[Hawaiibadboy]

Anyone in Japan able to please recommend a balanced cable for my XBA-A3? I am looking at the Sony MUC-M12NB1 as I have the standard MUC-M12SM1 and after 2 years have found it to be very durable and a definite upgrade in sound over the lousy stock cable. I read on another forum comments saying the Sony cables 'kill the bass' so I was wondering what other similarly priced cables I could look at. I've been told to avoid the re:cable brand because of durability issues. A quick search seems to show Nobunaga labs or Beats Audio - does anyone have any experience they could please share.

I have tried both and live in Japan too. The Beats Audio is silver coated copper and it winds up nicely like a snake. I get my stuff from @PETEREK but between Beats and Nobunaga I would take Beats ((cuz of money). Nobunaga tends to be pricey. If they were same price I might take Nobunaga but Beats Audio is usually more affordable and it's not bad

 

[superuser1]

Hey @Hawaiibadboy is your 4.4mm adapter coming soon? Hope you had a fun 1st day of the new year.

 

[Hinomotocho]

Thanks both for your input - I'm actually only here on holiday. I intend to visit e-earphone this week.
On second thoughts I might have to go with the Sony cable option as the Audio Beats are quite a bit more expensive as I just bought the ZX300 and require accessories, also I'm looking at a secondhand XBA-Z5.

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

Hey @Hawaiibadboy is your 4.4mm adapter coming soon? Hope you had a fun 1st day of the new year.

Should arrive tonight after 5pm. New Years post service in Japan, they are busy beavers right now so if not tonight tomorrow for sure and then I can get into joyville. The PHA-3 was epic in balanced if this new design improves on that...should be awesome!

 

[kms108]

Thanks both for your input - I'm actually only here on holiday. I intend to visit e-earphone this week.
On second thoughts I might have to go with the Sony cable option as the Audio Beats are quite a bit more expensive as I just bought the ZX300 and require accessories, also I'm looking at a secondhand XBA-Z5.

Before you decide, try e-earphones, as I said, they have hundreds of cables, new and second hand, they also have discounted cables, it's best to try them out so you find the best match for you, they also have second hand Z5, TBH the sony cables is not really in competition against those other brand, but thats what I think, you ears is probably the best to experience the SQ.

 

[Hinomotocho]

I was looking at the e-earphone site and there weren't alot of cable options, perhaps they have more instore. My nearest store is Nagoya, but I have a rail pass so I will check out the Osaka and Akihabara branch - my ZX300 is still a couple of days away and I'm just being impatient.

 

[Ritvik]

Picked up the VE Zen 2.0 with a 4.4mm termination to go along with my Heir 8A. If you can live with ear buds I'd recommend these with the ZX300!
Also plan on getting my AKR02 a balanced cable soon, it's a bit tricky as they have a proprietary MMCX connector that no cable makers have. Will need to canabalise the stock cable or the Q-Jays cable connectors first :/

 

[Raketen]

A quick search seems to show Nobunaga labs or Beats Audio - does anyone have any experience they could please share.

Considered reterminating your current cable if possible?

I have a 3.5mm BAL <$100 Nobunaga Labs cable for about a year now, seems pretty well made, though the MMCX connectors are standard DIY parts with the snap-on plastic shell which don't give a lot of strain/bending relief.

Onso and Musashino have some nice looking angled 4.4mm cables IIRC.

 

[Hinomotocho]

Any pros/cons of these 2 screen protectors?

 

[Hinomotocho]

Considered reterminating your current cable if possible?

I have a 3.5mm BAL <$100 Nobunaga Labs cable for about a year now, seems pretty well made, though the MMCX connectors are standard DIY parts with the snap-on plastic shell which don't give a lot of strain/bending relief.

Onso and Musashino have some nice looking angled 4.4mm cables IIRC.

