moon 860A User manual

Owner’s Manual
Evolution Series
860A
Dual-Mono Power Amplifier

860A Dual-Mono Power Amplifier
Important Safety Instructions
1. Read these instructions.
2. Keep these instructions.
3. Heed all warnings.
4. Follow all instructions.
5. Do not use this apparatus near water.
6. Clean only with a dry cloth.
7. Do not block ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves or another apparatus that produces
heat.
9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one
wider than the other. A grounding-type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third
prong is provided for safety. If the provided plug does not fit into the outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of
the obsolete outlet.
10. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched, particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the
point where they exit from the apparatus. Unplug mains cord during transportation.
11. Only use attachments and accessories specified by the manufacturer.
12. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified by the manufacturer or sold with the
apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury
from tip over.
13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
14. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any
way, such as when the power cord or plug has been damaged; liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the
apparatus; or the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.
15. No naked flame sources, such as candles, should be placed on the apparatus.
WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK,
DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.
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860A Dual-Mono Power Amplifier
Important Safety Instructions (cont’d)
The lightning flash with the arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is
intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within
the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of
electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the
presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the appliance.
Marking by the “CE” symbol (shown left) indicates compliance of this device with the
EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) and LVD (Low Voltage Directive) standards of the
European Community
Please read all instructions and precautions carefully and completely before
operating your Simaudio MOON 860A Dual-Mono Power Amplifier.
1. ALWAYS disconnect your entire system from the AC mains before connecting or disconnecting any cables,
or when cleaning any component. To completely disconnect this apparatus from the AC mains, disconnect
the power suppy cord plug from the AC receptacle.
2. The MOON 860A must be terminated with a three-conductor AC mains power cord which includes a
protective earthing connection. To prevent shock hazard, all three connections must ALWAYS be used.
Connect the MOON 860A only to an AC source of the proper voltage; Both the shipping box and rear panel
serial number label will indicate the correct voltage. Use of any other voltage will likely damage the unit and
void the warranty
3. AC extension cords are NOT recommended for use with this product. The mains plug of the power supply
cord shall remain readily accessible.
4. NEVER use flammable or combustible chemicals for cleaning audio components.
5. NEVER operate the MOON 860A with any covers removed. There are no user-serviceable parts inside. An
open unit, especially if it is still connected to an AC source, presents a potentially lethal shock hazard. Refer
all questions to authorized service personnel only.
6. NEVER wet the inside of the MOON 860A with any liquid. If a liquid substance does enter your MOON
860A, immediately disconnect it from the AC mains &take it to your MOON dealer for a complete check-up.
7. NEVER expose the MOON 860A to dripping or splashing of liquids and no objects filled with liquids, such as
vases, shall be placed on top.
8. NEVER block air flow through ventilation slots or heatsinks.
9. NEVER bypass any fuse.
10. NEVER replace any fuse with a value or type other than those specified
11. NEVER attempt to repair the MOON 860A. If a problem occurs contact your MOON dealer.
12. NEVER expose the MOON 860A to extremely high or low temperatures.
13. NEVER operate the MOON 860A in an explosive atmosphere.
14. ALWAYS keep electrical equipment out of reach of children.
15. ALWAYS unplug sensitive electronic equipment during lightning storms.
16. WARNING: Do not expose batteries or battery pack to excessive heat such as sunshine, or fire or the like.
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860A Dual-Mono Power Amplifier
Table of Contents
Introduction ..................................................... 6
Unpacking........................................................ 7
Installation & Placement ................................... 7
Rear Panel Layout ............................................ 8
Connecting the 860A ......................................... 9
Balanced Operation ........................................... 9
Bridged-Mono Operation .................................. 10
Operating the 860A ......................................... 11
Troubleshooting ............................................ 11
Remote Operation ..........................................12
Specifications ................................................ 13
www.simaudio.com
Simaudio Ltd., 1345 Newton Road
Boucherville, Quebec J4B 5H2 CANADA
Date Code: 20140717
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860A Dual-Mono Power Amplifier
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6
Introduction
Thank you for selecting the MOON 860A Dual-
Mono power amplifier as a part of your hi-fi
reproduction system. This power amplifier has been
designed to offer state-of-the-art high-end
performance in an elegant package, while retaining
all the sonic hallmarks on which Simaudio has made
its reputation. We have spared no effort to ensure
that it is among the finest two-channel amplifiers
available. We have been building high-performance
audio equipment for over 30 years, and the
know-how gained through our cumulative
experience is an important reason why MOON
amplifiers are so musically satisfying.
Your new amplifier is a true Dual-mono design,
whereby each channel operates completely
independent of the other. The chassis, power cord
and power switch are the only parts of this amplifier
that both channels share. The performance of your
860A will continue to improve during the first 300
hours of listening. This is the result of a “break-in”
period required for the numerous high quality
electronic parts used throughout this amplifier.
Before setting up your new MOON 860A, we
encourage you to please read this manual
thoroughly to properly acquaint yourself with its
features. We hope you enjoy listening to the
MOON 860A Dual-Mono power amplifier as much
as the pride we have taken in creating this fine
audio product. We understand the power and
emotion of music and build our products with the
goal of faithfully capturing these elusive qualities.
The information contained in this manual is subject
to change without notice. The most current version
of this manual is available on our official website at
http://www.simaudio.com
Your MOON 860A Dual-Mono Power Amplifier incorporates many significant design features to achieve its
“world-class” level of performance. This is an abbreviated list of the more important features:
Proprietary “Lynx” Technology which eliminates
feedback. The results are: Real-time amplification is
achieved since interactions from the speaker back to
the amplifier are virtually eliminated; More accurate
musical reproduction with respect to tonality; Virtually
non-existent transient intermodulation distortion (which
is far more degrading to sonic performance than
harmonic distortion); The elimination of common
phase errors resulting from feedback.
A custom proprietary toroidal transformer design
with lower magnetic, electrical and thermal loss,
yielding an improved power transfer and lower
regulation factor, resulting in increased current speed
and better dynamics.
Fully balanced differential circuitry up to the output
stage.
Output stable to any known speaker impedance.
Class A output to 5 watts for greater efficiency.
RS-232 port for i) full unsolicited bidirectional feedback
in custom installation setups and ii) firmware updates.
An oversized power supply.
An exceptionally short signal path for a faster
transient response.
Precision matched and fully decoupled proprietary
MOON Bipolar Output transistors with unprecedented
gain linearity resulting in improved bass response and
even more accurate sonic reproduction.
A high damping factor which yields superior musical
dynamics, improved signal speed and refined timbre
accuracy.
Ultra rigid chassis construction to minimize the effects
of external vibrations.
Designed to be powered up at all times for optimal
performance.

