Few questions about building Headphone cable(3.5 to 4.4 or XLR)

[OCC7N]

Hi

I am very new to building headphone cables. I am planning on practice on cheap parts first, but there are somethings I need to learn before I just solder the parts.

1. To simply understand balanced cable, is that it has a ground, which eliminates unwanted noise, right?

2. For this ground wire to take effect, the headphone also needs to support this, it needs to be a balanced headphone?
- If the headphone is unbalanced, the balaced cable won´t help prevent the noise?


Which cable to purchase:
I am a bit confused about the y splitter part of the cable. I should google/youtube this(I will)

To start with I don´t want to braid, so I am trying to understand which cables I need and what the best practice is to split the cable and fit it correctly in the y splitter.

Any help or advice is appreciated

 

[Tofty]

From my understanding "balanced" headphone cables are very poorly named, as they are not balanced in the same way as the "balanced audio cables" that would connect to an amp's inputs. When you search for balanced cables this is the type of cable you find info about: https://www.aviom.com/blog/balanced-vs-unbalanced/
The link above describes that type of balancing much better than I can, but what's important is that is not what's happening in "balanced" headphone cables. They are in fact much simpler;
Basically the ground wire is separate for each driver all the way back to the amp, when for an unbalanced cable the ground wire is shared between each side.
3 pole 3.5mm or 1/4" jack for unbalanced (separate + for each driver but shared GND).
4pole 2.5mm, 4.4mm (5 pole connector used for some reason) jacks or 4 pin XLR connector for balanced (separate + and - for each driver).

Any headphones that use a removable, split cable can very easily be made balanced with just a new cable.
However almost any wired headphone can be converted to being balanced.
For example let's say you want to convert a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770s to be balanced. All you'd have to do is add a 4 pole 3.5mm jack connector (or something a little more exotic) to the hole the original cable came out of (widening the hole of course), then connect the left driver's + and GND wires to two of the pins on the jack connector and the two wires from right driver's bridge cable to the other two pins on the connector. Then terminate a 4 pole jack to one end of a four core cable and whatever connection your amp needs to the other end.

This type of balancing is more about being able to deliver more voltage to the drivers by being able to deliver both positive and negative voltages, effectively doubling the potential voltage delivered, without pushing more current through the system.
I've never been quite sure how this is supposed to prevent noise specifically and I question if this is confusion with the other type of balanced cable, which definitely is to reduce noise, as it is meant to be implemented over long distances.

Edit: While what I said above is mostly true and at least functionally accurate, after further reading it looks like what does on in the amp for balanced headphone cable is more complex than I thought and does seem to explain why it might help reduce noise.

I found this video to be pretty good at clarifying things:

 

[OCC7N]

Thank you very much for the detailed explanation. Even though Im slow to understand I pick up something from it.

The G(ground) connection still needs to act as an faraday cage(the shielding), but that won´t happen unless there is a proper ground connection. Something I picked up in this a while ago:


So if the headphone doesn´t have this ground to pass on to the cable which connects to the grounding in the device, it won´t help right? - or is it the other way around?

Let´s take a 4.4mm jack

I need to find a cable so I can start practicing. But it is so hard to find a cable. I don´t like to braid first, I just want a simple cable but good quality(up-occ)

Im from europe and only buy from europe because of taxes.

On my parts list I have this:
2x 3.5mm jack - https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/jack...stereo-gold-plated-24k-o4mm-unite-p-9283.html
1x 4.4mm jack - https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/jack...rrrs-gold-plated-o4mm-unit-black-p-13235.html

Cable is so hard to find on that site. I really need help on finding a cable cheap and highend.

 

[tjdub]

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/bala...ophone-cable-shielded-041mm-o6mm-p-10457.html

I use canare cable, its very good and easy to solder, Mogami W2534 is very good as well

 

[OCC7N]

Thank you

Feel free to post pictures of your work here

I will order that cable.

How about sleeving and y splitter work?

 

[OCC7N]

How about the copper strands. Are they coated with some coating I have to “burn” off?

 

[TYATYA]

How about the copper strands. Are they coated with some coating I have to “burn” off?

Do not burn anything. Also no need to scratch the coat.
For coating strain (litz, what you call it), cut it at angle of 45 or so.
Cross section is pure metal and enough for transmittion. Just soldering normally.
Note: tin must stick on the cross section.
Btw canare cable is not coated strain.

 

[TYATYA]

Again, above canare is not for hp cable.
You should not use shielded wires for hp cable.
For micro, dual xlr. ... etc are ok.

 

[TYATYA]

1. To simply understand balanced cable, is that it has a ground, which eliminates unwanted noise, right?

2. For this ground wire to take effect, the headphone also needs to support this, it needs to be a balanced headphone?

1 and 2, No.
Headphone mostly does not affect by noise cause by the cable.
(Example you listening at 0. 7V, while noise if have any, in micro unit so is that 0.000x%?)

Grounding is no need even in XLR interconnect cable bcs balance transmittion cancel the noise pick up by the cable, the chips...
If you find ground pole are used for xlr, it is for other purpose: electrick shock safety.

- If the headphone is unbalanced, the balaced cable won´t help prevent the noise?

No headphone with bal or se driver.
It relate to cable, and free to be changed.
You can rewire a 6. 3 SE to be xlr by cut its jack and put xlr-4 on.
(Ensure the Y join is not a point electric joining of 2 wire)
Most hp joining point is on the main jack. Y spliter is just attach 2 cables, it is electric isolation)

 

[OCC7N]

Thank you very much

 

[OCC7N]

I guess the next thing is to find light y splitter....almost invisible if possible

I like the cable to be less annoying if you understand what I mean

 

[TYATYA]

I guess the next thing is to find light y splitter....almost invisible if possible

I like the cable to be less annoying if you understand what I mean

Y spilter can be a wooden ball.
You prepare 2 half then glue them to the point.

IMO 1st step is that rewire current se cable to xlr4 and you quickly know how much xlr helps with your system.
It is much headamp depending, some almost zero(just bonus power), some more.

 

[OCC7N]

Do not burn anything. Also no need to scratch the coat.
For coating strain (litz, what you call it), cut it at angle of 45 or so.
Cross section is pure metal and enough for transmittion. Just soldering normally.
Note: tin must stick on the cross section.
Btw canare cable is not coated strain.

cut it in angle så the tip makes connection right?

Y spilter can be a wooden ball.
You prepare 2 half then glue them to the point.

IMO 1st step is that rewire current se cable to xlr4 and you quickly know how much xlr helps with your system.
It is much headamp depending, some almost zero(just bonus power), some more.

Ok so the SE cable I have now, I could rewire it to XLR, and find out it actually is better? - XLR 3 poles?

 

[TYATYA]

cut it in angle så the tip makes connection right?


Ok so the SE cable I have now, I could rewire it to XLR, and find out it actually is better? - XLR 3 poles?

Main jack must be xlr4!
Cut a strain in 45 to got 1. 4x larger cross section to better for electron to go.
For litz wire i always do that, no need peel of or wash out the coat by any way.

If you see a core with green and another with red, and no isolation, means the wire is coated.
Tin must cover cross section when you solder them0

 

[OCC7N]

very valuable info there. Much appreciated, thank you alot