AtomikPi
500+ Head-Fier
So I am in the process of purchasing a balanced-->se adapter for my headphones and was planning on using BJC to save a few bucks and wound up hearing some interesting claims regarding balanced headphones. I have no idea whether these statements are correct; that's why I'm starting this thread in the first place - I have no electrical background or experience.
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For reference, the article was: Art. I- Balanced vs. Unbalanced - HeadRoom: Stereo Headphones, Amps & DACs, Wireless, Noise Canceling, Ear Canal, Earbud, Audio Cables & Accessories
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On a side note, it is erroneous to call the headphones "balanced" in the strict sense of the term. Any speaker, regardless of size or application (from headphones to concert systems), all take speaker level signals. Balanced audio is a line level signal type. There is no such thing as a "balanced speaker". Balanced audio reuires at least 3 conductors. Speakers use only 2 (+ and -). Having an XLR connector does not make it a balanced circuit, because on every one of the "balanced" headphones we've ever worked on, only 2 of the 3 XLR pins were utilized in a meaningful way. The only way headphones could really accept a balanced signal would be for there to be an integral amplifier built into the headphones, and you would require a 5 pin connection, dual TRS, or dual XLR from the source. ... I looked at the diagram you sent and, as I suspected, this is not a balanced circuit because the ground is tied with the negative on the speaker coil (which makes this a standard unbalanced circuit). A true balanced circuit has a completely separate ground from the conductors carrying the signal. As soon as you tie either one of the signal carrying conductors to the ground wire (which happens when you plug the cable into amp), it is no longer a balanced signal. Technically, as long as his cable design isn't plugged in, it could be considered a balanced cable. What negates it is the fact the the shields on the XLRs are tied to the same ground as the negative signal from the amp. This is an extremely inefficient way to connect unbalanced speker level signals, and I do not recommend it. The writer of this article is quite mistaken about what is and isn't a balanced circuit. More on that can be read here: Blue Jeans Cable--A Question of Balance |
For reference, the article was: Art. I- Balanced vs. Unbalanced - HeadRoom: Stereo Headphones, Amps & DACs, Wireless, Noise Canceling, Ear Canal, Earbud, Audio Cables & Accessories