Is balanced one or two plugs
Jul 21, 2010 at 4:00 AM Post #3 of 4
It all depends, as there are different plugs used:
* 2 x 3-pin XLR
* 1 x 4-pin XLR
* 1 x 5 or 6-pin for electrostatics.
 
Jul 21, 2010 at 9:34 AM Post #4 of 4
Regular headphones with one plug have a contact point for L+, R+ and the ground/signal return shared between left and right.  Balanced connections don't have the L and R sharing the signal return (and, as well, the signal return isn't shared with the ground, but that's another matter). This means only 4 pins/contact points are required: L+, L-, R+, R-.  Since the original balanced headphone amp, made by Headroom, was two separate amps in one box, they used two plugs, choosing the regular 3-pin XLR connectors for it, but with the gender reversed. The third "ground" pin isn't used by headphones.  The AKG K1000, however, used a single 4-pin XLR instead, though it was usually connected to the speaker terminals of an amp, but there was a special headphone amp made for them if I recall correctly, with a single 4-pin XLR socket. Since then, manufacturers and DIYers have used one or another system of 1x 4-pin or 2x 3-pin plugs, or both.
 
Balanced, in actual fact, has nothing to do with the headphones or plugs and really has to do with the topology of the amp driving them.
 

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