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MOON W5.3 Stereo Power Amplifier
Connecting the W5.3
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 MOON W5.3 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 W5.3 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 W5.3 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 W5.3’s speaker binding posts. Take care to respect the
polarity (“+” , “-” ) of the output. Once again, don’t hesitate to use high quality speaker cables. Poor quality speaker
cables can degrade the overall sonic performance of your system. Both pairs of speaker connectors on each channel are
connected together. Consequently, it doesn’t matter which pair you use.
3. Connect the supplied AC power cable to the IEC receptacle, located on the amplifier’s rear panel. Alternatively, if you
wish, you may use a dedicated high-performance AC cable designed for high current applications. Ensure that the AC
wall outlet you use has a functioning ground. For the best sonic performance, it is preferable that you plug your W5.3
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.
4. In order to obtain the maximum performance from your audio system, we strongly recommend that the detachable
power cord not come into physical contact with either the interconnect cables or the speaker cables running to and from
your W5.3. In the event that this can’t be avoided, you should ensure that any cables coming into contact with each
other are crossed at ninety degree angles to minimize the contact area.
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 W5.3, 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 not be processed.
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Connecting The W5.3 / Balanced Operation 8