860A Dual-Mono Power Amplifier
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7
Unpacking
The MOON 860A power amplifier should be removed from its box with care.
The following accessories should be included inside the box with your amplifier:
9 AC power cable
9 This owner’s manual
9 Warranty and product registration information (USA and Canada only)
Once the 860A is unpacked, inspect it thoroughly
and report any damage to your dealer immediately.
We suggest that you keep all of the original
packaging, storing it in a safe, dry place in case
you’re required to transport this product. The
customized packaging is specially designed to
protect the 860A from any potential damage during
transit.
Please write the serial number of your new MOON 860A in the space provided below for future reference.
Serial No.: ________________
Installation & Placement
The MOON 860A Dual-Mono power amplifier is
both powerful and heavy. It requires reasonable
ventilation to maintain an optimum and consistent
operating temperature, especially since it will radiate
heat when driven hard. Consequently, it should be
placed in a location with empty space around it for
proper heat dissipation. You should never place
another component on top of this amplifier. As well,
the amplifier should be placed on a solid level
surface. You should avoid placing it near a heat
source or inside a closed cabinet that is not well
ventilated as this could compromise the amplifier’s
performance and reliability. The 860A uses two
large toroidal transformers in its power supply; even
though they are well shielded, you should not place
this amplifier too close to source components
sensitive to EMI, such as turntables, phono
preamplifiers and CD Players.
If the surface you have chosen isn’t perfectly level,
each of the four (4) cones of your 860A are height
adjustable; carefully using your fingers, you can
either raise each leg by turning the cone underneath
clockwise, or lower each leg by turning it
counterclockwise.
We strongly recommend that you leave these cones
mounted to the component at all times for reasons
related to both performance and aesthetics.

860A Dual-Mono Power Amplifier
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8
Rear Panel Layout
Figure 1: Rear panel of Moon 860A Dual-Mono Amplifier
The rear panel will look similar to Figure 1 (above).
Each channel has one balanced (differential) input
on an XLR connector and one unbalanced (single-
ended) input on a RCA connector. There is no
switch to toggle from balanced mode to single-
ended mode. You may operate the amplifier in
either mode, but only one mode at one time for
each channel. When you’re using the balanced XLR
inputs, you must first remove the factory
installed “dummy” XLR jumpers (see figure 2
below) from the back panel XLR connectors and
store them in a safe place. These jumpers are
required ONLY when using the single-ended RCA
inputs. If you decide to switch to single-ended input
mode, you must reinstall the XLR jumpers (between
pins 1 and 3) exactly as show below:
Figure 2: XLR connector without and with jumper accessory
There are two pairs of heavy duty gold-plated
speaker binding posts for each channel labelled
“Speaker Output 1”.
The upper mid-section has an RS-232 input on a
DB9 connector. To the right of this connector are
two 12 Volt triggers, each on a 1/8” mini-jack; one
input and one output, the latter for use in the event
that wish you to “daisy chain” a second power
amplifier on the same trigger circuit. The lower mid-
section has from left to right; the “AC Fuse” socket
cover; the power “main switch”; and the “AC Input”
IEC receptacle for the power cord.

