[ArthurPower]

As long as the ground wires are seperated you can convert any cable for balanced use. If both L & R share a common ground then you're out of luck. If you wired a 4 pin connector with a shared ground you would not only not have a balanced connection, you would damage most balanced headphone amps! If you have 4 wires then you're good.

 

[mowglycdb]

As long as the ground wires are seperated you can convert any cable for balanced use. If both L & R share a common ground then you're out of luck. If you wired a 4 pin balance connector with a shared ground you would not only not have a balanced conntection, you would damage most balanced headphone amps! If you have 4 wires then you're good.

 
Then if the amp separates both ground conections, hot and cold signal,  a dual xlr 3pin conection would be better right?
 
right+/right-/ground     left+/left-/ground
 
 
 
I'm trying to take advantage of that with my amp, but it seems that the he-1000 doesn't have the 3 separated.

 

[Mr Rick]

   
Then if the amp separates both ground conections, hot and cold signal,  a dual xlr 3pin conection would be better right?
 
right+/right-/ground     left+/left-/ground
 
 
 
I'm trying to take advantage of that with my amp, but it seems that the he-1000 doesn't have the 3 separated.

 
The three pin connectors can be used. One pin for signal +, one pin for signal -, and one for the cable shield. If there is no shield than the extra pin is left empty.

 

[mowglycdb]

I have the Audio-GD Master 8 and I sent a mail to King-wa   asking if dual 3pin xlr had advantage over the 4pin xlr connection. He said that only if the headphone could use the three conections, shield, hot and cold,  but that most heaphones don't have a separated shield for each driver, and in that scenario 4-pin is equal in performance (as he said)
 
Can a three pin conector be used with the he-1000?   2.5 mm stereo conection to use hot, cold and shield?

 

[ArthurPower]

A balanced headphone connection is not the same as a balanced line level audio connection. A shield is not required with a balanced headphone. You can have a shield connected at just one end of the cable, at the amp, as long as it is kept separate from the cold/- wire (like all balanced connections should be).

The HE1000 are all metal but, the cold/- is also the ground for the headphones casing. There is no chassis ground. And you can not combine the amps chassis ground to the cold/- wire!

So yes you could use a pair of 3 pin XLR connectors with the HE1000 as long as the sheild is not connected at the headphones to the 2.5mm plug.

 

[mowglycdb]

Hmm and connecting the shield pin to the casing of the 2.5mm, that doesn't go into the driver?. Will it have no effect whatsoever?

 

[ArthurPower]

You can not connect the shield pin (pin 1) of the 3 pin xlr to anything at the 2.5mm connector not even to the connectors casing otherwise you are combining the cold/- to the chassis ground. Having the shield connected to only the amp side still has potential benefits since the wire is now shielded and connected to the amps chassis ground. This should make the cable less microphonic and possibly help block RF interference.

Example: when you have a balanced dynamic microphone the shield connects to the mics case (if it's metal) not to the dynamic element. Only the + / - connect to the actual mic element. The shield is just used to protect the integrity of the signal on the + / - wires. So the shield ends at the mic's casing. If the case is made of plastic then it ends at the connector. In any case it is serving its purpose.

If the cold/- was separated on the HE1000 from the metal casing of the headphones you could have the shield going to the metal case and + / - going only to the planar driver element. I have never seen that done with headphones though.

 

[conquerator2]

The last couple of days, The HEK has been putting a big smile on my face. I am still eagerly anticipating the LC 

What what my first Cavalli experience brings to the table! 

 

[SoAmusing777]

Going down in price, many love the Liquid Carbon/HEK combination...I have the ZOTL2, the RSA-HR-2, and the LC, and I like the ZOTL best of the 3, but still burning the LC in, and at $599, considerably less than the other 2 (which are considerably less than much of the other mentioned amps), and it does perform quite admirably, from my brief audition. More impressions to come when I have time to listen more "seriously" (no smiles allowed

), when burn in is done (probably the weekend).

Honestly don't understand why everyone isn't using the ZOTL2. 

 

[doctorjazz]

You might think it is the cost, though, if you've already sprung for the HEK, might as well feed it as well as you can. (the other possibility, though, is that you've stretched the budget for the HEK...LC would hold you until you can save up for the ZOTL, imo)
My impression is, while the LC is not the equal of the ZOTL, the LC does make for a musical, enjoyable listening experience with the HEK.

 

[SoAmusing777]

You might think it is the cost, though, if you've already sprung for the HEK, might as well feed it as well as you can. (the other possibility, though, is that you've stretched the budget for the HEK...LC would hold you until you can save up for the ZOTL, imo)
My impression is, while the LC is not the equal of the ZOTL, the LC does make for a musical, enjoyable listening experience with the HEK.

yeah, no way. If you can pay $3000 for a headphone, you can pay a third of that on the amp. If you're gonna spend that kinda money on a headphone, you don't give it sub-par amp, plus, there are amps MUCH more expensive and DACs much more as well. That's actually something I'm not sure of what to use with the combo of HEK and the ZOTL2. I was thinking maybe the Chord Mojo.

 

[doctorjazz]

Haven't compared Mojo with ZOTL, but did hear it quickly at a meet, sounded good. Don't think the amp part of it (I know, Chord fools will tell me it doesn't have an amp. What I understand is, it doesn't have a discrete amp; the amp is part of the DAC chip). I think most folks wanting to drive HEK would use Mojo's line out into another amp (ZOTL would be a great choice, LC if you couldn't spring for the ZOTL). Imo, of course.
(just reread your post...misunderstood it initially, but you ARE planning on using Mojo line out into MicroZOTL,it seems. Never mind...)

 

[SoAmusing777]

Haven't compared Mojo with ZOTL, but did hear it quickly at a meet, sounded good. Don't think the amp part of it (I know, Chord fools will tell me it doesn't have an amp. What I understand is, it doesn't have a discrete amp; the amp is part of the DAC chip). I think most folks wanting to drive HEK would use Mojo's line out into another amp (ZOTL would be a great choice, LC if you couldn't spring for the ZOTL). Imo, of course.
(just reread your post...misunderstood it initially, but you ARE planning on using Mojo line out into MicroZOTL,it seems. Never mind...)

Nooooo noooo, I mean using the ZOTL2 as the amp, and using the mojo as purely a DAC. I'm trying to find a DAC to go with the HEK and zotl.

 

[doctorjazz]

Sorry, got that at the end of my post, should have just deleted it...
Tempted by the Mojo myself, though it wouldn't be useful in my current bedside setup, which uses the Pono as source, which doesn't do digital out.

 

[saidentary]

  Nooooo noooo, I mean using the ZOTL2 as the amp, and using the mojo as purely a DAC. I'm trying to find a DAC to go with the HEK and zotl.

I haven't done any A-B comparisons with other DACs, but the Arcam irDAC works very well in that capacity, in my setup.