1/4 and 1/8 plug. is there a different in sound?

[plonter]

Hi all. i am just curious to know if there is a different regarding the sound when talking about 1/4 plug vs. 1/8 plug...? or it's just for convenience.

i seem to notice that all the high end equipment (amps,recievers ,headphones etc.) usually have a 1/4 plug. although certain high level headphones do come with a 1/8 plug(denon ah-d5000).

waiting for your comments.

 

[HeadLover]

No I don't think there is
But
I love the 1/4 more for feeling more secure and tight.

 

[K_19]

Sound wise? Technically there should be none, and the only implication to sound would be when you use an adapter to convert one to the other (in which case, there may be higher possibilities of damages to connectors or improper connections and such). 1/8's are obviously more portable, but more prone to damages. I think that's about it.

 

[plonter]

Thanks for the replies guys. i thought that maybe the extra meterial on the plug can make a slight difference. and i see it more often used in high end products.

 

[mbd2884]

I think maybe it's because it's more durable.

 

[Nerull]

It's definitely more structurally sound. And looks much cooler.

Seriously, 1/8" jacks usually look chintzy in comparison.

~Thomas

 

[Rempert]

When your mini-jack starts wiggling around and you have channels cutting in and out, the sound difference is pretty noticeable.

 

[diditmyself]

The difference in crosstalk is measureable even with a simple setup such as a soundcard and RMAA, but I'm not sure it's audible.

 

[leeperry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by diditmyself /img/forum/go_quote.gif The difference in crosstalk is measureable even with a simple setup such as a soundcard and RMAA, but I'm not sure it's audible.

source please?

 

[diditmyself]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeperry /img/forum/go_quote.gif source please?

I've done such tests, and I can tell you the difference is measureable. I haven't saved any results, and my soundcard is broken.

Amb has done this before me. This can be found at his web site:
RightMark Audio Analyzer test: comparison

 

[leeperry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by diditmyself /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've done such tests, and I can tell you the difference is measureable. I haven't saved any results, and my soundcard is broken. Amb has done this before me. This can be found at his web site: RightMark Audio Analyzer test: comparison

this....is...shocking, +10dB of crosstalk

but a friend of mine(who's got the 0404USB) tells me that it's got a 1/8" output but also a double balanced(or unbalanced) 1/4" mono output....so how was it conducted? w/ a 2xmono>stereo adapter? on what output? maybe he's actually measuring the soundcard difference between these 2 outputs

how did you run YOUR test?

 

[diditmyself]

Yes it's shocking. The comparison is between 2 x mono 1/4" and a 3.5 mm stereo, unbalanced, soundcard loopback. I don't know the result of using 1/4" stereo connectors because I only use 3.5 mm jacks and plugs on my amps and phones.

I didn't understand what was wrong with my RMAA tests, why the crosstalk was so bad when all other parameters were perfect, until I ran the tests with short high quality cables and 1/4" plugs. I wish I knew this before I made my amps with 3.5 mm jacks.

 

[leeperry]

I'll dig if I can find more technically accurate comparisons, because maybe this guy is just comparing different outputs, or actually measuring some lousy adapter ?!

but it's a good guess that ANY adapter will worsen the SQ indeed...I might just solder a furutech 1/4" on my DT770 stock cable, for the hell of it

 

[diditmyself]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeperry /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'll dig if I can find more technically accurate comparisons, because maybe this guy is just comparing different outputs, or actually measuring some lousy adapter ?!

The outputs are the same. I ran my tests with an E-mu 0404 pci soundcard. There are only one analog (L/R) output and one analog input, 1/4" mono. The grounds are tied together inside the soundcard, so it's not a comparison between balanced and unbalanced. The only difference were the added 3.5 mm jacks for the ability to test amplifiers with mini plugs. I did the same test with different 3.5 mm jacks and plugs and the results were exactly the same. The differences in crosstalk were about the same as in the link above.

 

[leeperry]

still, it's not an A/B comparison...it's using different different outputs of the soundcard...

what I'm interested in is whether soldering a furutech 1/4" on my stock DT770 cable would yield any "audible" improvement...and it's highly unlikely

and I've read some ppl saying that each plug has its own "color"(due to the alloy used, etc etc)...so what if I prefer the stock DT770 3.5>6.35 plug+adapter?

destructive mods are always hard to deal w/