[samHF]

Congratulations! You are, at this very moment, shorting your NW-ZX300's AMP! Good luck going back to Sony once your unit is done working, I am fairly sure this kind of damage is not covered by warranty. Also if you can't notice the huge hiss/ hum you get plugging in those headphones on a balanced connection, you must have serious hearing problems.

The wirings of the internal connector on the MDR-1000X or WH-1000X series are NOT meant to be connected to a balanced output (as in, ever, it's just not engineered that way) because the ground is shared between both channels in the connector itself, all you will do wiring those this way is 1. Damage your source's AMP 2. Create heavy distortions in the sound you are hearing, nothing you do, can do, will do, will change that fact, unless you are willing to literally open these headphones and rewire them internally that is (good luck with that, I hope you have some serious soldering skills).

Sometimes the kind of things I read on this forum wants to make me pull my hairs out.

Wow, I will post here if I hear the broken AMP noises. I just start using it for only 120HRs.
And I have no hearing problems. Thanks for your advice.
For now don't do this at home.

 

[kingdixon]

It potentially (in fact it will over time, unless the amp has been built with specific safeguards for it) damage your amp because on a balanced output there are supposed to be two separate grounds for each audio channels, while a single ended output, as the name implies, only uses one ground shared between both channels, therefore whenever you connect something wired for Single Ended outputs to a balanced output, you are essentially creating a bridge (as in shorting) between the grounds of both channels in your amplifier. I could spend some more time going into the ins and outs of electrical engineering (which Sony's consumer support probably has no knowledge of) to show you exactly how shorting an amp is a really BAD idea, and may potentially (read, will) damage your equipment but I seriously don't want to spend more time on telling you off on what's essentially a stupid endeavor.

Please document yourself on the differences in wiring between balanced and single ended connections.

Do you know anything about mdr-1abt compatability ?

It comes with a 3.5 trs cable, not mentioned in the compatability list of the balanced cable (only mdr1a there)

But confusing enough on the features part on the sony website, it says the cable uses seperate grounds.

 

[Leetransform25]

Do you know anything about mdr-1abt compatability ?

It comes with a 3.5 trs cable, not mentioned in the compatability list of the balanced cable (only mdr1a there)

But confusing enough on the features part on the sony website, it says the cable uses seperate grounds.

Don't quote me on this but I think I remember reading once that because of the Bluetooth functionality, the wiring is different and thus won't support a balanced connection. I could be wrong though

 

[Mathieulh]

Do you know anything about mdr-1abt compatability ?

It comes with a 3.5 trs cable, not mentioned in the compatability list of the balanced cable (only mdr1a there)

But confusing enough on the features part on the sony website, it says the cable uses seperate grounds.

They aren't alanced compatible as far as I know of. There aren't any mention of those being compatible from Sony either.
In fact any headphones that comes with built in active circuitry (DAC, AMP...) are most likely not going to be balanced compatible because of the sheer increase in their bill of materials. This even includes the MDR-1ADAC.

 

[samHF]

I've been using this FiiO Q1M2 before ZX300. I think it's more than 500 operating hours and it's still alive.
Try at your own risks. I just share my experience.

 

[robulation]

I've been using this FiiO Q1M2 before ZX300. I think it's more than 500 operating hours and it's still alive.
Try at your own risks. I just share my experience.

It all depends on what your 3.5mm Jack looks like. 2 rings or 3?...

 

[FrankieZappa]

Mathieulh is right. When i read that some guy was recommending using a balanced cable with Wh1000x3 I just went “facepalm”.
Use balanced cable only, ONLY, if the cans are designed for that...

Or you can just do things your own way but don’t complain afterwards. You’ve been warned.

 

[Leetransform25]

Sorry for the more generalized question, but how do you know if a pair of headphones support balanced? If I'm correct the general consensus is that if it has connectors from both sides of the headphones it will work, but I'm not too sure.

 

[Lurk650]

Sorry for the more generalized question, but how do you know if a pair of headphones support balanced? If I'm correct the general consensus is that if it has connectors from both sides of the headphones it will work, but I'm not too sure.

Yes

 

[Leetransform25]

Yes

What about single ended connectors like the MDR-1A? Is there a way to know if it supports balanced without clarification from the manufacturer?

 

[maira]

What about single ended connectors like the MDR-1A? Is there a way to know if it supports balanced without clarification from the manufacturer?

yes there is a way. It doesnt support BAL mode.

 

[Leetransform25]

yes there is a way. It doesnt support BAL mode.

The 1A does support balanced, though. Sony even makes a 4.4mm cable for it, and improvements are audible as well.

 

[Mathieulh]

What about single ended connectors like the MDR-1A? Is there a way to know if it supports balanced without clarification from the manufacturer?

The MDR-1A actually uses a balanced connector, if the headphones do not use separate connectors for each channels, the only way to know for sure if they can be wired as balanced is to either get such a notification from the manufacturer (which, since if would be non standard, would most likely supply the appropriate cable), or to teardown the headphones to look at the connector's wiring.

So far all the balanced headphones I have seen with the exception of the MDR-1A series, all use separate physical wires/connectors per channel, including Sony's own MDR-Z7 and MDR-Z1R lineups.

 

[Leetransform25]

The MDR-1A actually uses a balanced connector, if the headphones do not use separate connectors for each channels, the only way to know for sure if they can be wired as balanced is to either get such a notification from the manufacturer (which, since if would be non standard, would most likely supply the appropriate cable), or to teardown the headphones to look at the connector's wiring.

So far all the balanced headphones I have seen with the exception of the MDR-1A series, all use separate physical wires/connectors per channel, including Sony's own MDR-Z7 and MDR-Z1R lineups.

Thanks, yeah I found it weird how the MDR-1A could support balanced despite only having a single connector, but sure enough it does sound much better with an aftermarket MUC cable

 

[FrankieZappa]

Thanks, yeah I found it weird how the MDR-1A could support balanced despite only having a single connector, but sure enough it does sound much better with an aftermarket MUC cable

Well it's not the only one.. Even the two cans you see in my signature, the MDR-1AM2 and the MDR-100aap both supports balanced with a single connector.. .