[Mimouille]

Yup, likewise with the cables. I'd be happy if A&K ditched their balanced output and just focused on good headphone drive and sound quality, but I guess the balanced output is one of their main differentiators.

Well that and also the fact that they sell balanced cables now...plus their balanced output is not as good as the Lotoo Paw Gold or Mojo S-E. Talking for the 240.

 

[Saraugie]

Not me. I like the balanced connection.

 

[Mimouille]

Good for you.

 

[b0ssMax]

Well that and also the fact that they sell balanced cables now...plus their balanced output is not as good as the Lotoo Paw Gold or Mojo S-E. Talking for the 240.

With my experience wih the ak380 bal vs se, i'd have to agree. The balance out sucks compared to se.

Even my hm901s, balanced amp card sounded a bit thin compared to minibox gold and/or musical amp card.

Just replaced my balanced cables from layla and u12 (linim balanced) to se stock a few hours ago.

 

[Sound Eq]

With my experience wih the ak380 bal vs se, i'd have to agree. The balance out sucks compared to se.

Even my hm901s, balanced amp card sounded a bit thin compared to minibox gold and/or musical amp card.

Just replaced my balanced cables from layla and u12 (linim balanced) to se stock a few hours ago.

can i ask what you do not like in the balanced out from the ak380
 
when i use my ak380+ amp with my shure 846 balanced, it sounds so much better than the single out from that combo using a balanced cable from ted allen

 

[denis1976]

With my experience wih the ak380 bal vs se, i'd have to agree. The balance out sucks compared to se.

Even my hm901s, balanced amp card sounded a bit thin compared to minibox gold and/or musical amp card.

Just replaced my balanced cables from layla and u12 (linim balanced) to se stock a few hours ago.

Maybe is a fault with yours ak380 , my AK240 is way better in Balanced than in SE , it has more power and more air in the sound, the soundstage is allready awsome in Se it has a very wide picture so unlike the 901 that in se the soundstage is "normal" and opens in Balanced, the ak240 in Se is allready more open than the 901 the stereo separation is first rate, i never eard a ak380 but is hard to believe that is a downgrade or is it..

 

[denis1976]

I tell you more, i order a adapter from ebay trrs 3.5mm to trrs 2.5mm to conect my hifiman re600 and he400i to my ak240 and when i listen for the first time i wanted to cry...the adapter was trrs but for mic not for balanced sound output...but now with the right one makes me smile every time i ear it☺

 

[Saraugie]

The last sentence is my new motto. I had my best cables re-terminated to SE and will not deal with balanced again.

 
Sounds like you know what you want!

 

[b0ssMax]

Maybe is a fault with yours ak380 , my AK240 is way better in Balanced than in SE , it has more power and more air in the sound, the soundstage is allready awsome in Se it has a very wide picture so unlike the 901 that in se the soundstage is "normal" and opens in Balanced, the ak240 in Se is allready more open than the 901 the stereo separation is first rate, i never eard a ak380 but is hard to believe that is a downgrade or is it..

I had the 240 but not anymore. I agree the balance out from 240 is better than se from my experience. With my 380 though se wins out. As i've been trying to a-b bal and se for the past couple of weeks. Se sounds fuller, clearer to me. Other have also spoken out in the 380 thread.

What i was agreeing to is bal isn't necessarily better especially with ak, in my case with the 380.

Add to that is my recent experience with the hm901s elfidelity balanced card vs minibox gold and/or musical amp card. Balance card sounded thin but separation and soundstage was a bit wider, but not by much. The other two card sounded fuller and really more to my liking.

Finally, and i have to admit it's not an apples to apples comparison, and not particularly dap related. He1000 with violectric v200, masskobo 404, liquid carbon. via 380 - crystal cable 3.5 to rca except for masskobo, this is via 2.5-2.5 bal whiplash silver 8 wire. The best was with the v200 (only in se) Next was lc bal, then masskobo 404 bal.

If it's just the lc, then se vs bal, bal wins out. Same thing with rxmk3-b, cdm and intruder, and hd650.

In general as i use the daps and mojo, more often than not, i've decided to give up on bal for the time being with these and iems. Hd650 has to be bal. he1k, i'm still on the fence but will decide soon.

