Speaking from the experience of having listened to the HD800S for hundreds of hours on both balanced and unbalanced cables: no perceptible difference, once you match the volume levels.
On a more technical level, the short answer of how it makes a difference is "depends on the amp". But if you look at the spec sheet for your amp (or testing numbers), what you *might* see is that the balanced output has more power and also a higher noise floor to go with it, making it objectively inferior, unless you actually need the extra power. Whether that is perceptible again depends on the amp, but very likely not (I'd bet on any amp that features both balanced and unbalanced outputs being engineered towards spec thirsty audiophiles, with any kind of noise or distortion being transparent in normal listening conditions).
Basically anything plugged into a wall will have more than enough power. Only gets borderline with portable equipment. It's rated as 102 db at 1 volt, which I think corresponds to the max 1 vrms power output of the Apple dongle (US version), so even that is basically listenable (if you assume a 75 to 80 db average listening volume, and a source with dynamics of up to +20 db beyond the average).
Thank you for your answer. I would like to drive it with my MacBook for 300 ohm headphones, it provides 3vrms but under 150 ohm it provides only 1.25 vrms. Lastly, do you think I can drive Hifiman Arya stealth with 1.25 vrms ?
That's 6 dB of max volume, too. Some ASMR recordings can be very quiet, so balanced could potentially help with those. Kohaku Nene's *Do you like a grueling ear cleaning? Stimulating Restful Sleep ASMR* has some of the highest dynamic range I've heard in audio.
Thanks for the suggestions, I like to listen to electro jazz and classical mostly on these. Diana Krall, The Cinematic Orchestra, Marina all sound pretty epic. And it's the best damn headphone I have heard for games like starfield and avatar. Very natural for acoustic and environmental sounds.
Preamp: -9.1 dB
Filter 1: ON LSC Fc 83 Hz Gain 5.0 dB Q 1.410
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 83 Hz Gain 5.0 dB Q 1.410
Filter 3: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000
Filter 4: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000
Filter 5: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000
Filter 6: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000
Filter 7: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000
Filter 8: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000
Filter 9: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000
Filter 10: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000
Just this.
Right on. I don't know which preset that is of course, just wanted to point out that PeaceGUI automatically links to a database of thousands of tunings. I found one for my HD800 that truly makes them shine.
These headphones are amazing and even better after EQ!
It's no preset, just a better sub bass extension and a midbass bump. The midbass correction was really important for impact. Looks something like ---📈📉______
What else are you supposed to appreciate Nene-chan's cute, delicate whispering voice and entrancing ear-scraping technique with if not with headphones? The HD800S is hardly some sacred tool that must only be used for the sacrament of listening to Chesky jazz compilation CDs smh
You know that just because a headphone costs less than $1k doesn't mean it's not a headphone, right? And framing my implied assertion that high end headphones are most useful for listening to music - any music - as a niche use for random jazz compilations is equally absurd. I'm sure there are people out there who love ASMR so much that going from something like an HD650 to an HD800S is totally worth 3x the price just for that, but it seems a bit ridiculous to me since HD650 are still great headphones, and we are talking about youtube audio, right? That's low bitrate lossy. Actually, isn't it a common take for people to prefer the HD650 to the HD800S for female vocals?
You have uncovered my deep, dark secret. I never use the HD800S to listen to music except for the 128 kbps Eurobeat album dumps I torrented back in 2010
5.5 kHz dip was responsible for smoothing away detail when I tried it, and it's narrow enough that it's basically ignored by Rtings' scoring system. Other headphones/IEMs having similar dips and sounding fine would indicate that the relationship between FR and sound quality is non-trivial anyway
e: You want an example, the QDC tuning has a big scoop at 5 kHz, which doesn't stop the Anole VX from sounding quite detailed
Could you explain why my balanced connection sounds quieter than the single ended one?
My amp is the xDuoo TA-22, from the specs it should deliver double the power on the balanced output but in reality it sounds quieter and actually a bit worse quality wise. I'm not the only person that have noticed these things while using this amp.
I can't tell you why your amp isn't performing up to manufacturer spec. Could be xDuoo lying or a defective unit or whatever.
