kinda boring if we all thought the same thing all the time.
 
I put some ALO cables on my TOTL headphones, but that was more for comfort and length than anything else. No difference in SQ I can detect when switching back and forth between the stock cable and the ALO.
 
I am really pleased with the combination of the Accuphase P-4200 and Brodmann F2s. Great dynamics and detail combined with a tube-like warmth and body. Hard to describe, but I like it a lot. The entire chain is working better than expected - 430HA as preamp and Vega DAC are also playing their part in the chain. It is a SS system that has a tube-like presentation, but also has bags of SS dynamics and detail.
 
I have a HE6 harness on order to rig up directly to the speaker taps of the P-4200, It is such a lovely sounding power amp I am hoping it will do a great job driving the HE6.
 
If anyone is looking for high end amp with a warm and inviting presentation I suggest you give Accuphase a listen. Lovely, lovely sounding amp.

 

[Dark Ayla]

Hi, finally I got the Moon 430.
 
I have mixed feelings!
 
I don't know what to say 

 
Build quality is not impressive at all and doesn't match $4300! The black color is not uniform, three different shades of black across the device (front panel, sides and top) WHY?!!!! It must be uniform. Volume knob feels not responsive, there is a small amount of rotation that doesn't affect the volume (I don't know how to explain it). The remote control is unbelievably CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. I think it costs them $5 or less! Plasticky bulky with uncomfortable buttons. I am really disappointed with quality (compared to MUCH cheaper Oppo HA-1 which has a STELLAR build quality). 
 
Sound quality natural slightly warm. I don't want to talk about the sound now, still too early. 
 

 

[longbowbbs]

My all black model is visually consistent with its color. I think the build quality is perfectly fine. They used aluminum so that the case is a heat sink for the units modest warmth. Any sonic perspectves need at least 150 hours. Remember that Moon recommends 300 for break in.

 

[Dark Ayla]

  My all black model is visually consistent with its color. I think the build quality is perfectly fine. They used aluminum so that the case is a heat sink for the units modest warmth. Any sonic perspectves need at least 150 hours. Remember that Moon recommends 300 for break in.

What about the volume knob? Do u find it precise?

 

[longbowbbs]

 

  My all black model is visually consistent with its color. I think the build quality is perfectly fine. They used aluminum so that the case is a heat sink for the units modest warmth. Any sonic perspectves need at least 150 hours. Remember that Moon recommends 300 for break in.

What about the volume knob? Do u find it precise?

Yes, though remember it moves in 1/10 db increments so it does need some turning to move the volume a lot.

 

[TonyNewman]

To each their own. I had no issues with the build quality of mine. I have a 100% silver finish and could not notice any differences in the finish of the panels.
 
Volume control works fine for me. It appears to respond differently to slow adjustment (fine) and quick adjustment (coarse) - not 100% sure about that, but it works fine in my clumsy gorilla hands.
 
The remote is a little fiddly and cheap - agreed on that, but at least the 430HA has a remote. Auralic Taurus has none at all. Does the the crappy remote bother me? No. I only use it adjust volume or mute the system - and that is easy enough with the current remote.
 
What really interests me is the SQ as a headphone amp and performance as a preamp, and on both of those scores my 430HA is performing wonderfully with the HE6 and HD800. I adore this amp - it has made me seriously question my committment to tubes.

 

[Dark Ayla]

  To each their own. I had no issues with the build quality of mine. I have a 100% silver finish and could not notice any differences in the finish of the panels.
 
Volume control works fine for me. It appears to respond differently to slow adjustment (fine) and quick adjustment (coarse) - not 100% sure about that, but it works fine in my clumsy gorilla hands.
 
The remote is a little fiddly and cheap - agreed on that, but at least the 430HA has a remote. Auralic Taurus has none at all. Does the the crappy remote bother me? No. I only use it adjust volume or mute the system - and that is easy enough with the current remote.
 
What really interests me is the SQ as a headphone amp and performance as a preamp, and on both of those scores my 430HA is performing wonderfully with the HE6 and HD800. I adore this amp - it has made me seriously question my committment to tubes.

 
The volume knob issue, when I move the knob slowly the volume doesn't change immediately. In other words the knob is flimsy (I wish if I can explain it).
 
Issue not related to the 430:
I noticed a slight audio cut out sometimes BUT I am confident that this is a Mac USB issue. Anyone knows how to solve it?

 

[longbowbbs]

 

  To each their own. I had no issues with the build quality of mine. I have a 100% silver finish and could not notice any differences in the finish of the panels.
 
Volume control works fine for me. It appears to respond differently to slow adjustment (fine) and quick adjustment (coarse) - not 100% sure about that, but it works fine in my clumsy gorilla hands.
 
The remote is a little fiddly and cheap - agreed on that, but at least the 430HA has a remote. Auralic Taurus has none at all. Does the the crappy remote bother me? No. I only use it adjust volume or mute the system - and that is easy enough with the current remote.
 
What really interests me is the SQ as a headphone amp and performance as a preamp, and on both of those scores my 430HA is performing wonderfully with the HE6 and HD800. I adore this amp - it has made me seriously question my committment to tubes.

 
The volume knob issue, when I move the knob slowly the volume doesn't change immediately. In other words the knob is flimsy (I wish if I can explain it).
 
Issue not related to the 430:
I noticed a slight audio cut out sometimes BUT I am confident that this is a Mac USB issue. Anyone knows how to solve it?

I use a Mac. I am not experiencing this. I am using the Light Harmonic Lightspeed 10G cable though.

 

[Dark Ayla]

  I use a Mac. I am not experiencing this. I am using the Light Harmonic Lightspeed 10G cable though.

I think that I got a bad lemon!
 
Unfortunately I am encountering an odd behaviour associated with volume knob. When I increase or decrease the volume rapidly I hear a clicking noise coming with audio from the headphones! 
I just contacted Sim audio, I hope that they are fast in answering customers emails. 
 
***UPDATE***
 
Good news guys 

 
Sim audio will send me a replacement unit. They believe that the DC unit is damaged due to poor handling by the shipping company. 
 
Their customer service is wonderful and responsive. Definitely they stand behind their products. 
 
Thank you Sim Audio 

 
 

 

 

[longbowbbs]

 

  I use a Mac. I am not experiencing this. I am using the Light Harmonic Lightspeed 10G cable though.

I think that I got a bad lemon!
 
Unfortunately I am encountering an odd behaviour associated with volume knob. When I increase or decrease the volume rapidly I hear a clicking noise coming with audio from the headphones! 
I just contacted Sim audio, I hope that they are fast in answering customers emails. 

Good luck with it Let us know what you find.

 

[Joe Skubinski]

This is a damn good amp/dac combo. Plug and play to modern Mac's, DSD thru USB rez- Native. To me, it's a one piece wonder for high-end headphone enthusiasts...

Joe