Reading through what i wrote now, it would seem it would depend on the combo more. I'm excited to test out the combinations now. Maybe when i have more time...

 

[Mimouille]

can i ask what you do not like in the balanced out from the ak380

when i use my ak380+ amp with my shure 846 balanced, it sounds so much better than the single out from that combo using a balanced cable from ted allen

Maybe is a fault with yours ak380 , my AK240 is way better in Balanced than in SE , it has more power and more air in the sound, the soundstage is allready awsome in Se it has a very wide picture so unlike the 901 that in se the soundstage is "normal" and opens in Balanced, the ak240 in Se is allready more open than the 901 the stereo separation is first rate, i never eard a ak380 but is hard to believe that is a downgrade or is it..

Maybe you like it better but the AK380 balanced out measures clearly worse than the SE.

 

[Sound Eq]

Maybe you like it better but the AK380 balanced out measures clearly worse than the SE.

do u even have the ak380 ???
 
I started to loose faith in reading specs and measurements and only trust my ears
 
as no way on earth does single ended sound better than balanced at least to me

 

[x RELIC x]

do u even have the ak380 ???

I started to loose faith in reading specs and measurements and only trust my ears

as no way on earth does single ended sound better than balanced at least to me

From Headfonia:

http://www.headfonia.com/review-astell-kern-ak380-momentary/4/

"Single-ended, the AK380 holds a pretty good to excellent signal even when driving the torturous Earsonics SM2 even at a volume setting of 150. Sure, distortion bumps up to nearly audible levels, and stereo crosstalk jumps to -77dB, but overall, the effect is small. The same earphone balanced is a wreck of THD and IMD distortion that exonerates poorly-designed valve amps. But that’s at the unlistenable volume setting of 150.

Even if it were up to snuff, I have serious doubts that the AK380’s balanced out could sneak one past its prodigious single-ended out. But let’s continue.

When set to typical listening levels (100 and below), the AK380 suddenly tests similarly to an iPhone 4. And that makes sense. Most of what 24-bit audio boasts above 16-bit audio depends on noise contrast and the dynamic range applicable to sustained volume levels of over 110dB at which no one listens.

Which is to say: the AK380 has the ability to perform, but you have to really coax it. It is held back by a poor balanced output the use of which I cannot with good conscience endorse outside of passing signal to outboard amps.

That is to say that when all is well and good, all is well and good. The AK380 can sound like a thousand bucks. But just as easily, it can sound like 500$."

I haven't heard it and have no skin in the game, just passing on info. If you like the balanced out that's what really matters.

 

[Sound Eq]

From Headfonia:

http://www.headfonia.com/review-astell-kern-ak380-momentary/4/
I haven't heard it and have no skin in the game, just passing on info. If you like the balanced out that's what really matters.

man total rubbish from headfonia and the ak380 balanced sounds much better than single ended to my ears using shure 846 , people who experience otherwise i might suggest to check their ak380 device

 

[x RELIC x]

man total rubbish from headfonia and the ak380 balanced sounds much better than single ended to my ears using shure 846 , people who experience otherwise i might suggest to check their ak380 device

He did say that you need to be listening to nearly unlistenable levels to notice the difference. I have no idea, but found it surprising to say the least.

Glad you're liking it!

 

[FidelityCastro]

man total rubbish from headfonia and the ak380 balanced sounds much better than single ended to my ears using shure 846 , people who experience otherwise i might suggest to check their ak380 device

He did say that you need to be listening to nearly unlistenable levels to notice the difference. I have no idea, but found it surprising to say the least.

Glad you're liking it!

I prefer balanced out with every combo that I own, by some margin. (AK120 + Glove A1 balanced out; Onkyo DP-X1 standalone balanced out; AK120 or the Onkyo with the ALO CDM balanced out).

I read a post from one of the Chord guys that a product offering balanced out is a remedy for deficiencies in the product (I'm paraphrasing, not a direct quote). I would not argue with their numbers as the Chord guys are engineers and make amazing products - I own a Chord Hugo and love it - but my ears hear a wider soundstage with all my balanced combos and that's simply a sound signature that I prefer.