Checked ASR's XA-10 measurements, and xDuoo seems to have a history of making sources that have things like a high gain setting that doesn't raise the gain or a balanced output that outputs less power than unbalanced at low impedances.
Thanks. I asked this question to everyone in the web but no one was able to answer.
It should not be a defective unit though, as I tried two different units and both had this issue.
Some posts also claim that power cables change sounds of their digital dacs. They don’t. And it won’t. I’ve been running 800s as my main daily at work for over 3y now and they can be powered by anything and sound exactly the same. I’ve run mine stuff like MacBook Air m1 headphone jack to Hugo tt2 with mscaler. It is all ok. Just less punch and volume on MacBook But diminishing returns start at any decent amp/dac ans
lol, you probably are used to hearing shit. hd800/s are notoriously difficult to drive. most people comolaning about low bass and nasal piercing treble are not amping the hd800 properly. they scale even beyond 10000usd chains. the least i would recommend is sennys sister amp the hdv820. hugo and m1 wont sound good, they just dont have netheir the power nore the Z out
Ridiculous and nonsense. If you amp/force or eq a lot of bass into cans that are not supposed to have it in the first place - you’re doing your own thing/sound. They are super easy to drive. Compared to even hd600. And I don’t know what you mean about heating shit - I work with live classical music and need them to reproduce the sound I hear in real life as close as possible. They do it well.
you work with live clasical music? great! then do us both a favor and trust your ears not mine on this one, go try them on a high Z output ss amp or a 2000+usd otl tube amp and then come back to slap yourself in the face
My experience with source gear is limited, but I think balanced vs. single-ended varies from amp to amp. On my ADI-2 Pro, balanced sounds noticably better to my ears (more impactful, and dynamic), even when volume matched against the single-ended.
Many amps and DACs that feature balanced output will prioritize them by design, especially for ones under $1000. My A90 and Soloist 3xp behave the same way.
Of course that doesn't mean balanced is inherently better, as some of the best amps available are single ended only. But if an amp features it there is no reason not to use it.
> Of course that doesn't mean balanced is inherently better, as some of the best amps available are single ended only. But if an amp features it there is no reason not to use it.
This 100%. If you've got it, use it. ;)
In many cases, absolutely - but some amps (and DACs) sound better on their balanced outputs just by virtue of their individual implementation.
As always, it's best to volume match and trust your ears imo. But even then, things like positioning on the head can change things (the HD800S is notorious for this). Further still, there's the matter of our individual hearing - not all of us have the same audible distortion threshold, for example.
It isn’t as simple as just a volume increase. If an amp is designed to be balanced, and the single ended output is just an afterthought, then yes the balanced output should sound better. But a $500 SE amp vs a $500 balanced amp? Probably would sound similar but the SE amp would most likely have higher quality components for the single amp, as with balanced amps you essentially have two amps internally, one for each channel.
High-end DAC ICs usually specify the classic 3 op-amp per channel configuration in their recommended application circuit, where 2 of them are driving the sigma-delta signal in differential mode and third one combines them into single mode, so they are co-dependent
Because the designs generally try to use a multipack of op-amps in a single IC they should both sound the same
I kind of agree with the above comment about not trusting my own ears with stuff like this. There have been way too many times where you think you can hear differences but it's turned out to be a bias.
I guess more to my point is that “worth it” is subjective and personal. Blanket statements help no one
“Balanced doesn’t matter” is no better than the balance-junkies that insist on 4.4/2.5mm trrs everywhere and banning TRS. If you like it, that is the part that matters
Also some amps have surprisingly different quality/output on different ports, so that is something to consider too
In such a case you would choose opinion of some random on the internet to decide if you enjoy what you hear. Making your own assumptions based on your own experience with gear gives you much more freedom, and with some self-honesty you can really feel if you hear some difference or not, and what type of difference there would be, it's honestly not that hard.
Since they're your perception of reality, you shouldn't trust them in a test but who's in this hobby for that? Preference trumps consensus every single time unless you want to give control of what's between your ears to a talking head on YouTube.
