Simaudio Moon Neo 430HAD Headphone Amplifier / DSD DAC

The Moon Neo is a world class headphone AMP/DAC that can easily be considered the end game component for your collection of headphones. It is a Canadian-built product that comes with one balanced and two unbalanced sets of inputs, and balanced and unbalanced headphone jacks. The balanced headphone outputs act on a four-pin and dual three-pin XLR. The unbalanced output is delivered on the acquainted ¼” TRS (tip, ring, sleeve) jack. A sliding door hides the three XLR jacks. A fourth input on the front panel, is a 1/8″ jack marked “Media Player”, which helps in housing a portable-audio device. Two line-level outputs are also there, one is fixed, and the other is variable that enables the 430HA to act as a preamplifier. Digital inputs comprise of 2 SPDIF, and 1 each USB and TosLink.

User-Friendly Display

The front-panel display signifies the selected input and the volume level. Once connected with the DAC, the display will also indicate the incoming sample rate and the selected digital input. Front-panel buttons feature gain (14dB or 20dB), input select, standby, mute, and “Xfeed.” This end button involves a circuit that adds a bit of the left channel to the right channel, and vice versa.

Sound Quality

More open and highly resolved in the top end, the 430HAD offers a smoother and more relaxed sound. Instrumental qualities add richness to the amplifier. The 430HA’s rendering of bass was enormously great. It goes very low in the bottom end and revealing more dynamic nuances in the bass and in the midbass.

Designed for headphone connoisseurs, the 430HAD exemplifies the rich set of headphone amplifiers.