[Question] Balanced vs Not

Hi all,
Sorry if this has been posted elsewhere, or if this isn't the right forum. I really wanna know your guys' thought on this. I understand what balanced means, or does but I want to know, is it worth bothering?

• From reading the forums, i hear that not ALL things that claim to have "balanced outs" are truly (or rather: "fully") balanced in their circuitry. That makes sense. But what if you have an Amp that is truly balanced? Is it worth buying a balanced cables for your headphones then? (minimal cost ofc).
• Let's say i was in the market to recable my headphones ANYWAYS, should i bother with balanced cable?
• What is the "real world"/practical difference in the two. Yes in theory the difference exists, but in practice, how much is it? I've never tried balanced drive headphones, so i'm not sure.
  • I feel like things like single TRRS is less likely to see any extra difference than say XLR or having two seperate I/O to plug in your headphone (And a lot of equipment in my price range does balanced via that tiny TRRS jack, not XLR). Am i right here?

 

http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...nd-better-discussion-for-noobs-and-boobs.733/

 

Well first the terminology "truly" balanced is misleading; I assume you are referring to an amplifier with balanced headphone drive, a setup in which inverse +/- electrical paths are used to deliver equal yet opposite signals to each side of a headphones drivers.

In the context of a "fully" balanced amplifier there are really three attributes, each of which can be implemented independently:
1. Balanced inputs
2. Balanced amplification circuit
3. Balanced output or drive (not the same as simply having a 4-pin XLR output)

So is it worth getting headphone cables with balanced termination if you have a "fully" balanced (all three attributes present) amplifier? The answer is most likely yes. What if you only have 2 out of 3 or only balanced output? This is where things get tricky and implementation matters.

Consider the following:
A. Ragnarok = fully balanced = use balanced connection, it sounds better
B. EC Studio = balanced inputs via transformers to single-ended circuit and again to balanced output via transformer windings = use balanced connection, it sounds better
C. EC BW2 or Massdrop CTH = single-ended throughout with 4-pin XLR connection for convenience = don't sweat it

Sure. Maybe. If you're buying a fancy cable for headphones you will keep regardless, there is little harm in getting a 4-pin XLR termination and a 4-pin XLR to 1/4" TRS adapter. You will be covered for most desktop amps on the market.

Literally impossible to answer without context of the amplifier and circuit. See answer to question one.

Not exactly. Think of the 4-pin XLR as doing the signaling with its pins while TRRS does it with its poles. Some people believe 4-pin XLR is just a better sounding connector period, but that's really fussing over the last 2%.

 

Thanks for the explanation. VERY detailed. And yea i meant "fully" (i've changed the OP now, thanks for pointing it out).

I'm surprised at what you said about the ES Studio example.

P.S: good to know that doing it with poles is almost as good as doing it with pins. (that sounded dirty, LOL).

P.S: Gear example: dp-x1 driving balanced mrspeakers Aeon or say, DP-X1->3.5mm TRS->WA8

 

Well with the DP-X1 it's important to note that it's a DAC/Amp unit in one. There are no balanced inputs as it's an all-in-one player; there IS balanced amplification circuit and balanced drive, so you would be better served using the 2.5mm TRRS balanced connection for optimal performance.

When using the 3.5mm TRS output to another amp you are just taking the line level output of the dual Sabre chips. The WA8 in your example is single-ended so there is no need or opportunity to use a balanced connection with your headphones then.

I entertain your questions mostly in the hopes that it promotes knowledge and understanding versus parroting and ignorance. Really though this stuff should not influence purchase decisions, just buy the best sounding gear you can at any price point and then worry about what connection to use after.

 

That's really why i'm asking them as well. And your answer clarifies my thinking in the matter as well.

Thanks.

 

Depends on (a) whether your headphones' cable connector can take a balanced cable, if you're using a detachable cable and not hardwiring, and (b) how much you mind using an adapter for single-ended use. For (a), if you have a dual-entry set of headphones, you're probably good. If it's single-entry, it depends on whether the headphone-side connector takes four or three wires in. Several popular headphones with detachable cables (notably, AKGs with detachable cables like the K712 and the Beyerdynamic DT1990) use a three-pin mini-XLR jack to attach the cable to the headphones. For those models, you'd have to remove the XLR jack and hardwire a cable to the headphones to use them balanced.

As for (b), it really depends on what you're planning on using the headphones for. You're probably going to want to be able to use your headphones with single-ended gear eventually, so Given that you mention TRRS, I imagine you're looking at portable gear. A TRRS-to-TRS adapter (like this one) wouldn't be excessively bulky, but it could be unweildy for listening with the player in your pocket. Obviously, a big ol' 4-pin XLR with its TRS adapter would be a bit of an impediment to portable use. If you're meaning desktop gear, then adapters shouldn't be an issue, though you'll want to consider whether you'll ever want to use those 'phones in a portable context. Of course, adapters are only an issue if you have a non-removeable cable or are reterminating your existing SE cable...if you have separate SE and balanced cables, you won't need to bother with adapters.

 

I think it's worth mentioning that if you happen to have a balanced connection on your headphones, then the phase reversal trick a short step away. To me, that's worth the bother of a balanced cable, and I use a single-ended amp.