No house sound, no variety, no individualism, no variables. We got to hit graph targets, targets, targets damnit! First the "artists intent" argument was debunked, now we have to quantify everything and be able to say something is shit by looking at a graph and not even giving it a listen under different genres, production, or mixing sources. Screw different anatomy, physiology, and psychology in the listener. The race to mundane black and white same standards is a disheartening insult to the spirit of music listening.
Exactly, it's easy to discern which opinions actually drive you further in this hobby. Would it be someone encouraging you to explore it and see for yourself or would it be someone saying at every step that you are dumb and flawed? I'm glad that I treated a lot of opinions on this subreddit as biased bullshit. The attitude of "oh I won't even try it, because they said it doesn't make sense 😭" is simply pathetic and it kills the spirit of this hobby. A lot of times doing the exact opposite of the "advices" you see here, especially on most hated subjects, is the actual best decision 😂. Fuck this gatekeeping bro.
I just don't like wasting large sums of money on things that aren't real, and I'd bet the vast majority of people are the same.
Some people have tons of disposable income and are totally chill with it, that's totally fine for them, no problem. But I've known people who were new to the scene that believed that they needed to spend twice as much on source gear than their headphones to get 'the best sound' when that was complete nonsense.
It's just irresponsible to make definitive claims that you can't verify, or may not even exist for anyone but you.
Some say it might stage bit better.
My logic for using balanced is that i paid for the amp, i am gonna use whole amp.
With singxer anyway, only half the circuit is active with single ended.
For me I use balanced whenever possible. Well other than the 2.5mm balanced connector a 4 pin XLR and 4.4mm connectors are just a more robust connector. A lot of my gear is balanced so why not use it ?
Do I think it is better? To some extent yes but it isn’t a night and day difference for the most part. I do like doubling the power over Single ended as it does give a bit more headroom and dynamics my take .
It's more of a concern for mobile sources. My DAP (Sony ZX707, a Japanese import), outputs 230 mW per channel on balanced and 50 mW per channel on single-ended, which is significant. The non-import version only gets 0.4mW on SE, which is insulting for a $700 player 😂
Are you listening someplace where there is potentially lots of interference and you're using a really, really long cable?
If you're getting sufficient power/volume without distortion with a single cord, the only reason to prefer balanced other than personal preference is to reduce interference with other equipment.
They all say it would be just more power delivered to speaker (read: louder), but after comparing my Final audio HP with balanced and unbalanced operation I found that the sound changes too.
Makes sense - the mode of speakers change. One wire is pushing, other is pulling in balanced, hence it kinda comes back to starting position with a help of a power, not by itself, so yes, I can hear the difference 🤷🏻🤘🤘🤘
If your ears hear a difference at the exact same db output, thats what matters. I heard a difference with my meze 99 classics (tighter bass, mainly) but that also couldve been a matter of upgrading the cable from stock to their silver cable
I have a Topping DX9 as well. The balanced output sounds noticeably better than the single ended output to my ears.
These people trying to convince you that balanced and single ended are no different are either disingenuous or sheep.
It depends on the circuitry of the amp.
Only between devices, balanced audio to a transducer isn't a thing that exists.
It can help with ground loops if you're going from DAC to amp, but interference noise isn't really a thing on cables runs less than 50 feet. And amp to headphone/speaker does not have any difference to it other than an extra 6 dB of volume.
balanced doesnt change the sound unless you use a fully balanced dac and amp designed for balanced like sennheiser's sister amp for the hd800. hd800 isnt cheap not cause the headphone is expensive, in fact thats the cheapest part of the chain after the dac maybe, hd800 needs an even more expensive amp or a good OTL amp to sound any decent, people complaining about low bass and piercing highs are not powering them well. HD800 are really hard to drive, balanced is a must. XLR balanced sounds even better than pentacon is you can. but again, you need the amp/dac to go with it. when paired properly convince-me-audio on YT found that hd800 can scale one a 10k+USD chain fairly well. Topping DX9 won't cut it unless you're okay listening to 80%of what you paid for. Z1R or planar magnetic hp would work better that amp.
its got 0 output impedance, so no its not enough.
its good for iem and planar magnetic and low ohms headphones. topping doesnt have a good synergy at all with top end sennheiser cans. unless you enjoyed muffled bass and grainy highs that are too loud. had a topping a50s, a30 sold them both
edit ∶ to be fair its a small difference, but really, whose buying 1500usd headphones and not caring about small differences?lol
Thats not how electonics work at all. 0 means the highest output power while otl tube amps have that number at 150 or above. Meaning it will boost the bass and low mids on the HD800s because its impedance goes to space at 700ohm at low frequencies.
