[grinch]

as i sit here at work listening to my etys with my ipod, i came across an idea that i don't think i've seen posted before. can er-4s headphones use a balanced cable? specifically, could they be used with a blockhead?

as i recall, the hd600 cables use the same connectors as the normal wire, so there's only 2-prongs going into each driver. etymotics (and i believe all dynamic headphones) have this same distinction. etymotic research 4s headphones also have 2-prongs going into each driver. i sit and wonder if this is possible, or if anybody has ever tried it or thought of it?

i know there are some real etymotic enthusiasts out there, and i feel they really do scale well with amp upgrades and i'm wondering if anybody else would be intersted in something like that.

 

[Wodgy]

Tyll from Headroom has mentioned a few times that he's briefly considered making a balanced version of the AirHead specifically for Etys. I don't think the idea's going forward, but it would be fairly straightforward to do. Most high-end DAC chips have balanced outputs, so a nice completely balanced combo DAC/headamp would be a neat little project.

 

[BoyElroy]

You can go to this website--http://www.fixup.net/tips/ety/ety.htm --and get instructions on how to make your own cables for your etys or possibly special order a balanced cable.

Making a balanced cable for the etymotic isn't all that different from making a standard single-ended set; you just need to double your parts count and make your connections to the (-) and (+) terminals rather than to (-)/(+) to ground.

I made my own cable for my etys with 49k resisitors and I much prefer this to the standard cable they came with.

 

[Ebonyks]

49k? Could you describe the sound of your ety cable? You've made me intrested

As for a balanced ety cable, if anyone has a blockhead or balanced gilmore when it's avaible, send me a PM, i'd like to play around with the concept

 

[BoyElroy]

Doh!!

I meant 49ohms! Sorry 'bout that.

I tried out the 49ohm value based on a rec. from the fixup site and soundwise, I'd say its a pretty good compromise bet. the 4S and 4P. I've tried both the 100 ohm and the 27 ohm values and for the moment, I'm happiest with 49ohms.