[tufflitestudios]

I have been looking at replacement cables for my HD650’s. In this situation what would a balanced cable be? Is that when it ends with two xlr’s instead of a mini or 1/4?

 

[threEchelon]

Two 3-pin XLR's or one 4-pin XLR is used for balanced recables, the former being more popular.

 

[tufflitestudios]

Thanks that's what I thinking. What would be the advantage of this type of connection?

 

[vcoheda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tufflitestudios /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks that's what I thinking. What would be the advantage of this type of connection?

Um . . . that the headphone is balanced.

I have also been looking into getting a balanced cable for my HD650. They are not cheap though. Some of the sponsors sell them: HeadRoom, Moon Audio, Stefan AudioArt, HeadPhile, TTVJ. See the links at the top of the page.

 

[threEchelon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tufflitestudios /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks that's what I thinking. What would be the advantage of this type of connection?

XLR plugs are better in terms of flat out performance due to their superior design, but you will only reap the benefits of balanced sound if you have an:

unbalanced source-->unbalanced to balanced converter (some balanced amplifiers have one inside)-->balanced amplifier

or

balanced source-->balanced amplifier

with all the proper cables, of course.

 

[tufflitestudios]

This is all great info and I am getting closer to understanding. But apparently I don’t know what the difference is between balanced and unbalanced. Is it a type of signal or type of interconnect? Help me out here let’s start at the beginning.

 

[d-cee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tufflitestudios /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is all great info and I am getting closer to understanding. But apparently I don’t know what the difference is between balanced and unbalanced. Is it a type of signal or type of interconnect? Help me out here let’s start at the beginning.

to get the most from balanced you need different interconnects and equipment

balanced cables means there's about twice as much power going to the headphone

balanced configurations mean that each channel has its own ground

fully balanced configs usually mean that there's 2 x as much ampage compared to a single ended equiv - twice as many components, two PSUs etc.

balanced cables benefit from common mode noise rejection so aren't affected by outside noise/interferance as much

balanced however required expensive accompanying gear and recabling

some details here: http://bluejeanscable.com/articles/balanced.htm

 

[tufflitestudios]

Thanks for the good info.

 

[threEchelon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tufflitestudios /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is all great info and I am getting closer to understanding. But apparently I don’t know what the difference is between balanced and unbalanced. Is it a type of signal or type of interconnect? Help me out here let’s start at the beginning.

Balanced is a type of signal that requires appropriate components and interconnects. If you're looking for a simple balanced solution, a Headroom amp with a DAC inside would be a good option.

 

[The Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tufflitestudios /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the good info.

HeadRoom has lots of excellent info relating to your questions.