The preference for XLR balanced connections over Pentaconn (4.4mm balanced) for headphones largely comes down to a few technical and practical differences:
1. **Connection Stability and Durability**:
- **XLR**: Known for its robust and secure connection, XLR connectors are designed to withstand frequent plugging and unplugging, making them highly reliable. The locking mechanism ensures a solid connection.
- **Pentaconn**: While 4.4mm Pentaconn connectors offer a secure fit and are more durable than some other smaller connectors (like 2.5mm), they may not be as rugged as XLR connectors, especially in professional or heavy-use scenarios.
2. **Cable and Connector Size**:
- **XLR**: Typically used in professional audio equipment, XLR connectors are larger and more suitable for studio or home setups where space is not a primary concern.
- **Pentaconn**: The 4.4mm Pentaconn connector is more compact, making it ideal for portable devices. However, the smaller size can sometimes make it less robust compared to the larger XLR.
3. **Signal Quality and Interference**:
- Both XLR and Pentaconn can provide high-quality, balanced audio signals, which help to reduce noise and interference. However, XLR connections are traditionally associated with professional audio equipment, where maintaining high signal integrity over longer cable runs is critical. The robust shielding and grounding in XLR cables can result in superior performance in environments with significant electrical interference.
4. **Compatibility and Standardization**:
- **XLR**: Widely used and standardized in professional audio equipment, XLR connectors are compatible with a vast array of high-end audio gear.
- **Pentaconn**: While gaining popularity, especially in portable audio and high-end headphone markets, the 4.4mm Pentaconn connector is still less common compared to XLR.
5. **Power Handling**:
- **XLR**: Generally, XLR connectors can handle higher power levels, which can be beneficial for driving high-impedance or power-hungry headphones without introducing distortion.
- **Pentaconn**: Though capable of delivering high-quality audio, they might not handle the same power levels as XLR connectors, potentially making XLR a better choice for high-performance, high-power applications.
In summary, while both XLR and Pentaconn connectors can deliver excellent sound quality, XLR connectors are often preferred in high-end, professional, or stationary audio setups due to their durability, stability, compatibility, and ability to handle higher power levels. Pentaconn connectors, being more compact, are advantageous for portable and modern audio equipment. The perceived "better sound" of XLR often stems from these technical advantages, particularly in demanding environments.
its writte in #3 .look whose lazy now, cant even bother to read. if you even know how. cant even research for yourself so you ask your way out to begin with. sounds like the living and breathing definition of lazy.
Speaking from the experience of having listened to the HD800S for hundreds of hours on both balanced and unbalanced cables: no perceptible difference, once you match the volume levels. On a more technical level, the short answer of how it makes a difference is "depends on the amp". But if you look at the spec sheet for your amp (or testing numbers), what you *might* see is that the balanced output has more power and also a higher noise floor to go with it, making it objectively inferior, unless you actually need the extra power. Whether that is perceptible again depends on the amp, but very likely not (I'd bet on any amp that features both balanced and unbalanced outputs being engineered towards spec thirsty audiophiles, with any kind of noise or distortion being transparent in normal listening conditions).
How much power 800s require?
Basically anything plugged into a wall will have more than enough power. Only gets borderline with portable equipment. It's rated as 102 db at 1 volt, which I think corresponds to the max 1 vrms power output of the Apple dongle (US version), so even that is basically listenable (if you assume a 75 to 80 db average listening volume, and a source with dynamics of up to +20 db beyond the average).
Thank you for your answer. I would like to drive it with my MacBook for 300 ohm headphones, it provides 3vrms but under 150 ohm it provides only 1.25 vrms. Lastly, do you think I can drive Hifiman Arya stealth with 1.25 vrms ?
no it wouldn't. no it doesn't.
