[GreenBow]

I think music just became part of the furniture. Even if I am not particularly listening to it, it doesn't bother or fatigue me. While I have been OK with that state of music playing a lot, for a long time. Just recently it became totally part of the furniture, and zero fatiguing.

Sometimes I fall asleep to music, and have favourites for that. Sometimes now, if the music is playing and I am not falling asleep, I can not be listening to it either. However it doesn't bother me. It doesn't irritate, and make me have to get up and turn it off. I can not move and decide to listen again if I want. Or get up and it off for the sake of power.

I can have music on every day from start to finish and be happy.

 

[ZappaMan]

Hd650 sound great with tt2.

It’s much more intimate, smaller sound stage then Hd800s obviously, but that helps the intensity, the lead vocals are in your face, but rhythm still there.

For whatever reason, I’d left them mostly unused for a long time, so glad I’ve rediscovered them.

I get why sound engineers may use hd650 in their work, you definitely feel like you’re there, in the sound booth, vocals are so prominent.

tt2 taking your old headphones to new places lol.

 

[Amberlamps]

There are so many misconceptions about balanced vs. single ended output. In the end it doesn't really matter. Balanced output has become a marketing slogan these days. I think it is because in the price range of £500-2500 amps (most popular price range) balanced usually sound better than the single ended output due to the higher level of power. Balanced output sounded obviously superior on my CMA600i or Taurus MKII. The sound was tighter, more precise, more dynamic, more impactful. But the reason for that wasn't necessarily the balanced implementation, but the whole topology, the amp and its circuits themselves.
As some of the previous posts explained, 98% of headphones don't need the power of balanced output. It is all about implementation and some other factors.
SE or BAL does not matter. Both can be good and bad.
Believe me, TT2 SE out beats any balanced output of sub £4000 amps.

Ah, but what about amps that are priced at £4000.99 ?

That last 99p is crucial and could be the difference of, carrying your new amp home in a box or in a biodegradable plastic bag.

 

[dawktah2]

So balanced architecture each channel has separate ground and cold? Single ended has no cold and share ground. Do either have any current/signal/RF on the ground side? All energy stops at speaker? I'm just trying to grasp why there's two systems. I thought it was for noise, but now it's for power?

 

[N Quarter]

Greenbow
By your comments, it sounds like you are enjoying the special 40’s, good to hear. Have you got your adapters to run directly off the TT2 yet?

 

[Triode User]

So balanced architecture each channel has separate ground and cold? Single ended has no cold and share ground. Do either have any current/signal/RF on the ground side? All energy stops at speaker? I'm just trying to grasp why there's two systems. I thought it was for noise, but now it's for power?

Correct, balanced is not normally used for power transmission and is normally used to eliminate noise in small signal wires such as microphones or other sources which are then amplified. The the equal and opposite plus and minus voltages in the twisted wires cancel out noise and hence why this is used for long runs in studios and at performance venues. The signal is carried in the hot and cold wires and ground is not used for the signal. Additionally, with a true balanced configuration the hot and cold voltages are floating and are not referenced to ground. Although perhaps not necessary, these cables are often shielded as well and this is connected to ground although not always at both ends and indeed to the ground is not really always necessary to be connected at all at either end.

The confusion with balanced possibly comes when looking at the balanced outputs from the TT2 and when using the TT2 XLR output to drive speakers because although these are equal and opposite as per balanced configuration they are not floating and hence why you can just use the hot and ground pins to recreate a single ended configuration with the TT2. If the TT2 had a balanced floating voltage on the hot and cold pins this would not work. This is also why some people have problems using an off the shelf XLR to RCA convertor to convert the TT2 balanced output to single ended because often these converters will short out pin 3 to pin 1 (ground) in order to make the ground the reference for the voltage in pin 2. However with the TT2 this merely shorts out the output and potentially can kill the TT2. So, the XLR output from the TT2 is balanced but it is not a floating voltage and hence why using pin 2 and pin 1 (ground) for the speaker connection works from a TT2.

For single ended configuration there are only two wires, live and ground. Ground is always connected because it is used for the return signal path. Single ended does not have the inherent noise cancelling configuration of balanced and relies on shielding to protect against noise. For short runs in the home this is usually more than adequate. Bear in mind that the balanced cables in a pro environment might be 100ft oand why noise cancelling is important for them.

You asked “all energy stops at the speaker?” and for this you need to think about the mechanism for how the electricity works with a speaker (or anything). On each channel the current flows through the speaker down one wire and returns to the source along the other wire. The energy does not stop at the speaker but it is true that a small amount of it is converted to sound and heat in the speaker (but this is not to be confused with the fact that the current in the wire going out to the speaker is the same as the return current current in the other wire).

Hope that helps.

 

[betula]

Ah, but what about amps that are priced at £4000.99 ?

That last 99p is crucial and could be the difference of, carrying your new amp home in a box or in a biodegradable plastic bag.

I haven't tried amps that cost more than £4000, so I can't comment.

 

[N Quarter]

Thanks for explaining all that Triode User, that makes me a little nervous, knowing I made my own XLR to speaker cables. They work though, so I must of done it right. It would be nice if Chord could recommend a certain pair of adapters to use, so people do not inadvertently fry their TT2 by using the wrong ones. I would buy a set in a heartbeat, if I could just plug them into the back of the TT2, and plug my existing speaker cables into them, single ended and XLR.

