[Ollie6052]

Hi Folks,
I’m wondering if anyone here has compared the stock cable on the Shure SE846 to any balanced cables. And what your impressions were of the sound comparison?

Is it worth getting a balanced cable for this IEM?
I am running through an Astell & Kern SP1000,
Cheers
Ollie

 

[Ollie6052]

Anyone?
Surely someone must have some experience with a balanced SE846 that they could share?

 

[beemarman]

Not sure if it would make that much of a difference. The 846 is relatively easy to drive.

Best to get a cheap balance cable, then spend loads on one.

 

[phthora]

Anyone?
Surely someone must have some experience with a balanced SE846 that they could share?

Yes. Whether or not it's worth it depends upon the architecture of your DAP, in this case, whether it is truly balanced. If it is, balanced tends to offer a net decrease in noise, as it cancels out common mode noise and substrate noise, for example. In return, you may hear increased clarity, imaging, and soundstage. A lot of these improvements will depend upon your particular gear, although people will often speak broadly about balanced or single-ended being better.

With the 846, there is another thing to keep in mind and that is output impedance of the DAP. The output impedance doubles with a balanced output and, since the 846 has its own impedance varying between 4 and 16 Ohm, any output impedance above 0.5 Ohm is going to start altering the sound. The approximate effects out that can be found here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/shure-se846-impressions-thread.675219/page-1090#post_12909677

At 1.0 Ohm, in my experience, the alteration to the sound is just noticeable and easily offset with a good choice of eartips. Some options here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/shure-se846-impressions-thread.675219/page-1205#post-13617865

Of course, you may like the resulting sound. Nothing wrong with that, and you certainly will not be damaging your earphones with a high output impedance.

So, keeping all that in mind, I did find that going balanced improved the 846 in minor but noticeable ways (the ways I mentioned above). I would recommend trying it. There are many cable options through AliExpress that are inexpensive enough to experiment with. I spent about $25 on mine and it works beautifully. Since they are MMCX connectors, I would not recommend A/Bing though. Change the cable as infrequently as possible. If you don't see results, sell the cable and you're out just a few bucks.

 

[Ollie6052]

Yes. Whether or not it's worth it depends upon the architecture of your DAP, in this case, whether it is truly balanced. If it is, balanced tends to offer a net decrease in noise, as it cancels out common mode noise and substrate noise, for example. In return, you may hear increased clarity, imaging, and soundstage. A lot of these improvements will depend upon your particular gear, although people will often speak broadly about balanced or single-ended being better.

With the 846, there is another thing to keep in mind and that is output impedance of the DAP. The output impedance doubles with a balanced output and, since the 846 has its own impedance varying between 4 and 16 Ohm, any output impedance above 0.5 Ohm is going to start altering the sound. The approximate effects out that can be found here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/shure-se846-impressions-thread.675219/page-1090#post_12909677

At 1.0 Ohm, in my experience, the alteration to the sound is just noticeable and easily offset with a good choice of eartips. Some options here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/shure-se846-impressions-thread.675219/page-1205#post-13617865

Of course, you may like the resulting sound. Nothing wrong with that, and you certainly will not be damaging your earphones with a high output impedance.

So, keeping all that in mind, I did find that going balanced improved the 846 in minor but noticeable ways (the ways I mentioned above). I would recommend trying it. There are many cable options through AliExpress that are inexpensive enough to experiment with. I spent about $25 on mine and it works beautifully. Since they are MMCX connectors, I would not recommend A/Bing though. Change the cable as infrequently as possible. If you don't see results, sell the cable and you're out just a few bucks.

Thanks for the reply, I have a $50 balanced cable coming, so it will be interesting to give it a try. In your post you mentioned changing the cable as infrequently as possible, is this due to the MMCX connectors being problematic (as stated by moon audio and the reason they discontinued the MMCX Silver Dragon), if so, is it the cable end or the IEM end that usually causes the problem?

I have been frequently swapping the stock cable for the bluetooth cable for when I am working, perhaps I should not be doing this?

Thanks

 

[phthora]

Thanks for the reply, I have a $50 balanced cable coming, so it will be interesting to give it a try. In your post you mentioned changing the cable as infrequently as possible, is this due to the MMCX connectors being problematic (as stated by moon audio and the reason they discontinued the MMCX Silver Dragon), if so, is it the cable end or the IEM end that usually causes the problem?