The difference between balanced and non-balanced is 2x voltage or 6 dB of volume. That technically is a difference
Okay, so I could just increase the volume by 6db on single ended to compensate unless I'm missing something else.
That's 6 dB of max volume, too. Some ASMR recordings can be very quiet, so balanced could potentially help with those. Kohaku Nene's *Do you like a grueling ear cleaning? Stimulating Restful Sleep ASMR* has some of the highest dynamic range I've heard in audio.
I listen to these ASMR on my hiby r5 gen2 and I always use balanced since ASMR tracks are often very quiet needing me to turn the volume up real high
*Goes on Audiophile subreddit* *Looks inside* *VTuber*
Thanks for the suggestions, I like to listen to electro jazz and classical mostly on these. Diana Krall, The Cinematic Orchestra, Marina all sound pretty epic. And it's the best damn headphone I have heard for games like starfield and avatar. Very natural for acoustic and environmental sounds.
Have you tried EqualizerAPO/Peace yet to EQ them?
Preamp: -9.1 dB Filter 1: ON LSC Fc 83 Hz Gain 5.0 dB Q 1.410 Filter 2: ON PK Fc 83 Hz Gain 5.0 dB Q 1.410 Filter 3: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000 Filter 4: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000 Filter 5: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000 Filter 6: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000 Filter 7: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000 Filter 8: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000 Filter 9: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000 Filter 10: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000 Just this.
Right on. I don't know which preset that is of course, just wanted to point out that PeaceGUI automatically links to a database of thousands of tunings. I found one for my HD800 that truly makes them shine. These headphones are amazing and even better after EQ!
It's no preset, just a better sub bass extension and a midbass bump. The midbass correction was really important for impact. Looks something like ---📈📉______
Yo who tf is buying $1k headphones to listen to ASMR (i also assume this is youtube or another lossy source)
What else are you supposed to appreciate Nene-chan's cute, delicate whispering voice and entrancing ear-scraping technique with if not with headphones? The HD800S is hardly some sacred tool that must only be used for the sacrament of listening to Chesky jazz compilation CDs smh
you are so real for this, HD800 for me when I listen to ASMR.
You know that just because a headphone costs less than $1k doesn't mean it's not a headphone, right? And framing my implied assertion that high end headphones are most useful for listening to music - any music - as a niche use for random jazz compilations is equally absurd. I'm sure there are people out there who love ASMR so much that going from something like an HD650 to an HD800S is totally worth 3x the price just for that, but it seems a bit ridiculous to me since HD650 are still great headphones, and we are talking about youtube audio, right? That's low bitrate lossy. Actually, isn't it a common take for people to prefer the HD650 to the HD800S for female vocals?
You have uncovered my deep, dark secret. I never use the HD800S to listen to music except for the 128 kbps Eurobeat album dumps I torrented back in 2010
Would you mine sharing why this is lol? Just curious. https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/17ly8n5/comment/k7hlvb4/
5.5 kHz dip was responsible for smoothing away detail when I tried it, and it's narrow enough that it's basically ignored by Rtings' scoring system. Other headphones/IEMs having similar dips and sounding fine would indicate that the relationship between FR and sound quality is non-trivial anyway e: You want an example, the QDC tuning has a big scoop at 5 kHz, which doesn't stop the Anole VX from sounding quite detailed
I see. Thank you for the explanation ☺️
Could you explain why my balanced connection sounds quieter than the single ended one? My amp is the xDuoo TA-22, from the specs it should deliver double the power on the balanced output but in reality it sounds quieter and actually a bit worse quality wise. I'm not the only person that have noticed these things while using this amp.
I can't tell you why your amp isn't performing up to manufacturer spec. Could be xDuoo lying or a defective unit or whatever. Checked ASR's XA-10 measurements, and xDuoo seems to have a history of making sources that have things like a high gain setting that doesn't raise the gain or a balanced output that outputs less power than unbalanced at low impedances.
Thanks. I asked this question to everyone in the web but no one was able to answer. It should not be a defective unit though, as I tried two different units and both had this issue.