I'm not skilled enough to DIY.
Thanks, I'll look into the Onso/Musashino cables

 

[Mathieulh]

I purchased both of these cables:

http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5812
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5804

which according to the description were supposed to be balanced (I must admit, I have had my doubts), I tested both using my voltmeter as soon as they arrived today both of them appear to have the R+ and L- connections as well as the R+ and R- connections shorted, (which goes against the pentaconn 4.4mm specifications), equipment using pentaconn 4.4mm require balanced cable, it seems the grounds are shorted once connecting the cables to their respective headphones, if I am to use these cables I would likely short/damage my audio source (NW-ZX300), I tried one of the cables for about 20 seconds at low volume and they display the distinctive hum that happens when grounds are shorted, I would not dare use further.

I contacted lunashops support who gave me this reply:

It will not cause any damage, don't worry, just like a balance cable to normal cable converter cable, will not cause any damage...

My somewhat relative knowledge in electronics screams at me not to trust this statement though, unless anyone here proves me wrong I feel tempted to start a paypal claim, what do you think?

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

Any pros/cons of these 2 screen protectors?

screen is already matte so doing 2x will degrade viewing. The glass would be better and it might pick up prints a tad easier but it says it doesn't

I purchased both of these cables:

http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5812
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5804

which according to the description were supposed to be balanced (I must admit, I have had my doubts), I tested both using my voltmeter as soon as they arrived today both of them appear to have the R+ and L- connections as well as the R+ and R- connections shorted, (which goes against the pentaconn 4.4mm specifications), equipment using pentaconn 4.4mm require balanced cable, it seems the grounds are shorted once connecting the cables to their respective headphones, if I am to use these cables I would likely short/damage my audio source (NW-ZX300), I tried one of the cables for about 20 seconds at low volume and they display the distinctive hum that happens when grounds are shorted, I would not dare use further.

I contacted lunashops support who gave me this reply:



My somewhat relative knowledge in electronics screams at me not to trust this statement though, unless anyone here proves me wrong I feel tempted to start a paypal claim, what do you think?

I would not take the word of a sales guy in a mail and if you are correct it is not true balanced and the guy is telling you that it behaves like...an adapter which does not do what most folks think.

 

[Mathieulh]

screen is already matte so doing 2x will degrade viewing. The glass would be better and it might pick up prints a tad easier but it says it doesn't



I would not take the word of a sales guy in a mail and if you are correct it is not true balanced and the guy is telling you that it behaves like...an adapter which does not do what most folks think.

Hum... How would it behave like an adapter? You can connect balanced headphones to a single ended output, not the other way around, at least not as far as I am aware of. (Not that this matters much as these cables are advertised as balanced cables even though from what I can tell, they are not, if these headphones cannot be balanced without internal wiring, they shouldn't sell "balanced" cables for them)

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

Hum... How would it behave like an adapter? You can connect balanced headphones to a single ended output, not the other way around, at least not as far as I am aware of. (Not that this matters much as these cables are advertised as balanced cables even though from what I can tell, they are not, if these headphones cannot be balanced without internal wiring, they shouldn't sell "balanced" cables for them)

I meant it in the way that for example, a 3.5 can be used via an adapter to plug into a 2.5 but that does not mean it is balanced as it is not. Your luna plug might be allowing a signal to go through but if it is not wired according to spec it is not in fact balanced so...I would want my money back. That's just me Unless i misunderstood you in that case....ignore my reply.

 

[Bepli]

I purchased both of these cables:

http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5812
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5804

which according to the description were supposed to be balanced (I must admit, I have had my doubts), I tested both using my voltmeter as soon as they arrived today both of them appear to have the R+ and L- connections as well as the R+ and R- connections shorted, (which goes against the pentaconn 4.4mm specifications), equipment using pentaconn 4.4mm require balanced cable, it seems the grounds are shorted once connecting the cables to their respective headphones, if I am to use these cables I would likely short/damage my audio source (NW-ZX300), I tried one of the cables for about 20 seconds at low volume and they display the distinctive hum that happens when grounds are shorted, I would not dare use further.

I contacted lunashops support who gave me this reply:



My somewhat relative knowledge in electronics screams at me not to trust this statement though, unless anyone here proves me wrong I feel tempted to start a paypal claim, what do you think?

I dont know 100% certain either, but Sony Support did state in the past that shorting the grounds will damage the amp.