[joseph69]

I recently purchased a new Adcom GFP-815, and in the specs it said it came with a 1/4 headphone output, when I recieved the unit it did not come with a 1/4, it came with a 1/8, so I purchased a 1/4 to1/8 adapter which did not go well with my SR325is's because between the weight of the cable and the distance from the face of the unit which it protruded (about 4') I was loosing the right channel, because the adapter had so much weight and leverage on it, so I returned the unit for a full refund + shipping back to Adcom with grounds of false advertisement, and purchased a GFP-710 with a 1/4 headphone output. One less connection and a lot less weight and a lot less protrusion.I really don't know why they would put a 1/8 output on a piece of home stereo equipment, makes no sense at all to me, even most dedicated headphone amps come with1/4 output and their much smaller in size.

 

[ToddTheMetalGod]

There is more surface area to conduct the electrical signal through on a 1/4" plug, but I'm not sure if this actually makes any difference. It may also be a build quality concern, I've seen many problems with plugs breaking off and the likes which only occurred on headphones with 1/8" plugs.

 

[obobskivich]

I recently purchased a new Adcom GFP-815, and in the specs it said it came with a 1/4 headphone output, when I recieved the unit it did not come with a 1/4, it came with a 1/8, so I purchased a 1/4 to1/8 adapter which did not go well with my SR325is's because between the weight of the cable and the distance from the face of the unit which it protruded (about 4') I was loosing the right channel, because the adapter had so much weight and leverage on it, so I returned the unit for a full refund + shipping back to Adcom with grounds of false advertisement, and purchased a GFP-710 with a 1/4 headphone output. One less connection and a lot less weight and a lot less protrusion.I really don't know why they would put a 1/8 output on a piece of home stereo equipment, makes no sense at all to me, even most dedicated headphone amps come with1/4 output and their much smaller in size.

That's bizarre on the 815 - I agree that it should be a 1/4" on home equipment.

There is more surface area to conduct the electrical signal through on a 1/4" plug, but I'm not sure if this actually makes any difference.

It doesn't. It's an inconsequential difference.

 

[ToddTheMetalGod]

Quote:

It doesn't. It's an inconsequential difference.

 
I thought so, I was just hoping there was some sort of benefit behind 1/4" plugs since most people end up having to use an adapter anyway. It's kind of a disappointment. Nonetheless, I still prefer 1/4" terminated headphones since the cables and plugs they have are usually high quality than that of 1/8".

 

[joshwalnut]

Quote:

That's more vague than anything else - what is meant by "music," "degrades," and how much is "little by little" -

.

What's more vague is how nobody knows! I thought you guys were all experts here! huh!
 
Actually now that i think about it i've read that on headfonia... might have been in the comments but i'm pretty sure mike wrote it.
 
Anyways, it really doesn't matter now does it?

 

[obobskivich]

I thought so, I was just hoping there was some sort of benefit behind 1/4" plugs since most people end up having to use an adapter anyway. It's kind of a disappointment. Nonetheless, I still prefer 1/4" terminated headphones since the cables and plugs they have are usually high quality than that of 1/8".

1/4" is generally a more robust connection (because it *is* bigger), but it's more mechanical/aesthetic than electrical - the amount of power you're actually sending out for most headphones is puny.

What's more vague is how nobody knows! I thought you guys were all experts here! huh!

You're asking an impossible question and then getting rude when there isn't an answer - seriously, what you've asked is like:

"I don't know why this is so hard. I read somewhere once, somewhere I think might've been reputable, that eating certain kinds of food is good for you" - notice how that doesn't really say anything about anything?

As opposed to:

"A qualified researcher has said that there is a link between consumption of whole grains and improved heart health in humans; is this true?" - which is something that can be tested, evaluated, judged, and so on - there's actually a claim being made that can be evaluated, not just a vague statement about "food" - does that difference make sense?

So your original claim/question was that "the more stuff music goes through, the worse it is" - well that's flawed for a few reasons, first of all, the equipment isn't sending out "music" - it's sending out a signal, and what are we defining as "stuff" in this scenario, and what are our criteria for "better" or "worse" (they cannot be arbitrary)? And how then are we going to observe changes? (and this can be as simple as "I'm going to listen for a difference" after making XYZ changes) See how impossible that is to answer?