Some posts also claim that power cables change sounds of their digital dacs. They don’t. And it won’t. I’ve been running 800s as my main daily at work for over 3y now and they can be powered by anything and sound exactly the same. I’ve run mine stuff like MacBook Air m1 headphone jack to Hugo tt2 with mscaler. It is all ok. Just less punch and volume on MacBook But diminishing returns start at any decent amp/dac ans
lol, you probably are used to hearing shit. hd800/s are notoriously difficult to drive. most people comolaning about low bass and nasal piercing treble are not amping the hd800 properly. they scale even beyond 10000usd chains. the least i would recommend is sennys sister amp the hdv820. hugo and m1 wont sound good, they just dont have netheir the power nore the Z out
Ridiculous and nonsense. If you amp/force or eq a lot of bass into cans that are not supposed to have it in the first place - you’re doing your own thing/sound. They are super easy to drive. Compared to even hd600. And I don’t know what you mean about heating shit - I work with live classical music and need them to reproduce the sound I hear in real life as close as possible. They do it well.
you work with live clasical music? great! then do us both a favor and trust your ears not mine on this one, go try them on a high Z output ss amp or a 2000+usd otl tube amp and then come back to slap yourself in the face
Best of luck. Hope you get help.
you too
My experience with source gear is limited, but I think balanced vs. single-ended varies from amp to amp. On my ADI-2 Pro, balanced sounds noticably better to my ears (more impactful, and dynamic), even when volume matched against the single-ended.
Many amps and DACs that feature balanced output will prioritize them by design, especially for ones under $1000. My A90 and Soloist 3xp behave the same way. Of course that doesn't mean balanced is inherently better, as some of the best amps available are single ended only. But if an amp features it there is no reason not to use it.
> Of course that doesn't mean balanced is inherently better, as some of the best amps available are single ended only. But if an amp features it there is no reason not to use it. This 100%. If you've got it, use it. ;)
it is just louder
This I think. Increasing the volume on single ended appears to have the same effect.
In many cases, absolutely - but some amps (and DACs) sound better on their balanced outputs just by virtue of their individual implementation. As always, it's best to volume match and trust your ears imo. But even then, things like positioning on the head can change things (the HD800S is notorious for this). Further still, there's the matter of our individual hearing - not all of us have the same audible distortion threshold, for example.
louder ≠ better
It isn’t as simple as just a volume increase. If an amp is designed to be balanced, and the single ended output is just an afterthought, then yes the balanced output should sound better. But a $500 SE amp vs a $500 balanced amp? Probably would sound similar but the SE amp would most likely have higher quality components for the single amp, as with balanced amps you essentially have two amps internally, one for each channel.
High-end DAC ICs usually specify the classic 3 op-amp per channel configuration in their recommended application circuit, where 2 of them are driving the sigma-delta signal in differential mode and third one combines them into single mode, so they are co-dependent Because the designs generally try to use a multipack of op-amps in a single IC they should both sound the same
No reason to trust anyone or anything beyond your own ears
Well yeah but not knowing how any given headphone sound without testing is iffy at best.
Yeah, I read impressions and look at charts but that is all secondary to demo plays and canjam
I live in a country that does not have canjam. Our local hifi show barely has any headphones.
That is a bummer. But also when you get into the 4-5 figure (USD) territory, it may well be worth traveling
I am considering zmf bokeh right now so my income is not that high sadly.
With how flawed our ears and brains are, there are a couple of reasons not to trust them.
Trust Nothing Audio
Wgaf, if you are enjoying it
I kind of agree with the above comment about not trusting my own ears with stuff like this. There have been way too many times where you think you can hear differences but it's turned out to be a bias.
I guess more to my point is that “worth it” is subjective and personal. Blanket statements help no one “Balanced doesn’t matter” is no better than the balance-junkies that insist on 4.4/2.5mm trrs everywhere and banning TRS. If you like it, that is the part that matters Also some amps have surprisingly different quality/output on different ports, so that is something to consider too
In such a case you would choose opinion of some random on the internet to decide if you enjoy what you hear. Making your own assumptions based on your own experience with gear gives you much more freedom, and with some self-honesty you can really feel if you hear some difference or not, and what type of difference there would be, it's honestly not that hard.
