[snafu1]

I really wish both amps could be combined and used in single ended mode on this player. That would give it power to drive just about any headphone needed. I doubt that is something that could be done via firmware .

I cut off the end of my hi-fi man headphone cable and soldered on a TRRS plug. I was taking a gamble that the cable would contain four wires indeed it did. So for a seven dollar plug I have a balanced headphone cable, and this little box can drive the HiFMans, with a little bit of room to spare.
.
Strangely, I think the Oppo PM3 sound a lot better. This was surprising. It could be my lousy soldering job. The high-end is definitely a little hot and I'll have to play around with the EQ settings. It's not that bright in single ended mode.

I am surprised that the sound characteristics of the balance ouput are so different from the same device.

Thanks for the help. I'll give TWERP a try.

By the way I purchased a balanced cable (TRRS) for my HiFiMan HE-400S's and barely noticed any difference. What I did notice might be my imagination.
However, when I switched over to balanced cables for my Shure SE846's - WOW!. A very noticeable improvement - better bass and a more detailed and lively sound. There's no going back to unbalanced for the SE846, that's for "shure". So, I guess it depends on the device.

 

[Evilcartman]

Thanks for the help. I'll give TWERP a try.

By the way I purchased a balanced cable (TRRS) for my HiFiMan HE-400S's and barely noticed any difference. What I did notice might be my imagination.
However, when I switched over to balanced cables for my Shure SE846's - WOW!. A very noticeable improvement - better bass and a more detailed and lively sound. There's no going back to unbalanced for the SE846, that's for "shure". So, I guess it depends on the device.

I guess it is possible that the Shure being way more sensitive benefit more from the balanced output. You must have noticed more volume in the HE400 though.

 

[snafu1]

I guess it is possible that the Shure being way more sensitive benefit more from the balanced output. You must have noticed more volume in the HE400 though.

Well, not really. As an example I listen to the unbalanced HE-400S's with the gain at HIGH and the volume at 120. If I switch out the cable to the balanced cable (Surf Cables LLC) the sound is initially louder. However, that is due to the DP-X1 automatically boosting the volume to 133 when it detects balanced headphones. When I dial it back down to 120, it sounds the same as the unbalanced. I have Auto Volume enabled, so maybe that's causing the automatic boost in volume. But, when the volume is set at 120 for either cable the overall volume seems to be the same.

 

[Evilcartman]

Well, not really. As an example I listen to the unbalanced HE-400S's with the gain at HIGH and the volume at 120. If I switch out the cable to the balanced cable (Surf Cables LLC) the sound is initially louder. However, that is due to the DP-X1 automatically boosting the volume to 133 when it detects balanced headphones. When I dial it back down to 120, it sounds the same as the unbalanced. I have Auto Volume enabled, so maybe that's causing the automatic boost in volume. But, when the volume is set at 120 for either cable the overall volume seems to be the same.

Have you run a continuity test on that cable? The balanced amp should put out more voltage, being push-pull, and as their are two amps, potentially 4 times the voltage. Both my headphones that have balanced cables are significantly louder when I use them in balanced mode. In fact I can max the volume in single ended and it is not loud enough ( with the Oppo it is just loud enough) In balanced I stay around 135.

However, what I meant previously is that the Shure may be effected more by cross-talk and line noise, as they are more sensitive. Precisely the things a balanced connection is supposed to eliminate. That was my theory on why they sounded better. Now I am not convinced that your balanced HE400 cable is actually wired correctly as the output must be louder using the balanced jack, and yours is not.

Whether or not balanced output for headphones is actually better is a matter of debate ( the driving of a speaker is inherently balanced regardless of the input) . But louder is not.

Note: continuity testers are cheap, form 10 to 20 dollars, not like a good multi-meter. A very good investment for anyone who spends money on audio gear. Because a short can fry $$$ in equipment, I test all my cables.

 

[DBaldock9]

Have you run a continuity test on that cable? The balanced amp should put out more voltage, being push-pull, and as their are two amps, potentially 4 times the voltage. Both my headphones that have balanced cables are significantly louder when I use them in balanced mode. In fact I can max the volume in single ended and it is not loud enough ( with the Oppo it is just loud enough) In balanced I stay around 135.

However, what I meant previously is that the Shure may be effected more by cross-talk and line noise, as they are more sensitive. Precisely the things a balanced connection is supposed to eliminate. That was my theory on why they sounded better. Now I am not convinced that your balanced HE400 cable is actually wired correctly as the output must be louder using the balanced jack, and yours is not.

Whether or not balanced output for headphones is actually better is a matter of debate ( the driving of a speaker is inherently balanced regardless of the input) . But louder is not.

Note: continuity testers are cheap, form 10 to 20 dollars, not like a good multi-meter. A very good investment for anyone who spends money on audio gear. Because a short can fry $$$ in equipment, I test all my cables.

