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does using an adapter lose sound quality?

post #1 of 8
10/20/07 at 3:29pm
Thread Starter 
if i would have a xlr 4pin cable on a headphone, and use a xlr 4pin to 1/4 adapter, am i losing anything, like sound quality, or is this perfectly fine?
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post #2 of 8
10/20/07 at 3:34pm
i think using any adapter degrades the sound quality. whether it is noticeable or even audible is a different question. that i don't know. i suspect that whatever degradation occurs is very minor. i have a number of Bal to SE adapters and things sound fine with them. whether the headphone would sound better if the cable was strictly SE, i don't know.

either way, sometimes convenience is just too important.
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post #3 of 8
10/20/07 at 3:49pm
As long as the contacts are clean and solid, you lose nothing in using an adapter. It's just a plug, and you have plugs all through your system.

See ya
Steve
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post #4 of 8
10/20/07 at 4:08pm
Unless your adapter is defective, there will be no loss of sound quality.
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post #5 of 8
10/20/07 at 5:03pm
Worst thing that will happen is, the adapter adds a tiny amount of resistance to your connection.
Same as closing the volumepot on your amp a thousandth of an inch or so.

Edit: Stupid me, false statement. I thought the adapter was placed between source and amp.
But anyway: Use an undefective adapter, and you're fine.
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post #6 of 8
10/20/07 at 6:29pm
So when some companies are charging over $80 for a 1/4" to 1/8", that's just BS? Quality of the material of the plugs is negligible?
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post #7 of 8
10/20/07 at 7:47pm
Well...kinda depends on your confession, voodoo-wise.
From a technical viewpoint, there's no reason why someone should pay 80$ for it imho.
I own a few of the crappiest adapters you can buy, which piss me off because they may fall appart when you unplug the connection. This sucks.
Don't go "cheapest", go "reasonable". If you ask me, that is.
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post #8 of 8
10/20/07 at 8:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vul Kuolun View Post
Worst thing that will happen is, the adapter adds a tiny amount of resistance to your connection.
Same as closing the volumepot on your amp a thousandth of an inch or so.

Edit: Stupid me, false statement. I thought the adapter was placed between source and amp.
But anyway: Use an undefective adapter, and you're fine.
For fun I measured a couple 1/8" to 1/4" adapters I had, from approximately where the jack and other plug would contact the sleeve (ground). With a generic nickel plated adapter, I got approximately 0.06 ohms, and with a gold plated screw-on adapter off an AKG, I got 0.00 ohms.
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