860A Dual-Mono Power Amplifier
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9
Connecting the 860A
Prior to making any connections or removing the
XLR jumpers, the power amplifier must be turned off
and the AC cable disconnected for at least 1 minute.
1. Connect the input cables running from your
preamplifier’s outputs, whether balanced or
single-ended, to the amplifier’ s XLR or RCA
inputs, respectively. We highly recommend that
you use the balanced XLR inputs (provided that
your preamplifier has balanced outputs) to take
full advantage of 860A Stereo Power Amplifier’s
capabilities. Please refer to the next section,
“Balanced Operation” on for further information.
Do not connect cables to both the XLR and
RCA inputs at the same time. Damage to
both the 860A and the connected
equipment can result that is not covered
by warranty.
Don’t hesitate to use high quality interconnect
cables*. Poor quality interconnect cables can
degrade the overall sonic performance of your
system. It is recommended, though not
mandatory, to use balanced interconnects
between your preamplifier and the 860A when
using long cable runs (i.e. more than 3 meters
in length).
2. Connect your speakers, with the cables of your
choice, to the 860A’s speaker binding posts.
Take care to respect the polarity (“+” , “-” ) of
the outputs. Once again, don’t hesitate to use
high quality speaker cables*. Poor quality
speaker cables can degrade the overall sonic
performance of your system.
3. Connect the supplied AC power cable to the IEC
receptacle, located on the amplifier’s rear panel.
Ensure that the AC wall outlet you use has a
functioning ground. For the best sonic
performance, it is preferable that you plug your
860A directly into a dedicated AC outlet and
avoid using an extension cord. If you have the
time and willingness, consider installing a
superior quality AC wall outlet such as a hospital
grade Hubbell*.
* Please speak with your MOON Authorized Retailer
about the benefits of high quality cables for your
system, and superior quality AC wall outlet..
Balanced Operation
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 the amplifier
and 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 +5 Volts, the other will be carrying a signal
of –5 Volts. When these two inverted signals on a
balanced line are input into a differential power
amplifier such as the MOON 860A, 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.

860A Dual-Mono Power Amplifier
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10
Bridged-Mono Operation
Figure 3: Bridged-Mono operation of the MOON 860A Dual-Mono Amplifier
If wish to operate the MOON 860A Dual-Mono
Power Amplifier as a monoblock amplifier, it can be
converted to bridged mode without any complex
modifications. Only a Simaudio XLR-BRIDGE Y-cable
is required. This custom cable will allow one input
signal to be sent to both channels of the amplifier’s
inputs, as pictured above in Figure 3. One lead from
the “Y” adapter must plug into right channel input
and the other lead must plug into left channel input.
As well, you must use the positive terminal of each
output binding post (exactly as in figure 3) for the
loudspeaker connection. If you are unsure about
how to accomplish a bridged-mono mode of
operation, don’t hesitate to contact your
Authorized MOON dealer.
The MOON 860A produces 800 watts of output
power at 8 ohms for a single channel when
operating in bridged-mono mode.