Really not trying to put you off - it's just that assessing claims like the one you originally made is essentially not possible; more information and context are needed.

 

[joshwalnut]

I'm sorry if i sounded rude, it was just my failed attempt at humor. Yeah i'm a newb so i don't really know what i'm talking about. My question is vague and i don't really know what i was asking. I just wanted to clarify if using an adapter would maybe "change" the music signal and if there is a change, would the human ears even detect it. When i say change the music signal, maybe like a different soundstage, more muffled sound, maybe not as clear and crisp? Or maybe it might have a positive effect on the source? Common sense tells me that a direct signal from the source (computer>amp) to the headphones would be best.. just the wire and connections. Who knows though.
 
Well i'm going to get another cable and make my own 3.5mm termination, i'll post back here with my results! (if i remember lol)

 

[obobskivich]

I'm sorry if i sounded rude, it was just my failed attempt at humor. Yeah i'm a newb so i don't really know what i'm talking about. My question is vague and i don't really know what i was asking. I just wanted to clarify if using an adapter would maybe "change" the music signal and if there is a change, would the human ears even detect it. When i say change the music signal, maybe like a different soundstage, more muffled sound, maybe not as clear and crisp? Or maybe it might have a positive effect on the source? Common sense tells me that a direct signal from the source (computer>amp) to the headphones would be best.. just the wire and connections. Who knows though.

Well i'm going to get another cable and make my own 3.5mm termination, i'll post back here with my results! (if i remember lol)

The only thing it can really act upon is the frequency domain (and even then, we're talking extremely (extremely) small potential changes) - soundstage, timing, etc is going to be related to the enclosure, drivers, seal with your head, that kind of thing. The differences between an adapter and no adapter are going to be extremely small, even to precise measuring equipment, assuming the adapter isn't faulty (I've seen increasing numbers of reports of very cheap 1/4" adapters that cannot make consistent contact between both channels) - it's a very small bit of material over a very short distance, it won't have an audible impact (and that's the point). If you wired some resistors into it, you could (potentially) expect some slight changes, but nothing "night and day" or "extremely dramatic" as many magazines would have you believe.

 

[joshwalnut]

Quote:

The only thing it can really act upon is the frequency domain (and even then, we're talking extremely (extremely) small potential changes) - soundstage, timing, etc is going to be related to the enclosure, drivers, seal with your head, that kind of thing. The differences between an adapter and no adapter are going to be extremely small, even to precise measuring equipment, assuming the adapter isn't faulty (I've seen increasing numbers of reports of very cheap 1/4" adapters that cannot make consistent contact between both channels) - it's a very small bit of material over a very short distance, it won't have an audible impact (and that's the point). If you wired some resistors into it, you could (potentially) expect some slight changes, but nothing "night and day" or "extremely dramatic" as many magazines would have you believe.

Thanks for that explanation man. Hey, i'm going to get some 3.5mm plugs so i can make a cable... should i go for the gold plated or silver plated jacks?... or does it really matter?

 

[obobskivich]

Thanks for that explanation man. Hey, i'm going to get some 3.5mm plugs so i can make a cable... should i go for the gold plated or silver plated jacks?... or does it really matter?

Ehhh...that's kind of a touchy debate. From an electrical standpoint, silver is slightly more conductive (but we're talking about PLATING, not SOLID), but gold is corrosion resistant - given the very small size and whatnot, I doubt it would really matter in terms of adding resistance to the system. From a sonic perspective, there's various opinions on silver having its own sound; IME it doesn't do anything "special" to the signal, but silver-based cables/connectors etc tend to cost a lot more. *shrug*

 

[joshwalnut]

Quote:

Ehhh...that's kind of a touchy debate. From an electrical standpoint, silver is slightly more conductive (but we're talking about PLATING, not SOLID), but gold is corrosion resistant - given the very small size and whatnot, I doubt it would really matter in terms of adding resistance to the system. From a sonic perspective, there's various opinions on silver having its own sound; IME it doesn't do anything "special" to the signal, but silver-based cables/connectors etc tend to cost a lot more. *shrug*

Damn, this sound science will drive people mad... i'll just get a gold plated, it's what everything else is on my setup anyway. Thanks

 

[hiiisociety]

^^^^^^ LOL

 

[joshwalnut]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^  LMAO OMF THAT;'S SO FUNNEY!