Headphone Recable Mogami - Shield to ground?
Jan 18, 2010 at 1:04 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14

MikeW

Headphoneus Supremus
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Hey all, recabled my D2k with Mogami 2434 and was wondering if I was supposed to connect the copper shield to the ground connection of the TRS connector? The way I have it now is Left and Right signal and 2 ground wires, I don't have the shield copper attached to anything.
 
Jan 18, 2010 at 5:32 AM Post #2 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeW /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Hey all, recabled my D2k with Mogami 2434 and was wondering if I was supposed to connect the copper shield to the ground connection of the TRS connector? The way I have it now is Left and Right signal and 2 ground wires, I don't have the shield copper attached to anything.


When I first started out, I read that you were supposed to connect the shield to ground on the source end of the cable. Haven't heard otherwise so that is what I have been doing ever since.
 
Jan 18, 2010 at 5:37 AM Post #3 of 14
headphone cables really don't need to be shielded
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Jan 18, 2010 at 6:47 AM Post #4 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by momomo6789 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
headphone cables really don't need to be shielded
smily_headphones1.gif



thats where the debate comes in, isnt it.

Senn thinks strongly enough to the contrary that the HD800 uses a shielded twisted pair cable. The R10 uses the ground return from the headphone as a shield for the signal.

It could be superstition and BS, but I have seen a few convincing articles on the benefits to shielding the output cables even in a power application. Yes, I consider headphone amps power amps.

The articles focus on the problems you may find when dealing with global feedback loops, and how an unshielded cable looks like an antenna, with a fairly direct path back to the input of the amplifier through any compensation caps.

Maybe it does absolutely nothing, but then, its only 1 more thing to hook up. I cant think of a reason that it would hurt provided the amp can drive the extra capacitance for the shield so why not? If your amp cant drive a few pf/ft more capacitance it is pathetic and should be put out of its misery.
 
Jan 18, 2010 at 9:13 AM Post #5 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by nikongod /img/forum/go_quote.gif
thats where the debate comes in, isnt it.

Senn thinks strongly enough to the contrary that the HD800 uses a shielded twisted pair cable. The R10 uses the ground return from the headphone as a shield for the signal.

It could be superstition and BS, but I have seen a few convincing articles on the benefits to shielding the output cables even in a power application. Yes, I consider headphone amps power amps.

The articles focus on the problems you may find when dealing with global feedback loops, and how an unshielded cable looks like an antenna, with a fairly direct path back to the input of the amplifier through any compensation caps.

Maybe it does absolutely nothing, but then, its only 1 more thing to hook up. I cant think of a reason that it would hurt provided the amp can drive the extra capacitance for the shield so why not? If your amp cant drive a few pf/ft more capacitance it is pathetic and should be put out of its misery.



so... how do we actually connect it?
 
Jan 19, 2010 at 12:24 AM Post #8 of 14
damn, wonder if it's worth the trouble of redoing it.
confused.gif
 
Jan 19, 2010 at 1:55 AM Post #9 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeW /img/forum/go_quote.gif
damn, wonder if it's worth the trouble of redoing it.
confused.gif



No idea. When doing braided cables, there is no shield and there are no audible negative effects. That being said, if there is a shield and it isn't grounded, I don't know if that actually adds something negative. In theory the shield absorbs the interference and needs to send it somewhere? I *think* I read that, but I am not sure.
 
Jan 19, 2010 at 6:35 AM Post #11 of 14
headphone cable is not really same as an interconnect though. But thanks for the diagram.
 
Jan 19, 2010 at 6:07 PM Post #14 of 14
I did it purely for the peace of mind of knowing that I didn't skimp anywhere in the path from my amp to my phones. The amp was enough work to merit the extra attention to detail. Whether or not the shielding makes a difference, I do not know.
smily_headphones1.gif
 

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