[NZheadcase]

  I am actually thinking of selling my t1 and getting th900 or 600

 
Really? How come?
 
I have the T1 and the TH900. If I WERE to let one go, it would be the TH900 based on its performance on my specific setup. 
 
I adore the T1 on the Soloist. The TH900 sounds great, but feels like it is not up to scratch when a-b'ed with T1. Holding off making any decisions though, until I am able to test the TH900 on some more amps at the Auckland NZ meet. 

 

[earthpeople]

  I would like to terminate my T1's with a balanced xlr 4 pin connector. I understand that there are 3 wires per side + - and ground. I would like to know if anyone here has done this themself and could advise if you can just pair the two ground wires together and solder them to the connector chassis? Anyone who has done this please share your experience. Yes. I will be using the original cable and just removing the 1/4 connector and replacing it with the 4 pin xlr.

There are two conductors and shield for each side. You'll use the conductors as + and -, and you can connect the shield to the connector chassis. They don't carry any signal so it doesn't really matter if you connect the two shield bundles. Just make sure you have your 4 conductors all clearly separated and not in contact with any other wire. 

 

[Chodi]

  There are two conductors and shield for each side. You'll use the conductors as + and -, and you can connect the shield to the connector chassis. They don't carry any signal so it doesn't really matter if you connect the two shield bundles. Just make sure you have your 4 conductors all clearly separated and not in contact with any other wire. 

Thanks for the response. I will get around to doing this and report back if any improvement worth mentioning.

 

[Lorspeaker]

One recent nightmare I had when converting to 4pin XLR was, after I cut the cable on another can...
All the wires inside are in white insulation...n the cable being non-detachable,
I had to open up the cups..n try to figure out which is positive, negative etc.
and hope that my final work isnt out of phase..

Anyone knows if the insulation of the T1 wires in the cable, are color coded?

 

[Chodi]

One recent nightmare I had when converting to 4pin XLR was, after I cut the cable on another can...
All the wires inside are in white insulation...n the cable being non-detachable,
I had to open up the cups..n try to figure out which is positive, negative etc.
and hope that my final work isnt out of phase..

Anyone knows if the insulation of the T1 wires in the cable, are color coded?

The answer was posted long ago:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/440799/beyerdynamic-to-launch-new-top-headphone-at-ifa-called-t1/2190
 
Answer is about half way down the page. Yes, it is color coded and the post explains. The only thing I am not completely clear on is what to do with the two shields. They don't carry any signal so I am not clear on if they should be soldered to the connector chassis or just cut. They may well just be there to shield between the hot terminals. I am going to get around to doing this with the T1's because it made a big difference with my HD800's.

 

[Loquah]

If you are terminating with a 4 pin XLR then the shields go to 2 of the pins. Each shield has a positive core that it is linked to as the negative.

From memory the shields are easily identifiable as to which core they belong to.

 

[vlach]

Hi folks, I think I recall a few T1 owners having also discussed TH900s so I'm wondering what specific characteristics lead you to choose one over the other (other than open vs closed)

I had the TH900 on loan from a friend and I own the T1. To my ears the T1 is clearly superior in terms of clarity, resolution and detail. Bass is tighter. Mids are more open. Easy decision for me

 

[Chodi]

If you are terminating with a 4 pin XLR then the shields go to 2 of the pins. Each shield has a positive core that it is linked to as the negative.

From memory the shields are easily identifiable as to which core they belong to.

Thanks for your reply. Sorry if I am being a little dense, but there are 3 wires per side (+ - shield). More typically you would only see two wires per side on other headphones. There are only 4 pins in and XLR balanced connector and I have 6 color coded wires. That leaves me with the option to tie the negative and shield together per side and solder each of the two sets together to one pin. So... I would have the 2 hot wires (left and right) soldered to 2 pins and the negative and shield wires paired and soldered to the other 2 pins.
 
Can you confirm this approach? 

 

[earthpeople]

Here is exactly what you'll see when you remove the stock TRS plug: http://i.imgur.com/a3BRKfI.jpg
This is my own stock T1 cable which I have reterminated with a 4-pin XLR and later replaced completely.
 