I have been frequently swapping the stock cable for the bluetooth cable for when I am working, perhaps I should not be doing this?

Thanks

Honestly, the biggest problem with MMCX is user error. Improper insertion bends the pin on the cable, frequent insertion tends to wear out the receiving input, and then there are people trying to remove the cable by pulling hard on it which can break the wiring or the solder. If you've swapped back and forth without issue, you've obviously figured out how to do it without issue, but you should probably cut down on the amount of swapping. Even well made MMCX connectors are only rated for 500 or so pairings. Swapping once a day, you'd be lucky to make it a year. It's surprising how fast they can wear out even with great care.

 

[Ollie6052]

Ok Great! thanks for the tip, I think once I get my balanced cable, and If I prefer the sound, I might ditch the bluetooth and get a 2.5mm balanced female to 3.5mm standard male adapter to use with my iPhone when at work, then always use that same balanced cable with the Astell & Kern SP1000 to avoid excessive disconnects.
The SE846 by the way is by far the best in ear headphone I have ever owned. I tried the Sennheiser IE800S and while it has phenomenal detail, it just doesn't have the warmth & bass that I love which to my ears makes music listening enjoyable.
SE846 is a Masterpiece..

 

[phthora]

Ok Great! thanks for the tip, I think once I get my balanced cable, and If I prefer the sound, I might ditch the bluetooth and get a 2.5mm balanced female to 3.5mm standard male adapter to use with my iPhone when at work, then always use that same balanced cable with the Astell & Kern SP1000 to avoid excessive disconnects.
The SE846 by the way is by far the best in ear headphone I have ever owned. I tried the Sennheiser IE800S and while it has phenomenal detail, it just doesn't have the warmth & bass that I love which to my ears makes music listening enjoyable.
SE846 is a Masterpiece..

That is probably the best idea. You could also get a small bluetooth receiver, maybe like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/EarStudio-ES100-24bit-High-Resolution-Bluetooth-Unbalanced/dp/B078H4YD2L

That one does balanced out as well.

I agree with you about the sound, simply amazing how good they are. After 3 years with mine, I still listen to them weekly. I have a few full-size headphones now that offer better sound quality, but the 846 is still a favorite. So comfortable, so perfect sounding, no EQ needed, no time adjusting to the sound, just glorious and lovely.

 

[Ollie6052]

That is probably the best idea. You could also get a small bluetooth receiver, maybe like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/EarStudio-ES100-24bit-High-Resolution-Bluetooth-Unbalanced/dp/B078H4YD2L

That one does balanced out as well.

I agree with you about the sound, simply amazing how good they are. After 3 years with mine, I still listen to them weekly. I have a few full-size headphones now that offer better sound quality, but the 846 is still a favorite. So comfortable, so perfect sounding, no EQ needed, no time adjusting to the sound, just glorious and lovely.

Oh what a revelation, So that little bluetooth gizmo has a balanced 2.5mm out too? That could be the ultimate solution for using the SE846 when working & E-boarding etc

 

[phthora]

Oh what a revelation, So that little bluetooth gizmo has a balanced 2.5mm out too? That could be the ultimate solution for using the SE846 when working & E-boarding etc

Sure does. Less compact than the bluetooth cable that fits the 846, but without the constrictions of size, it's sure to sound better and you could use it other earphones and even some headphones. I'd recommend reading a few reviews on it, but it's considered one of the best options.

 

[Ollie6052]

Sure does. Less compact than the bluetooth cable that fits the 846, but without the constrictions of size, it's sure to sound better and you could use it other earphones and even some headphones. I'd recommend reading a few reviews on it, but it's considered one of the best options.

Looks Great in most reviews phthora, I may well go with that option once the balanced cable is here. I have been on a quest for a set of "perfect to my ears" headphones & IEM for a while now and am pretty much stoked on the SE846 IEM & Focal Elear Cans driven from the A&K SP1000.. I think that combo will keep me satisfied for a very long time. With those two, if the Mixing & Mastering is done well, the music sounds absolutely divine..