Simaudio Neo 430HA Headphone Amplifier - Manual (Page 12)

430HA Headphone Amplifier
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12
Balanced Operation
The Nēo 430HA includes one (1) balanced line-
level input and three (3) balanced headphone
outputs on XLR connectors. The “B1” input uses a
fully balanced differential circuit, intended for use
with source components that output a fully balanced
differential signal. The Nēo 430HA balanced inputs
and outputs takes full advantage of the benefits of
balanced circuitry:
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 both the
preamplifier and amplifier, then 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 +2 Volts, the other
will be carrying a signal of –2 Volts. When these
two inverted signals on a balanced line are output
from the Nēo 430HA, 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.
SimLink™
The SimLink™ provides communication features
between various MOON components. For example,
if you were to connect the Nēo 260D to the
430HA via the SimLink™, pressing the X (play)
button on the Nēo 260D will cause the 430HA to
automatically switch to the input labeled ‘A2’. You
can change this default setting as follows: Select the
input that you want as the new default, then press
and hold the ◄ INPUT (left) button for 3 seconds,
until the front panel display briefly shows “CD”.
Another feature of SimLink™ involves the “Standby”
function. By pressing down and holding the
“Standby” button for approximately 3 seconds on
the either the Nēo 260D or 430HA, both units will
go into “Standby” mode. The same logic applies
when switching from “Standby” to active mode.
If you are using the “MiND” Music Streamer and
your 430HA includes the “DAC” option, you must
make a SimLink™ connection between the “MiND”s
SimLink™ out and the 430HA’s SimLink™ in. When
you press the X (play) button on the “MiND” App,
the 430HA will automatically switch to the input
labeled ‘D2’. You can change this default setting for
the “MiND” as follows: Select the input (‘D1’ or ‘D3’)
that you want as the new default for “MiND”, then
press and hold the INPUT X (right) button for 3
seconds, until the front panel display briefly shows
‘Str’.
If you are using the “MiND” Music Streamer and an
external DAC, you need to make a SimLink™
connection between the “MiND”s SimLink™ out and
the 430HA’s SimLink™ in. You must assign this
default setting as follows: Select the analog input
that you want as the default for the MiND, then
press and hold the INPUT X (right) button for 3
seconds, until the front panel display briefly shows
‘Str’. When you press the X (play) button on the
“MiND” App, the 430HA will automatically switch to
the default ‘Str’ input. If you have previously created
a default input for ‘CD’, ensure that you use a
different analog input for the “Str” default.
The connection rules for the SimLink™ are very
basic. You must always connect the supplied cable
between one component’s SimLink™ Out jack and
another component’s SimLink™ In jack. If you
inadvertently connect the cable between either two
SimLink™ In or two SimLink™ Out jacks, the
SimLink™ communication feature may not function.
Also, there is no master component in a SimLink™
chain; no one particular component operates as the
main communications controller.