[Venture Guy]

Balanced may be the difference for the Senn...

The main reason to run balanced in the case of the Pono is that you get four times the power. Power is related to the square of the voltage, so twice the voltage in balanced mode equals four times the power. 

 

[doctorjazz]

I believe you... Currently, my most listened to right is Pono, Trinity balanced cable, Westone W40 with The Star tips. The W40 isn't hard to drive, I don't think, but using them in this configuration is just fabulous sounding!

 

[Koukol]

Don't think I made a blanket statment, just voiced my opinion. My opinion is that Sennheiser HD600's need additional amplification with the Pono, balanced or not.Your opinion is different. End of discussion for me.

I guess I have to quote you.
 
..."The 600's, even balanced, need more power than the Pono can provide to really produce the "Sennheiser sound"
 
You said nothing about just getting a higher volume.

 

[Venture Guy]

I believe you... Currently, my most listened to right is Pono, Trinity balanced cable, Westone W40 with The Star tips. The W40 isn't hard to drive, I don't think, but using them in this configuration is just fabulous sounding!

The other benefit of running balanced is increased dynamic range (3db) and a reduction in distortion from even harmonics...

 

[Venture Guy]

 
I guess I have to quote you.
 
..."The 600's, even balanced, need more power than the Pono can provide to really produce the "Sennheiser sound"
 
You said nothing about just getting a higher volume.

I haven't tried the 600s, but just by looking at the spec's it seems like you would be right at the limits of the Pono's oomph. I'm running Audio Zenith PMx2s, which is endgame...

 

[Koukol]

I'll throw in my useless $0.02...
I had the Senn 650, sold it, didn't have balanced cables so could only listen single ended from Pono. Definitely lost a lot, had to go line out to a good amp to appreciate the 650. Have balanced cable for the HE-1000, Pono not really able to really drive it (not bad, but not the best HEK can sound). Again, Pono line out into a good amp (mostly use MicroZOTL2, sometimes Liquid Carbon, RSA HR-2), into HEK makes a great sound.

With the Pono I first started out with the 650's and HAD to go balanced to get them to sound good.
Otherwise, I couldn't get the music loud enough to engulf me and it still remained muddy.
So, yes, the Pono HAS to be balanced for a 300ohm can.
This is why there's other HP's recommended if you're not going balanced.
 
I then sold the 650's for the 600's cause' I couldn't get use to the 8K dip.

 

[Koukol]

 

 
I guess I have to quote you.
 
..."The 600's, even balanced, need more power than the Pono can provide to really produce the "Sennheiser sound"
 
You said nothing about just getting a higher volume.

I haven't tried the 600s, but just by looking at the spec's it seems like you would be right at the limits of the Pono's oomph. I'm running Audio Zenith PMx2s, which is endgame...

Well, the designer of Pono uses them (at least at one time)

 

[harpo1]

  I haven't tried the 600s, but just by looking at the spec's it seems like you would be right at the limits of the Pono's oomph. I'm running Audio Zenith PMx2s, which is endgame...

Like Venture I use the same setup with my Pono 99% of the time and I have to agree it is endgame....  

 

[barondla]

Going balanced also reduces power supply noise. This is major with high efficiency IEMs and even some headphones. Stereophile measured greater resolution in balanced mode.

By the way, Fry's Electronics has the Pono Player on sale today with promo code for $299.

 

[Koukol]

For those who don't know going balanced runs out the battery faster.

 

[L8MDL]

I guess I have to quote you.

..."The 600's, even balanced, need more power than the Pono can provide to really produce the "Sennheiser sound"

You said nothing about just getting a higher volume.

Taken out of context! The post began "I DISAGREE"...an opinion, not a blanket statement.

 

[Koukol]

 

I guess I have to quote you.

..."The 600's, even balanced, need more power than the Pono can provide to really produce the "Sennheiser sound"

You said nothing about just getting a higher volume.

Taken out of context! The post began "I DISAGREE"...an opinion, not a blanket statement.

Nice try.
Of course it's your opinion.
 
You didn't say I can't get the volume I need for the HD series.
You said the Pono cannot produce the Sennheiser sound!!!!!
And I called bullsh*t on this.
 
Now I'm finished with this.

 

[BrutalLegend]

Hello, my current situation is my Ponoplayer's line out jack is not working (it has a broken 3.5mm jack in it and a broken pin) and the battery refuses to charge. So my solution would be to replace the entire board and battery which comes close to the price of a new Ponoplayer.
 
The dilemma is, should I pay to have it repaired/buy a new one + new cables to run balanced mode for my Focal Elear? Or should I just move on to another DAP that offers balanced sound and a longer battery life? This has been running in my mind for a while now as the battery life on the Ponoplayer is quite low, limited storage space and not too mention the lifespan of the hardware. However, I haven't found another DAP out there that matches the sound quality of the Ponoplayer in balanced mode. Any advise is highly appreciated.

 

[FFBookman]

  Hello, my current situation is my Ponoplayer's line out jack is not working (it has a broken 3.5mm jack in it and a broken pin) and the battery refuses to charge. So my solution would be to replace the entire board and battery which comes close to the price of a new Ponoplayer.
 
The dilemma is, should I pay to have it repaired/buy a new one + new cables to run balanced mode for my Focal Elear? Or should I just move on to another DAP that offers balanced sound and a longer battery life? This has been running in my mind for a while now as the battery life on the Ponoplayer is quite low, limited storage space and not too mention the lifespan of the hardware. However, I haven't found another DAP out there that matches the sound quality of the Ponoplayer in balanced mode. Any advise is highly appreciated.

My 2 cents - Upgrade the battery or plug it in more often.  I wouldn't downgrade that sound quality. Once you have nirvana, why go elsewhere?
 
I've read online that there's a better battery available, perhaps you could get a few more hours out of a newer battery.
 
Also, running in balanced it's understandable your battery life wouldn't be very good. I think you have to marvel at the sound of the ponoplayer and just find an outlet more often.

 

[BrutalLegend]

@FFBookman, thanks for the advise. The battery life isn't an issue. After diagnosing the board, the chip that handles the charging process has given out. So my only option at this point is to send it in for repairs or get a new one. What is more disheartening is that I would pay for all of this and only get another 2 years lifespan on the hardware... that doesn't seem right.