[Audio-Omega]

Music is a bit smoother in balanced mode, there is less harshness. Female vocals have a bit more "volume", they don't sound thin like in unbalanced mode.

I was told that music sounded faster in balanced but I haven't been hearing that. It is certainly not as fast as in Stax headphones.

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audio-Omega /img/forum/go_quote.gif Music is a bit smoother in balanced mode, there is less harshness. Female vocals have a bit more "volume", they don't sound thin like in unbalanced mode. I was told that music sounded faster in balanced but I haven't been hearing that. It is certainly not as fast as in Stax headphones.

It would also depend upon what monitors you are using. I find that the Ultrasone Ed. 9 are very fast, as in lack of any smearing of frequencies and greater impact (dynamic rhythm). Stax should be fast though, by the nature of their design.

 

[Ducker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AudioDwebe /img/forum/go_quote.gif I ordered a few of the balanced connectors from Ray when I bought my amp. The CK10's are really easy because the wire from each earpiece goes all the way to the connector, essentially already providing you the balanced capability without rewiring the whole thing. I wrote about it in the cable forum. I would post a link here, but am not sure how to go about doing that. If you have any questions, you're welcome to pm me. Edit: Here, I tried. Not sure if it worked. http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f21/rs...or-amp-477311/

Thanks a lot!! I'm going to give this a try.

 

[Sasaki]

I got Whiplash JH13 balanced cable so I can try Protector in Balanced mode.
Now my setup is iMod 5.5G + ALO SXC cryo + RSA Protector + Whiplash SCSCag + JH13.



I was so impressed when I hear the sound. I have been a heavy portable amp user since I got original SR71 in 2005. But Protector provides whole new experience to me. The spatial sense is unusual I have never experienced in portable gear.
Yes the soundstage is huge and wide but the most notable difference is on depth. The sound from this combo is not a 2D papertoy, now the sound is 3D sculpture with vivid rendering. This is a kind of magic.
Not only imaging is amazing but also I felt the sound has a firm weight. Not faint but strong like steel.

I remember this feeling. First time I heard balanced headphones, I felt similar feeling. That was GS-X with HD650 balanced. I think this new experience is a virtue of balanced headphones.
Jazz piano-trio reproduction is a strength of JH13, now this is even better than before and more life-like. Now rock sounded powerful and punchy.

I changed cable as well, so some of the honor may goes to Whiplash (mine is SCSCag).
I think this cable is quite nice JH13 replacement cable. Good timbre, good bass. Sharp but not being harsh. I am thinking to get Single-ended one for HM801.
In these days, Hifiman 801 impressed me much for its strong source circuit which employ high-end PCM1704.
So my mind was about to lean towards the idea that the iPod based portable amp is now obsolete. But I was wrong.
Protector proves.

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sasaki /img/forum/go_quote.gif I got Whiplash JH13 balanced cable so I can try Protector in Balanced mode. Now my setup is iMod 5.5G + ALO SXC cryo + RSA Protector + Whiplash SCSCag + JH13. I was so impressed when I hear the sound. I have been a heavy portable amp user since I got original SR71 in 2005. But Protector provides whole new experience to me. The spatial sense is unusual I have never experienced in portable gear. Yes the soundstage is huge and wide but the most notable difference is on depth. The sound from this combo is not a 2D papertoy, now the sound is 3D sculpture with vivid rendering. This is a kind of magic. Not only imaging is amazing but also I felt the sound has a firm weight. Not faint but strong like steel. I remember this feeling. First time I heard balanced headphones, I felt similar feeling. That was GS-X with HD650 balanced. I think this new experience is a virtue of balanced headphones. Jazz piano-trio reproduction is a strength of JH13, now this is even better than before and more life-like. Now rock sounded powerful and punchy. I changed cable as well, so some of the honor may goes to Whiplash (mine is SCSCag). I think this cable is quite nice JH13 replacement cable. Good timbre, good bass. Sharp but not being harsh. I am thinking to get Single-ended one for HM801. In these days, Hifiman 801 impressed me much for its strong source circuit which employ high-end PCM1704. So my mind was about to lean towards the idea that the iPod based portable amp is now obsolete. But I was wrong. Protector proves.

Very well expressed and thought out review.

 

[ThEvil0nE]

Nice write-up Sasaki. I have some custom twag cables for the protector being sent overnight express from Craig.

 

[AudioDwebe]

Here's a question to all the folks who have (or have heard) the Protector and also have a balanced home rig: Do home balanced rigs bring out the same level (or more) of improvements in the various full-sized, balanced cans that the Protector does with IEMs (and some full-sized cans)?

I ask this question because I feel that I'm getting more listening pleasure out of my Protector and a few balanced IEMs than some of my home gear, which is all SE.

 

[Bina]

Let say, I dont want to buy balanced cable from TWag( I borrowed for few weeks, it is nice improvment). What is other possibilities? I'm not sure, how easy is bulding cable myself, I'm not sure, if I can securetly attach cabel to pins.

Is there any cable, which can be easily balanced(what about that from UE18)?

 

[mesasone]

IIRC, the UE18 is really to be terminated with a balanced connector but the cable is not currently available except by ordering a pair of UE18. Shame, really.

 

[jamato8]

Interesting, with my Ultrasone Ed. 9 in balanced and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers newly remastered concerts, the sound has a strange (for headphones but good) depth as in height in true dimension of space. I haven't heard this on headphones before. Such an open and fluid space yet precise. I have heard phase shifts before that add an interesting slant to the music but after a while sound unnatural, this isn't that, it is a true rendering of space but in all directions.

 

[Xan7hos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AudioDwebe /img/forum/go_quote.gif Here's a question to all the folks who have (or have heard) the Protector and also have a balanced home rig: Do home balanced rigs bring out the same level (or more) of improvements in the various full-sized, balanced cans that the Protector does with IEMs (and some full-sized cans)? I ask this question because I feel that I'm getting more listening pleasure out of my Protector and a few balanced IEMs than some of my home gear, which is all SE.

x2 would also like to hear about this as well

 

[momomo6789]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bína /img/forum/go_quote.gif Let say, I dont want to buy balanced cable from TWag( I borrowed for few weeks, it is nice improvment). What is other possibilities? I'm not sure, how easy is bulding cable myself, I'm not sure, if I can securetly attach cabel to pins. Is there any cable, which can be easily balanced(what about that from UE18)?

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/how...-cable-481514/

its really easy to build your own a little work but nothing hard if you have a hour + to work on it.

 

[Bina]

Oh, really thank you for this momomo6789.

 

[Audio-Omega]

Music has a bit more weight in balanced mode. It's hard to go back to unbalanced after listening to balanced.

 

[Sasaki]

Thank you for the comments