[Zorlac]

I switched the two 3-pin XLRs to one 4-pin XLR on my headphones. When plugged into my brand new Little Dot VII+ amp, there is static even with the volume on 0 and the left side volume is a little lower than the right when I play audio.
 
Could this be caused by a poor solder job on my part?

 

[krmathis]

Yeah, I do not see why it could not

 

[nikongod]

If the 4-pin is wired properly there should be no difference beyond being more convenient to plug in and never going into idiot mode and flipping L&R
 
If the 4-pin is not wired properly, with a few wires flipped (IE 1 left wire hooked up to a right pin, and 1 right wire hooked up to a left pin) I can see VERY weird things happening.
 
What pinouts did you use, and have you verified them with a meter after everything is done?
 
Quote:

Yeah, I do not see why it could not

I think something got lost in translation. 

 

[Zorlac]

I followed the schematic from the Little Dot VII+ manual.
 
My headphones had a red marked 3-pin XLR and a white marked 3-pin XLR. When I pulled the XLR connectors off, the red side (right) had a green and white wire. I put the green wire into R+ and the white wire into R-. The white side (left) had a red and black wire. I put the red wire into L+ and the black into L-.
 
When playing audio, the left and right channels are correct.
 
My two problems are....
 
1. Left channel audio is not as loud as right channel audio.
 
2. With the volume on 0 and everything else turned off (i.e. DAC, computer, etc. etc.), there is static coming out of both the left and right channels.
 
I tried some SE headphones out of the 1/4" output and there is no static, so I am convinced my solder job was poor. I just wanted to know if bad soldering could indeed cause the problems mentioned above.
 
Thanks guys!

 

[ford2]

 
 
All you had to do was take note of the polarity of the cables in the 3 pin and transfer to 4 pin.
 
Are you sure that the green was + and likewise the red,reduced volume can be caused by reverse polarity on one side.
 
Some other people have mentioned noise on one channel with these amps so it might not be your XLR.
 
I have a VII that I returned because of noise in one channel,it was fixed and has run perfect ever since.

 

[nikongod]

Flipping phase does not normally cause noise. If it was quiet with the 2X3pin it should be quiet with the 4-pin.

 

[krmathis]

I think something got lost in translation. 

Lost where?

Answer seems to fit with both of the questions.
 

Could a poorly soldered 4-pin XLR for headphones cause static and left/right volume difference?
Could this be caused by a poor solder job on my part?

 

 

[Zorlac]

Yeah, I am sure my polarity is correct.
 
Volume is lower on the left than the right AND both channels have static even when the volume is at zero.
 
Quote:

 
 
All you had to do was take note of the polarity of the cables in the 3 pin and transfer to 4 pin.
 
Are you sure that the green was + and likewise the red,reduced volume can be caused by reverse polarity on one side.
 
Some other people have mentioned noise on one channel with these amps so it might not be your XLR.
 
I have a VII that I returned because of noise in one channel,it was fixed and has run perfect ever since.

 

[ford2]

 
Quote:

Flipping phase does not normally cause noise. If it was quiet with the 2X3pin it should be quiet with the 4-pin.

Who said it could cause noise?.IF you read my reply it relates to Volume.


 
Quote:

Yeah, I am sure my polarity is correct.
 
Volume is lower on the left than the right AND both channels have static even when the volume is at zero.
 

 

I can only suggest that you try another pair of phones in the balanced mode,if they are noisy to then get in touch with David.
 
I suppose that you have tried the amp from different mains circuits and with nothing else plugged in?
 
I have no noise at all on my VII even with phones of 32 ohm's and a Sensitivity of 104dB/mW.
 

 

[nikongod]

Sorry about that. I re-read what you wrote, and it was about the volume error. Flipping phase does not normally cause volume changes. What you wrote was wrong.
 
to the OP: 
it is rare to solder something so poorly that it causes static. 
 
What are the pinouts? Can you measure the resistance of the headphone across pins 1&2 and pins 3&4 on the headphone plug? what values do you get?

 

[Zorlac]

Thanks for all your help guys. I had a new Neutrik professionally soldered today on my headphones by a local cable manufacturer/reseller. They did an awesome job using my Furutech solder.
 
Got home and tested and the problems persist.
 
Just for the record, I have tried different power cables, different fuses, RCA caps since I am only using the two 3-pin XLR inputs, moving the amp away from all other equipment, adjusting the gain settings, etc. The problem persists as usual. The 1/4" SE output works just fine. I am convinced the new LD VII+ is faulty when it comes to the 4-pin XLR output.
 
I have contacted David with Little Dot and am awaiting a reply.
 
Zorlac

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Can you measure the resistance of the headphone across pins 1&2 and pins 3&4 on the headphone plug? what values do you get?

please.

 

[Zorlac]

pins 1&2 and pins 3&4 are both showing almost exactly 23.5 Ohms on my DMM. Does this sound right? I am guessing it is considering my Denon D7000 headphones are rated for 25 Ohms.  

 

[nikongod]

yes, that sounds right. It is normal for there to be some variance from the nominal impedance.
 
Very weird.