[wingsounds13]

Today I received my Vero Full Range cable. It is terminated with Audeze mini XLR on the headphone end and 4 pin XLR on the amp end. Very nice. There is one major issue though: on the XLR-4 connector at the amp end pins 2 and 4 (L- and R-) are shorted together! This is bad news for some amps I know, and possibly many headphone amps with a balanced output connector. This configuration is as designed and built from the factory.

I find it difficult to believe that they did not know of headphone amps being built that use complementary signals for the outputs. Worse yet, that they did not consider that if these pins needed to be common that this would not be done in the amp. It seems reasonable to me that since there are four pins for separate signals then none should be shorted together in the cable.

I have already spoken with several people and I hope that they are on their way to resolving this design flaw, and soon. As it is, I have a cable that is useless as-is and will have to be returned for replacement when they resolve this issue.

Really... why have four pins if there are only three signal values (Left, Right and Ground)? This alone should have been a clue.

J.P.

 

[Audio Addict]

Thanks for the heads up. I can't believe they basically made them useless as you can't take the risk on the amp.

 

[wingsounds13]

From my talks with several people there, I am reasonably sure that they are going to correct this issue. How long? No guess yet. I also believe that they will replace the few "balanced" cables that have been shipped.

I can only assume that the adapter dongles are wired the same as the cables.

J.P.

 

[Audio Addict]

The scary part is they are a cable company that has been around for sometime. How would they arrive at this setup?

 

[wingsounds13]

I can't fathom this either. They talked with other manufacturers and the only way I can see them getting here is some miscommunication. It seems pretty obvious to me, but I am not everyone and maybe I see things differently than most.

J.P.

 

[Audio Addict]

I can't fathom this either. They talked with other manufacturers and the only way I can see them getting here is some miscommunication. It seems pretty obvious to me, but I am not everyone and maybe I see things differently than most.

J.P.

I am surprised Kim has not sent out any notice of a delay to get things straightened out.

 

[seeteeyou]

Hey guys.. first of all, we are shipping weekly as the cables are being built and tested. Once they give me tracking numbers I try and send them out as soon as I get them.

Secondly, regarding the “balanced cable” discussion, I have consulted with Bruce Brisson and Aaron Reiff who are going to provide a complete technical explanation and add clarity for you very soon and will provide it in an update. Sorry for any confusion, and I promise we are shipping as quickly as possible!

 

---

 

The Vero Full Range and the Vero Reference Cable come in the standard 1.5 meters, which is just under 5 feet. For custom lengths, the cost will be charged by the foot.
 
Vero Full Range - $20 per extra foot
 
Vero Reference Cable - $30 per extra foot

 

ATTENTION VERO BACKERS! KIM SCREWED UP!
 
Okay.. so please forgive me! Sometimes when we are overloaded with messages, Backer Surveys, Order Confirmations and coming off of hosting and planning your sons wedding, things get mis-communicated!
REGARDING THE VERO CABLE LENGTHS:
It's NOT $20 or even $30 per foot...
After passing on some of the comments to MIT Cables, I was told that what I posted was not correct. Here is what they meant, but I got it wrong!  Sorry...
 
There will be a $20.00 surcharge for any additional lengths up to one meter (3.24')  and $6.20/ft. for any added length after the first additional meter.

 

---

 

I received my reward, one “Vero Adapter Dongle”, not test it now.
The package have a shipping charge label, it marked USD$26.50, but MIT charged me USD$45 by paypal, I think I won’t buy anything from MIT anymore

 

---

 
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/vero-revolutionary-headphone-cable#/comments
 
The whole campaign was pretty much like a mess, now I just feel like a chump or something.
 
At least I pretended that I wasn't getting my survey on May 31st and then I tried my best to submit that as late as possible. An update about the survey was announced on June 14th and then I was having a tough time to get in touch with Kim via e-mail. 1st message was sent on 17th and the second one on 22nd. I couldn't get a reply until a complaint was sent to MIT directly and finally got the link to survey on 24th.
 
I didn't even need the extra length to begin with but I still paid for an extra meter anyways since it's taking more time to make longer ones, I thought that maybe the guinea pigs with the 1.5-meter standard length would get a lemon and therefore another mess will follow suit. That turned out to be exactly what's happening at the moment and All Hail to the Murphy's Law.

 

[wingsounds13]

What technical explanation and what clarity? It is pretty simple: the balanced headphone connection was created to completely separate the left and right channel cans. Two wires per side so there cannot be any power interaction between sides as does happen with the standard unbalanced style with a common ground.

Four pins, four wires - how simple can it be? Why on earth have four pins if you are going to tie two together to a single ground wire - in which case you might as well have the old standard 1/4" TRS connector. Either they replace the 3 wire "balanced" cables with proper 4 wire cables or they lose ALL credibility as an audiophile cable company.

Incredible!

J.P.

 

[Hercules]

Hercules Cheung less than a minute ago

Shorted common ground maybe intended?

Bruce posted this photo in Vero forum and later deleted just have 2 wires and common ground via shielding 



 
but this photo posted in early campaign dated in April 2015 shown the dongle with 4 wires in difference color and 2 set identical circuits with 2 wires each side.

 
can anyone still have balanced VERO can open up and connector and take a photo?