860A Dual-Mono Power Amplifier
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11
Operating the 860A
We recommend leaving your 860A powered up at
all times to maintain optimal performance. When
you plan on being away for a few days, it may not
be a bad idea to power off your amplifier. Please
keep in mind that once fully “broken-in”, your 860A
requires several hours of operation before reaching
optimal performance after powering it up again.
Turning on your MOON 860A for the first time
Prior to turning the amplifier on for the first time,
make sure that every cable is properly connected to
avoid any problems. Then turn on your preamplifier
connected to the 860A. Flick the main rocker
switch, located on the rear panel, labeled “POWER”
to the ‘1’ (on) position. The blue LED on the front
panel will blink for up to 10 seconds while it
achieves standby mode. When it stops blinking and
is not illuminated, your 860A is in standby mode.
Next, briefly press the push button labeled
“Standby” located on the front panel. You will hear a
very faint click sound confirming that everything is in
order. The blue LED on the front panel will
illuminate, indicating that the 860A is now powered
up and ready for use.
On and Off Sequence
To avoid having any annoying noises (ie. “thumps”
and “pops”) emanate from your speakers when
powering your 860A on or off, you should always
power up your preamplifier prior to powering up
your 860A. As well, always power down your 860A
prior to powering down your preamplifier.
Troubleshooting
The blue LED located on the front panel also
indicates the operational status of your MOON
860A
Dual-Mono power amplifier. When the LED
starts blinking on and off during use, the circuitry is
either over-heating or has detected the presence of
DC in the input signal:
Left Channel DC protection ............ LED blinks 2 times
Right Channel DC protection .......... LED blinks 3 times
Left Channel Over-heating .............. LED blinks 4 times
Right Channel Over-heating ........... LED blinks 5 times
Unknown Problem ......................... LED blinks 6 times
Your MOON 860A is a “smart” power amplifier
equipped with a self-diagnostic system that will
automatically shut itself down when it detects DC
(direct current) from any input. If your 860A power
amplifier turns itself off or will not power up, there
may very well be DC present in one (or more) of the
amplifier’s inputs coming from one (or more) of your
preamplifier/processor’s outputs or connected
source components. You must determine if there is
any DC present. The best way to accomplish this is
by first powering down the 860A via the main
power rocker switch, then physically removing all
inputs to the 860A leaving only the speakers
connected. Attempt to power up your 860A again:
A successful power up will indicate the presence of
DC coming from your preamplifier or one of your
signal sources (ie. CD Player).
If your 860A still doesn’t power up, turn off the
main power switch and check the AC fuse. If the
fuse appears OK, put it back in its socket and then
try to power up again the usual way. If the fuse is
blown, replace it with a fuse of the same rating, and
repeat the above process. At this point, you should
be able to power up your 860A. If not, immediately
consult your dealer for assistance.

860A Dual-Mono Power Amplifier
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12
Remote OperationRemote Operation
Figure 4: Remote Operation with 12V Trigger
In figure 4 we have a 740P Preamplifier and 860A
amplifier connected together via their respective 12V
triggers; The 12V trigger output on the 740P is
connected to the 12V trigger input on the 860A
(using a 1/8” mini-jack cable). When you turn on the
740P via remote control (or its Standby button), the
860A will turn on automatically. The same rule
applies when you put the 740P into Standby mode.

860A Dual-Mono Power Amplifier
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13
Specifications
Configuration ................................................ Dual Mono
Power Supply Transformers ............................ 2 x 0.5kVA
Power Supply Capacitance ............................. 121,200µF
Class Of Operation ........................................ A/AB
Design ........................................................... Fully Balanced Differential to output stage
Input Impedance .......................................... 47,500Ω
Input Sensitivity ............................................ 1100mV
Output Device Type ....................................... Bipolars - 12 per channel
Output Power at 8Ω...................................... 200 Watts per channel
Output Power at 4Ω..................................... 400 Watts per channel
Output Power – Bridged Mono at 8Ω............... 800 Watts
Frequency Response ...................................... 10Hz - 200kHz +0/-3dB
Output Impedance ........................................ 0.01Ω
Damping Factor (static) ................................ 800
Gain ............................................................. 31dB
Signal-to-noise Ratio ..................................... > 106dB @ full power
Maximum Output Voltage ............................... 40 Volts
Slew Rate ..................................................... 42V/µs
Maximum Current – Peak ............................... 48 amperes
Maximum Current – Continuous ...................... 22 amperes
Crosstalk @ 1kHz .......................................... -105dB
Intermodulation Distortion ............................. Unmeasureable
THD (20Hz - 20kHz @ 1 watt) ....................... < 0.015 %
THD (20Hz - 20kHz @ 200 watts) .................. < 0.04 %
Power Consumption @ idle ............................. 55 Watts
AC Power Requirements ................................. 120V / 60Hz or 240V / 50Hz
Shipping Weight ............................................ 90 lbs / 40 Kgs
Dimensions (W x H x D, inches) ..................... 18.75 x 7.5 x 17.5
Balanced Pin Assignment:
Pin 1........................... Ground
Pin 2........................... Positive
Pin 3 .......................... Negative
12 Volt Trigger: Logic........................... Direct (0V off, 12V on)
Jack............................ 3.5mm microphone jack
Input Impedance ......... 1kΩ
Current Consumption ... 12mA
NOTE: If you require the RS-232 codes for your MOON 860A, please contact Simaudio
directly by email ([email protected]om) or toll-free telephone [phone]).
Fuse Replacement: For the 120V version use a 8A fast blow (3AG size).
For the 230V version use a 4A fast blow (3AG size).