[Sulbh]

Yes, you can not use a phone that is terminated to 3.5 trs via an adaptor from the 4.4 balanced output. On the other hand you can use a 4.4 terminated balanced phone via an adaptor from the 3.5 single ended outpuIn that case I will have to buy new cable for every headphone.

Yes, you can not use a phone that is terminated to 3.5 trs via an adaptor from the 4.4 balanced output. On the other hand you can use a 4.4 terminated balanced phone via an adaptor from the 3.5 single ended output

In that case I will have to buy new cable for every headphone I have.

 

[nc8000]

In that case I will have to buy new cable for every headphone I have.

Yes that is and has always been the cost of going balanced, it is 2 different technologies and you can only go the one way with an adaptor, not the other way. Balanced has 4 live wires whereas single ended has 2 live wires and one common ground

 

[Hinomotocho]

That adaptor requires to source to have wired the ground ring in the 4.4 female output which Sony haven’t so it can’t be safely used with Sony daps.

I adjusted my post. Fortunate as I didn't think about this aspect of the Walkman's 4.4mm output also affecting headphones, I was only thinking about feeding amps.

 

[Raketen]

In that case I will have to buy new cable for every headphone I have.

Or just use the single end output

 

[Sulbh]

It is not powerful enough.

 

[Sulbh]

Yes that is and has always been the cost of going balanced, it is 2 different technologies and you can only go the one way with an adaptor, not the other way. Balanced has 4 live wires whereas single ended has 2 live wires and one common ground

So basically sellers who are selling these type of adapters are just scamming people?

 

[nc8000]

So basically sellers who are selling these type of adapters are just scamming people?

No it will work on players that are wired in a way so it will work. I use one with my Nayparm modded ZX300 where the ground is taken from the 3.5 to the normally unused ground on the 4.4 as his mod gets rid of the 3.5 out. I can't use it on my 1Z as that has not had the ground connected. Other players from other manufacturers might have ground wired on their 4.4 so there it would also work. However you probably will not get the full power of the balanced output with such an adaptor since you then only get R+, L+ and ground and therefore not the double voltage swing of R+, L+, R- and L- on full balanced. Also you reintroduce the possibillity of cross over sound/noice inherent in single ended from the common ground. This Sony has eliminated on their 3.5 as it actually supports trrs plugs where the ground is not shared but you still don't get the higher power that the balanced gives. Sony has on purpose not connected ground on the 4.4 as the designers in some of the interviews stated there was a risk of it introducing rf noise.

 

[superuser1]

If i am not mistaken. DDhifi has an adapter that they said did work with the Sony walkmans. However, i would have just bought a 4.4mm cable for the HPs

 

[nc8000]

If i am not mistaken. DDhifi has an adapter that they said did work with the Sony walkmans. However, i would have just bought a 4.4mm cable for the HPs

The DDhifi has the same limitation as the ifi one, it requires the source to have ground on the 4.4

 

[nc8000]

For the 1A/1Z there are several versions of this type of adaptor that serves various purposes.

Some have a 4.4 balanced out that includes ground from the 3.5.

Some have 3.5 out that takes R+ and L+ from the 4.4 and ground from the 3.5.

And then there are the hw modders like Nayparm who modify the actual dap to add ground to the 4.4 so you can use the ifi or ddHiFi adapters

 

[Sulbh]

The DDhifi has the same limitation as the ifi one, it requires the source to have ground on the 4.4

So do I have to look something specific in 4.4mm balanced cable as well or any balanced cable should work with this player?

 

[nc8000]

So do I have to look something specific in 4.4mm balanced cable as well or any balanced cable should work with this player?

As I understand it the 4.4 interface is a standard so things should be wired identically (as opposed to 2.5 and 3.5 trrs where various manufacturers had different intrepretations of what each pin carried) but the plug supports both single ended (3 wires) and balanced (with and without ground so 4 or 5 wires).

Balanced headphones requires 4 wires.

 

[Sulbh]

As I understand it the 4.4 interface is a standard so things should be wired identically (as opposed to 2.5 and 3.5 trrs where various manufacturers had different intrepretations of what each pin carried) but the plug supports both single ended (3 wires) and balanced (with and without ground so 4 or 5 wires).

Balanced headphones requires 4 wires.

But the side which connects to the headphones will still be 3.5mm or should both ends of balanced cable be 4.4mm? My headphones only takes 3.5mm cables.

 

[nc8000]

But the side which connects to the headphones will still be 3.5mm or should both ends of balanced cable be 4.4mm? My headphones only takes 3.5mm cables.

The side that connects to the headphone will depend on each individual headphone, there are many different plugs/solutions, but the majority uses some form of 3.5 into each cup.

And be aware that not all phones can be balanced even by swapping the cable, especially ones with only a single entrance into just one cup as that entrance may only support 3 wires which then will require internal modification of the headphone in order to make it balanced.

 

[Sulbh]

The side that connects to the headphone will depend on each individual headphone, there are many different plugs/solutions, but the majority uses some form of 3.5 into each cup.

And be aware that not all phones can be balanced even by swapping the cable, especially ones with only a single entrance into just one cup as that entrance may only support 3 wires which then will require internal modification of the headphone in order to make it balanced.

Damn that's too complicated just to use a balanced cable. I have soundmagic hp151 which has only one 3.5mm entry for cable. Do you think it will work with balanced cable?