 

[Hooster]

Thanks for explaining all that Triode User, that makes me a little nervous, knowing I made my own XLR to speaker cables. They work though, so I must of done it right. It would be nice if Chord could recommend a certain pair of adapters to use, so people do not inadvertently fry their TT2 by using the wrong ones. I would buy a set in a heartbeat, if I could just plug them into the back of the TT2, and plug my existing speaker cables into them, single ended and XLR.

It is very unlikely that anything would be fried, even in case of a short circuit. The TT2 is probably protected against such an event.

 

[Triode User]

It is very unlikely that anything would be fried, even in case of a short circuit. The TT2 is probably protected against such an event.

However I think I recollect someone on here who used a connector which shorted pin 1 to pin 2 and some damage was done to the TT2 hence my cautionary words.

 

[miketlse]

It is very unlikely that anything would be fried, even in case of a short circuit. The TT2 is probably protected against such an event.

There were photos of exploded resistors in one owners TT2, and P2Q experienced overheating problems, which posters attributed to wrongly wired cables. 99% of owners seem ok, partly because this thread tries to warn of the potential risk.

 

[EndGameSearch]

Correct, balanced is not normally used for power transmission and is normally used to eliminate noise in small signal wires such as microphones or other sources which are then amplified. The the equal and opposite plus and minus voltages in the twisted wires cancel out noise and hence why this is used for long runs in studios and at performance venues. The signal is carried in the hot and cold wires and ground is not used for the signal. Additionally, with a true balanced configuration the hot and cold voltages are floating and are not referenced to ground. Although perhaps not necessary, these cables are often shielded as well and this is connected to ground although not always at both ends and indeed to the ground is not really always necessary to be connected at all at either end.

The confusion with balanced possibly comes when looking at the balanced outputs from the TT2 and when using the TT2 XLR output to drive speakers because although these are equal and opposite as per balanced configuration they are not floating and hence why you can just use the hot and ground pins to recreate a single ended configuration with the TT2. If the TT2 had a balanced floating voltage on the hot and cold pins this would not work. This is also why some people have problems using an off the shelf XLR to RCA convertor to convert the TT2 balanced output to single ended because often these converters will short out pin 3 to pin 1 (ground) in order to make the ground the reference for the voltage in pin 2. However with the TT2 this merely shorts out the output and potentially can kill the TT2. So, the XLR output from the TT2 is balanced but it is not a floating voltage and hence why using pin 2 and pin 1 (ground) for the speaker connection works from a TT2.

For single ended configuration there are only two wires, live and ground. Ground is always connected because it is used for the return signal path. Single ended does not have the inherent noise cancelling configuration of balanced and relies on shielding to protect against noise. For short runs in the home this is usually more than adequate. Bear in mind that the balanced cables in a pro environment might be 100ft oand why noise cancelling is important for them.

You asked “all energy stops at the speaker?” and for this you need to think about the mechanism for how the electricity works with a speaker (or anything). On each channel the current flows through the speaker down one wire and returns to the source along the other wire. The energy does not stop at the speaker but it is true that a small amount of it is converted to sound and heat in the speaker (but this is not to be confused with the fact that the current in the wire going out to the speaker is the same as the return current current in the other wire).

Hope that helps.

Great explanation, thank you.

I know it’s been answered, but now I can not find the answer in this mega thread searching from my phone. With my Dave I understand RCA is the preferred connection since XLR outputs were added as a convenience which adds an additional stage at the expense of transparency. With theses various explanations, I’m no longer certain the same can be said for TT2. I believe Rob stated the 1/4 out is the preferred connection for HP’s, however I’m running Susvara off the XLR and pleased with the results. Normally I would determine if the trade off of more power for transparency is worth it, but I honestly do not here any negative impact running in this configuration. I definitely prefer Susvara off XLR.

As a side note, I had Peter of Double Helix Cables make my XLR adapter out of his Complement4 wire and love it. I highly recommend the cable.

 

[rkt31]

Great explanation, thank you.

I know it’s been answered, but now I can not find the answer in this mega thread searching from my phone. With my Dave I understand RCA is the preferred connection since XLR outputs were added as a convenience which adds an additional stage at the expense of transparency. With theses various explanations, I’m no longer certain the same can be said for TT2. I believe Rob stated the 1/4 out is the preferred connection for HP’s, however I’m running Susvara off the XLR and pleased with the results. Normally I would determine if the trade off of more power for transparency is worth it, but I honestly do not here any negative impact running in this configuration. I definitely prefer Susvara off XLR.

As a side note, I had Peter of Double Helix Cables make my XLR adapter out of his Complement4 wire and love it. I highly recommend the cable.

I am not sure but tt2 generates negative output by inverting it digitally and then converted to analog. so both positive and negative of XLR are identical and involves no extra electronics. May be that is the reason XLR out of tt2 has low impedance just like RCA out. Triode user would like to comment ?

 

[GreenBow]

I found some music for folk to check out. Only two minutes though, so no pressure.

I bought the Sibelius Complete symphonies by Paavo Jarvi, after seeing it, listening once and falling for it.

Check out the only the last two minutes of the end of Symphony No 2 (in D major). Link below. Start at about 12:15. Goosebumps time; incredible use of harmony and beauty. (It's absolutely worth snapping up the this version of Sibelius's 7 symphonies.)

 

[dawktah2]

On each channel the current flows through the speaker down one wire and returns to the source along the other wire. The energy does not stop at the speaker but it is true that a small amount of it is converted to sound and heat in the speaker (but this is not to be confused with the fact that the current in the wire going out to the speaker is the same as the return current current in the other wire).

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the great explanation.