I believe you have to turn OFF the AGC mode, to take advantage of the higher voltage / power output of the DP-X1.
Quote from the DP-X1 Manual -
~~~
AGC
A mode suitable for when you have
connected balanced headphones. The basic
operating method is the same as the
balanced mode, but uses technology to even
more forcefully fix grounding standards, so
you can enjoy a sound quality with improved
clarity and more stability than the balanced
mode. Output volume is the same as the
regular single-ended operation, however
~~~

 

[juan ydme]

Yes, I managed to revive my DP-X1A.

Just when I was about to ship it back to Japan, I thought I will give it one last attempt. I plug it into a wall plug (a travel adapter with 2.0A USB output) to charge and it came back to life...

It's just weird...

I would like to know how long I have to leave it to fully discharge the battery?

 

[juan ydme]

Hi. Have you found a solution? I have the same problem. Left for charging DP-X1A and today found it dead. I'm trying to contact the seller. My first completely dead Android device = ((( Disappointed by Onkyo

I have a player onkyo dp-x1 32gb which does not turn on and does not charge your battery and does not give life signals.

 

[pegasus21]

When I use Low1 or Low2 gain setting, there is no noticeable distortion in the sound when using 3rd party apps. You may want to give that a test.

 

[Evilcartman]

I believe you have to turn OFF the AGC mode, to take advantage of the higher voltage / power output of the DP-X1.
Quote from the DP-X1 Manual -
~~~
AGC
A mode suitable for when you have
connected balanced headphones. The basic
operating method is the same as the
balanced mode, but uses technology to even
more forcefully fix grounding standards, so
you can enjoy a sound quality with improved
clarity and more stability than the balanced
mode. Output volume is the same as the
regular single-ended operation, however
~~~

What the devil does this mean: "forcefully fix grounding standards"???

I want a reverse mode, one that ups the volume for single ended operation.

But thanks for the clarification and duh, I may want to read that manual.

 

[snafu1]

What the devil does this mean: "forcefully fix grounding standards"???

I want a reverse mode, one that ups the volume for single ended operation.

But thanks for the clarification and duh, I may want to read that manual.

Yeah, I can confirm it was AGC mode that was keeping the volume equalized. After switching over to "Balanced" mode, the volume is louder with the balanced cables for the HE-400S. A change from 100 for the balanced vs 120 for the unbalanced to achieve similar levels.

I was always very skeptical of the claims of sound quality improvements with balanced cables for headphones. I had read that this design was invented primarily for studio use where they use long cables in a very noisy RF environment. And if I had only my HE-400S cables as a test case, I would have continued to be skeptical. But I was very surprised with the Shure SE846's. There is a noticeable improvement.

 

[addyg]

My favorite setup:

dp-x1 + R'Studio Silver-plated-copper 2.5 balanced + Audio-technica ath-e40

 

[Surf Monkey]

My favorite setup:

dp-x1 + R'Studio Silver-plated-copper 2.5 balanced + Audio-technica ath-e40

Very nice! I need to post a picture of my setup. Campfire Audio Jupiter / balanced "Tinsel" cable / DP-X1A w/ dual 256gig cards.

 

[Evilcartman]

Yeah, I can confirm it was AGC mode that was keeping the volume equalized. After switching over to "Balanced" mode, the volume is louder with the balanced cables for the HE-400S. A change from 100 for the balanced vs 120 for the unbalanced to achieve similar levels.

I was always very skeptical of the claims of sound quality improvements with balanced cables for headphones. I had read that this design was invented primarily for studio use where they use long cables in a very noisy RF environment. And if I had only my HE-400S cables as a test case, I would have continued to be skeptical. But I was very surprised with the Shure SE846's. There is a noticeable improvement.

Agreed. Balanced is more for line level gear. And speakers are inherently balanced ( i.e. the current out is equal to the current in). The changes in sound probably come from the differences in architecture rather than the balanced nature of the connection, such as the dual amplifiers. And it is different, not always better. My HiFiMans sound noticeably better singled ended on this player. While the Oppo are amazing balanced.

The bottom line is you cannot look at a spec sheet and know what something will sound like. In theory a speaker cannot tell the difference between 0 - +4v and -2 - +2v, but I dare say, in some cases the differences are audible. And pretty sure none of us are immune to listening with our eyes on some occasions. How could you sit down at this thing and NOT be influenced by it's appearance???

 

[addyg]

After 1 year 5 months listen to the single-ended, I finally moved to balanced IEM. It does offer improvement in SQ. For my current IEM , I did a comparison with Sony wm1a. dpx1 balanced wins wm1a single-ended (with the same IEM but different cable).

In sum:
1. The balanced port does have higher potential in SQ.
2. A suitable upgrade cable is required for IEM to perform in balanced. (At first I tried a copper cable more expensive than my current silver-plated-copper cable however the copper cable cannot outperform the single-end port)
3. Given the suitable upgrade cable the balanced port can compare to much more expensive DAP from Sony or AK. (At least with their single-ended port)

 

[addyg]

Very nice! I need to post a picture of my setup. Campfire Audio Jupiter / balanced "Tinsel" cable / DP-X1A w/ dual 256gig cards.

Nice IEM , I tried Jupiter before (on single-ended), it sounds good.