Two conducting wires and cable shield per side. The point of the shield in a balanced configuration is purely to reduce interference and so I would not connect it with any of the pins. Each pin and the conductor associated with it carries an active signal -- all four pins are "hot". 
 
I am not completely clear on what you are saying, Loquah, especially the part about the shield being linked with a positive core. Could you clarify please? 

 

[Chodi]

  Here is exactly what you'll see when you remove the stock TRS plug: http://i.imgur.com/a3BRKfI.jpg
This is my own stock T1 cable which I have reterminated with a 4-pin XLR and later replaced completely.
 
Two conducting wires and cable shield per side. The point of the shield in a balanced configuration is purely to reduce interference and so I would not connect it with any of the pins. Each pin and the conductor associated with it carries an active signal -- all four pins are "hot". 
 
I am not completely clear on what you are saying, Loquah, especially the part about the shield being linked with a positive core. Could you clarify please? 

Thanks so much that clears this up. I have done a little research since my last post and it seems that you can pair the shield, tin them with solder and then solder them to the ground lug inside the xlr connector. You could just cut them off but the first approach is preferred. The xlr connector should have 4 pins and a ground lug. It is best to use heat shrink over the wires to avoid them touching and keep things neat. I found some useful information here:
 
obrobinette.com/BalancedCable.htm#Make_a_Four_Wire_Balanced_Line_Headphone_Cable_

 

[Francisk]

Chodi, I think this is the working link:
 
http://robrobinette.com/BalancedCable.htm

 

[Chodi]

  Chodi, I think this is the working link:
 
http://robrobinette.com/BalancedCable.htm

Ah yes I tried to be clever and go right to the appropriate page. I should know better. Anyway, that site has heaps of good information on this subject. I shall report back after I finish this. Have to get the parts and in my location I may have to order online. Not easy to find anything more complex that a wall socket where I live. I could drive 2 hours to Bangkok but I've gotten lazy in my old age and usually just order stuff online.

 

[Francisk]

Anyway Chodi, thanks so much for pointing out that resourceful link. Now I can start planning on a DIY balanced cable for my Sennheiser HD600 while saving up for the Beyerdynamic T1 

 

[Loquah]

  Here is exactly what you'll see when you remove the stock TRS plug: http://i.imgur.com/a3BRKfI.jpg
This is my own stock T1 cable which I have reterminated with a 4-pin XLR and later replaced completely.
 
Two conducting wires and cable shield per side. The point of the shield in a balanced configuration is purely to reduce interference and so I would not connect it with any of the pins. Each pin and the conductor associated with it carries an active signal -- all four pins are "hot". 
 
I am not completely clear on what you are saying, Loquah, especially the part about the shield being linked with a positive core. Could you clarify please? 

 
Oh, sorry. I was remembering it wrong and thinking it was a shielded coaxial where there's essentially an outer shield, an inner shield and a core. Apologies for the confusion.

 

[BlakeT]

 

   
I would be interested in responses to this question as well, simply out of curiosity.  
 
I have the TH900 and T1 and I had originally planned on selling one of them. However, I decided to keep them both.  
 
P.S. I need to say "thank you" to you Loquah, for your thread on the Bottlehead amps.  I ended up getting a Crack based solely on your write up and I am very happy with it.

 


Why don't you should start the ball rolling since you already have both. What are the difference between the 2? If you have to choose 1 which weadphone would it be and why.

I'm also looking to get a planar-magnetic type headphone not necessarily to replace my T1 but rather complement it. So far I have my sights on Alpha Dogs and LCD-X, but a comparison of T1 with other phones is always welcome.

 
Sorry for the delay in response.  My work schedule has been quite hectic.  
 
I really like both headphones (proof of that is my decision to keep both), but if I was forced to choose only one, I would keep the TH900's.  As to your second question, namely, why I would keep it, the short answer is that I subjectively prefer the TH900's sound signature and overall sound in general, but it is only by a small margin.  I realize this answer needs a bit more explanation.  
 
I have to get back to work right now, but I will try to find some time in the next day to post more detailed thoughts.