I suspect MIT is delivering something difference from campaigned!!

 

[Hercules]

http://beta-forum.mitcables.com/posts/nhir3MLYyxHTaij5r/vero-4-pin-xlr-balanced-discussion-update-that-was-posted-on
 
forum link

 

[Audio Addict]

http://beta-forum.mitcables.com/posts/nhir3MLYyxHTaij5r/vero-4-pin-xlr-balanced-discussion-update-that-was-posted-on

forum link

Thanks

 

[abernardi]

Wow, I didn't check my email for a while and I guess I'm just lucky.   I got the balanced full range and bass dongle in the mail last week and then yesterday I took them to the Questyle intro event in Torrance for their new DAP (which is EXCELLENT, BTW).  Audeze was there showing off their new LCD-4 and they had a Moon balanced headphone amp there, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to put these cables up against the ones they had there and Kimber was also there with a new headphone cable, so I did a little 3 way shootout.  Luckily the Moon amp must have had a common ground in their connector on their amp (I'm not well versed in all this, so if I have this wrong, please forgive and enlighten me...), because it played just fine.  Well, actually, the DAC crashed initially and we had to restart everything, but I don't think that was from the cable, since it did eventually work, right?
Anyway, it was hard to hear a difference because the room was pretty loud and I didn't have enough time to really make a good evaluation.  I just checked the bass dongle and it does indeed seem to have a common ground.

 

[seeteeyou]

All of the Dongles ordered were with Tip Ring Sleeve.
 
All products, Cables and Dongles fitted with the Tip Ring Sleeve are safe to use and reportedly delivering all of the performance that is associated with MIT Multipole products.
 
Out of approximately 400 Cables and Dongles sold only 14-Twisted Pair / Balanced Cables were improperly assembled and tested and we have asked those people to send an Email to MIT requesting a Return Authorization.
 
We will replace the defective 14-Balanced / Twisted Pair Cables and pay freight both directions.
 
Cheers, Bruce

 
What exactly does it mean and what are they smoking? You can't deliver any kinda performance unless you've got the wiring right.
 
We must have Tip Ring Ring Sleeve for fully balanced setup and right now they're still talking about Tip Ring Sleeve.
 

 

 

 

 

[wingsounds13]

When they are talking about TRS they are referring to the classic unbalanced three wire headphone cables: Left, Right, Ground. With the Vero, all of the unbalanced three conductor configurations are just fine.

What they did that is absolutely unfathomable and spectacularly stupid is to put 4 pin XLR connectors on this same three conductor cable, with pins 2 and 4 (Left- and Right-) shorted together and called it "balanced". Apparently they were fixated on the technical fact that very few amplifiers are truly balanced topology, thus thought they could ignore the cable itself being a balanced configuration. In fact, they claim that they did not know that there were ANY balanced amps in production and were apparently ignorant of or totally ignoring the presence of the many bridged amps available. All of this ignores the prime reason for using the " balanced" headphone cable configuration - that being the complete electrical separation of the left and right channels.

As others have said, it seems obvious that they are just now entering the headphone field and have done almost no research into the field, what is commonly used and why, and what equipment is soon to be and/or currently in production. While this gives me some concern about their new headphone cables, worse yet it gives me great concern about MIT Cables as a company and their competency in the field.

I have long had serious reservations about adding crap to the cable in the form of their network box, and have never had a desire to have any of their interconnects. I bought into the indiegogo Vero campaign because I was curious, had gotten caught up in the hype, and the early backer price was not too bad. Only time will tell as to whether I keep the cable and use it, or sell it and move on to something more conventional. Regardless, this may be the last signal product I buy from MIT. I have one of their power line filters that I need to test for efficacy, and if it does work to improve the sound of my system, I may buy more filters and/or power cables.. Maybe.

J.P.

 

[mscott58]

To add to the fun, I just got the following RMA email regarding the VERO "balanced" Reference HP cable (yes, I'm one of the lucky 14):
 
"Thank you for your letter, your RMA number is #XYZ . We are in the process of final testing of the "balanced" design as promised. I would expect to ship your replacement unit before the end of the month. We are very sorry for the inconvenience, so thanks for hanging in there! 
 
We would appreciate it if you would return the defective unit to: 
 
MIT Cables
ATTN: RMA 
4130 Citrus Ave, Ste 5
Rocklin CA. 95677
 
Please let me know when you have placed it in the mail, so we can watch for it? 
Cheers, Kent"
 
Notice anything missing? Yep, no offer to pay for postage, even though that's exactly what Bruce promised in the MIT Forums:
 
"Out of approximately 400 Cables and Dongles sold only 14-Twisted Pair / Balanced Cables were improperly assembled and tested and we have asked those people to send an Email to MIT requesting a Return Authorization.
We will replace the defective 14-Balanced / Twisted Pair Cables and pay freight both directions.

Cheers, Bruce"
 
This just keeps getting better and better. Too bad they didn't have their ever-present camera that they have at their booths filming our faces during this past week of continued dropped balls. 
 
Hope this gets cleared up ASAP. Emailed Kent and Kim back and hopefully they don't try to find a way out of paying for postage for something that was clearly their screw-up. 
 
Cheers