So I went ahead and went against my better judgement and bought a balanced cable from mimic cables. The configuration I ordered was to have a 2.5mm balanced connector to use with my FIIO Q1 and I opted for the silver plated oxygen free copper. I recived them last week at some point and got home Friday and was excited to try them. This being my first time using anything balanced was exciting to say the least. Now i know I shouldn't expect the greatest quality for a cable that costs $125(I think) but when I opened up the package and unraveled the cable I immediately noticed freying on the Paracord. I also noticed dings and dents on the Y Strain relief thingy. I told myself I hope this sounds a hell of a lot better than it looks. I proceeded to plugging everything in to give them a listen, and when I did the first thing I noticed was the soundstage increased exponentially. Which is good IMHO, but everything goes south from there and here is where I need input from you guys on this matter for multiple reasons. One I'm not used to listening to a balanced setup so I don't know what I'm supposed be expecting. But I will tell you what I hear and if there's something wrong I want to know. Because to me there sounds to be something wrong. The soundstage opened up...sure... But vocals took a huge back seat while instruments just forward in the mix and not in a good way. The bass extension dropped dramatically and I don't know why. I told my buddy I think these sound as if they were wired out of phase. That's what it sounds like to me anyways. How much different will a headphone sound if it's wired out of phase? I don't know! That's why I am here to get some input.
Why did you think Balanced cable makes a difference? Because our resident 'reviewers' say so?
Balanced headphone cable on its own has exactly zero benefits over Single Ended cable.
The only benefit is with certain DAPs, Onkyo X1, for example. X1 has built in 2 amplifiers, and 2 DAC, one for each channel. But only using Balanced output socket are both used. With Single Ended, the 3.5mm output socket only one amplifier, and one DAC is used, to power both channels. There is no rational explanation why Onkyo designed it this way. Why are both amps and both DAC not used with both sockets, only Onkyo knows. Possibly to save power in SE mode. But the power saving by turning off 2 chips in 3.5mm SE mode is minor concern, it hardly matters.
With Onkyo X1 DAP running both DAC and amps hugely beneficial, but it isn't because the cable. Cable has nothing to do with it, ,the 2 DACs and 2 amplifiers are that improve the overall sound. Cable itself has nothing to do with it. Unfortunately in 3.5mm SE configuration Onkyo DP X1 won't turn on both DACs and amps, if it did, Balanced output would be useless. Running separate Ground does nothing for a 1.2m cable.
Just to make sure we are talking about the same thing, and use same terms, what does Ground means? Every driver is fed by + and -, yes? Usually cables are colour coded - is blue, and + is Red. In Singe Ended cable Ground, the -, the blue cable is Ground. In balanced amps each channel has its own Ground. Thats why using 2.5mm Male Balanced to 3.5mm SE Female adaptor works flawlessly, Ground of L and R channels is same, they simply have separate run from amps power output chip. You can short the Ground wires, and nothing happens, because in reality you are not shorting anything, they are same thing. Short it all you want, for a signal in 2 meters long cable it won't make a slightest bit of difference. In 10 meters it may. In 100 meters it most certainly will, cable will pick up noise, we hear it as 'hum'.
The only difference between Balanced, and SE cable is one thing, Balanced runs a separate, dedicated Ground cable from each amp. It benefits only if cables are very long, hundreds of meters. Every cable acts as an antenna, picking up noise. With headphones, with cables not longer than 2 meters, 6 ft, there is absolutely no benefit using Balanced cable. It is used in very long runs at concert venues, large recording studios, Balanced cable's separate Ground shields the signal, and cable doesn't pick up as much noise. In home use it has no benefit.
Except these very few units, where using TRRS Balanced is of benefit, Onkyo is one of them.
Sadly, this Balanced thing has become marketing trick, just like bi wiring in loudspeaker business in the 90s. People were told be reviewers (sneaky, paid advertising agents) that running 2 sets of speaker wire is much, much better, and cable companies sold miles and miles of cables, for absolutely useless double run of speaker cables.
Now the same thing is happening with Balanced headphone cables. There are so called reviewers, who know better, but promote Balanced cables for headphones and for sources that have no benefits whatsoever by running separate Ground lead to each ear piece. Remember, Balanced simply means seapate Ground wire. For 100 years common Ground was good enough for home use, not any more lol.
And then there are so called reviewers, who are simply clueless. Being a 'reviewer' gets them lots of freebies, lots of samples.. maybe they calling themselves a reviewer works for self esteem. Who knows. But they can serious damage, and disservice to people who read their stuff, and believe every word. It's waste of money, but worse, being made a fool.
To recap, unless the source has a need for Balanced cable (very few do) there's no benefit by running separate Ground to each ear piece, that's what Balanced means.
Spend your money on better headphones, forget cables. Especially Balanced cables.
Apologies for typos.
![20180303_214838[1].jpg](https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/10078297.jpg "20180303_214838[1].jpg")
