[zachchen1996]

   
Some 3.5 plugs have a steel pin for the central pin to make them stronger. So the left channel is going through steel rather than brass or some other non ferrous metal. Most TRRS I have run across have this because of the smaller amount of metal or thinner due to four conduction points in the same 3.5 plug vs. the TRS with just three. Also they often use something in the plating that can be magnetic, even in the real expensive stuff, so I always check with a magnet. 

 
I ordered a dhc fusion iem cable terminated with balanced trrs from peter. Should I contact him to make sure the trrs he is using to make the cable isnt magnetic? I can probably trust a cable maker though?

 

[fermelom]

I ordered a dhc fusion iem cable terminated with balanced trrs from peter. Should I contact him to make sure the trrs he is using to make the cable isnt magnetic? I can probably trust a cable maker though?

Mine seems arrived yesterday morning (Saturday) and it's been hold by the building manager till Monday... I requested my Fusion with a regular plug in 'L'... I hope that it's not magnetic. How could I check if it's magnetic or not? Well, I mean how should I test it.

 

[burtomr]

  I just made up a nice adapter with a non magnetic TRRS to Hirose....

 
jamato8, can we please get the name of the non-mag TRRS, and the link or the store if possible.
 
THX

 

[Mimouille]

Are we all caring about magnetic now when I suppose half of us did not know about it yesterday ? Just kidding...

But we should be careful because I heard some TRRS cores where build out of old Indian bones and therefore haunted. Please try to get the spirit-free ones.

 

[burtomr]

^ That's right and guess what......most TRS plugs have steel (magnetic) cores too, it's not just a TRRS thing.

 

[Mimouille]

^ That's right and guess what......most TRS plugs have steel (magnetic) cores too, it's not just a TRRS thing.

I guess I'll just trust Peter at DHC on my upcoming Fusion with TRRS...

 

[mannkind246]

I'm newbie to HM-901.
I need advice from you guys experts.

 
I found head-direct.com offers below options:
 
1) HM-901 + IEM Amplifier Card ($1199)
2) HM-901 + Balanaced Amplifier Card ($1279)
3) HM-901 + MiniBox Amplifier Card ($1199)
 
If I use HM-901 for headphone like AKG702 or HD 650, which option I should choose? 

 

[jamato8]

I ordered a dhc fusion iem cable terminated with balanced trrs from peter. Should I contact him to make sure the trrs he is using to make the cable isnt magnetic? I can probably trust a cable maker though?

 
I would hope he is using a TRRS that is non magnetic either is plating or the center pin. It doesn't hurt to ask. It is your money after all. 

 

[jamato8]

Mine seems arrived yesterday morning (Saturday) and it's been hold by the building manager till Monday... I requested my Fusion with a regular plug in 'L'... I hope that it's not magnetic. How could I check if it's magnetic or not? Well, I mean how should I test it.

 
I use a small strong magnet. Easy to do. 

   
jamato8, can we please get the name of the non-mag TRRS, and the link or the store if possible.
 
THX

What I have are some I picked up a long time ago at an electronics store in Tucson, AZ. I have no idea how to get them now. They do have a steel collar around them for the ground that goes to the point on the TRRS and I take it off with my dremel using a cutting wheel. 
 

  ^ That's right and guess what......most TRS plugs have steel (magnetic) cores too, it's not just a TRRS thing.

I don't know about most. I have tested many and it seem that it is the TRRS that have the center pin being steel more often than TRS or TS. 

 

[bartsimpson6994]

There is a video on You Tube that shows an owner using a balanced card with the 650 and he says it's amazing.
 
I have a IEM card and it's amazing but not sure if it's  powerful enough for you.
 
 
The player is buggy but you will not find a better sounding one on the market in my opion

 

[scootermafia]

Lots of electronics plugs have steel components, probably 2/3 to 3/4 of the connectors I have tested with high powered magnets to check for attraction have either weak magnetism from iron in small concentration, or strong magnetism from steel parts.  Steel is used in lots of pro components to make them stronger.  Certain mini plugs have a steel center shaft so they are more resistant to breaking and bending.  The well respected AKG K702 uses steel rods in the headband as the signal path to move the right channel signal from the left earcup jack over to the other earcup.  The chances of you owning an audio system that can tell the difference between a steel plug, assuming there is a difference, is nil.  We're talking about a plug going into a portable audio player that is a grain of sand in the world of true hifi.  When your system has in place tweaks claiming "quantum" interactions then perhaps it is time to worry about a little bit of steel.
 
A few more key examples: the beloved right angle Switchcraft plug has an entirely steel cable clamp; the iBasso 6-pin Hirose plug has iron in its exterior; the popular IEM plugs sold in all flavors across China and widely used by IEM cable sellers the world over are a little bit magnetic (probably to strengthen their pins)

 

[scootermafia]

One last fun fact - a lot of "respected" cables have unholy amounts of magnets attached to them.  One has long magnets going the length of the cable sandwiching the wires in between them.  One man's trash is another man's treasure.  Take a look at a certain headfier's "Judge" power cord.

 

[Mimouille]

Thanks for clarifying....much ado about nothing it seems.

 

[scootermafia]

You can rest assured than any Oyaide product, or Cardas, or several other name brands, have gone to great lengths to eradicate anything magnetic, I've tested those.  Such as the right angle plug on Fernando's cable.  Although the IEM plugs are very slightly magnetic.  
 
A few more magnetic friends for you: the Sennheiser IE8 stock cable (tiny connector clamps in the IEM plugs; the mini plug too!) and the UE stock cable (a little bit).  Also, as your audio signal travels through the earcup towards the voice coil from the earcup entry, it is in the presence of very large magnets.  Beyerdynamic is particularly proud of this fact, with its 1.5 tesla magnets in its "Tesla" series of headphones.  Those babies are going to run your neighbor's sound quality, in addition to your own.

 

[MHPhunter]

I appreciate the some of the comments here
Yesterday I went to listen the hm-901 and made a short comparison with my DX100 and C4
the DX100 seems to be kind of similar to the 901 sound overall as they use the same DAC chip ES9018(but 901 has two), while C4 sounds very different to 901 and dx100 in terms of imaging and soundstage

I found the 901 has a more punchy bottom end to the 901, but 901 does not lack bass, it has a deep and dynamic bass, however it's a little bit tight than the 901s
C4 does not have the bass quality compared to 901 and dx100 but it's also very good.
the human voice from 901 is absolutely amazing, it's very engaging and forward. I can clearly distinguish that the vocal density from 901 is better than the dx100 a bit. dx100 produces a relatively flat mid range, so from the point of realism i would go for dx100 coz it sounds like real human voice although it's not that engaging compared to the 901
C4 has a smooth and forward mid range, I feel a little bit grainy, and a little bit more spacious sound to the 901. I like the vocal of C4 best.

All of them have good highs, but the dx100 will sound more airy than the other two, as it has a slightly better extension on the top end. So dx100 will have a little bit sparkling highs than the 901 and C4. The soundstage is really wide on dx100, C4 is also good as well. The 901 has a more sort of refined sound signature overall, it's neither dark nor bright, so i would say 901 has the best coherence among the three. Dx100 is a little bit "V" shape but it's not clearly a disadvantage as u will get more spacious sound, that makes the soundstage wider and i can hear the distance between different musical instruments when listening to Jazz or classical