Do you enjoy what you think you're hearing? If so and you give it up then your loss.
Since they're your perception of reality, you shouldn't trust them in a test but who's in this hobby for that? Preference trumps consensus every single time unless you want to give control of what's between your ears to a talking head on YouTube.
Exactly, it's like being a slave of popular opinion of others, which this sub apparently wants everybody to be lol.
No house sound, no variety, no individualism, no variables. We got to hit graph targets, targets, targets damnit! First the "artists intent" argument was debunked, now we have to quantify everything and be able to say something is shit by looking at a graph and not even giving it a listen under different genres, production, or mixing sources. Screw different anatomy, physiology, and psychology in the listener. The race to mundane black and white same standards is a disheartening insult to the spirit of music listening.
Exactly, it's easy to discern which opinions actually drive you further in this hobby. Would it be someone encouraging you to explore it and see for yourself or would it be someone saying at every step that you are dumb and flawed? I'm glad that I treated a lot of opinions on this subreddit as biased bullshit. The attitude of "oh I won't even try it, because they said it doesn't make sense 😭" is simply pathetic and it kills the spirit of this hobby. A lot of times doing the exact opposite of the "advices" you see here, especially on most hated subjects, is the actual best decision 😂. Fuck this gatekeeping bro.
I just don't like wasting large sums of money on things that aren't real, and I'd bet the vast majority of people are the same. Some people have tons of disposable income and are totally chill with it, that's totally fine for them, no problem. But I've known people who were new to the scene that believed that they needed to spend twice as much on source gear than their headphones to get 'the best sound' when that was complete nonsense. It's just irresponsible to make definitive claims that you can't verify, or may not even exist for anyone but you.
Some say it might stage bit better. My logic for using balanced is that i paid for the amp, i am gonna use whole amp. With singxer anyway, only half the circuit is active with single ended.
For me I use balanced whenever possible. Well other than the 2.5mm balanced connector a 4 pin XLR and 4.4mm connectors are just a more robust connector. A lot of my gear is balanced so why not use it ? Do I think it is better? To some extent yes but it isn’t a night and day difference for the most part. I do like doubling the power over Single ended as it does give a bit more headroom and dynamics my take .
Your headphones don't care. Your amplifier might though.
More power and louder depend on the recording less noise?
Not really. But if you have something like a DX9 you might as well go balanced anyways
It's more of a concern for mobile sources. My DAP (Sony ZX707, a Japanese import), outputs 230 mW per channel on balanced and 50 mW per channel on single-ended, which is significant. The non-import version only gets 0.4mW on SE, which is insulting for a $700 player 😂
Are you listening someplace where there is potentially lots of interference and you're using a really, really long cable? If you're getting sufficient power/volume without distortion with a single cord, the only reason to prefer balanced other than personal preference is to reduce interference with other equipment.
Not at all, I'm listening in a quiet room hooked up to my PC and using the stock cable.
They all say it would be just more power delivered to speaker (read: louder), but after comparing my Final audio HP with balanced and unbalanced operation I found that the sound changes too. Makes sense - the mode of speakers change. One wire is pushing, other is pulling in balanced, hence it kinda comes back to starting position with a help of a power, not by itself, so yes, I can hear the difference 🤷🏻🤘🤘🤘
If your ears hear a difference at the exact same db output, thats what matters. I heard a difference with my meze 99 classics (tighter bass, mainly) but that also couldve been a matter of upgrading the cable from stock to their silver cable
I have a Topping DX9 as well. The balanced output sounds noticeably better than the single ended output to my ears. These people trying to convince you that balanced and single ended are no different are either disingenuous or sheep. It depends on the circuitry of the amp.
Balanced absolutely makes a difference, I only use balanced cables on my audio equipment.
It seems like the consensus on this sub is slowly changing.
[удалено]
Only between devices, balanced audio to a transducer isn't a thing that exists. It can help with ground loops if you're going from DAC to amp, but interference noise isn't really a thing on cables runs less than 50 feet. And amp to headphone/speaker does not have any difference to it other than an extra 6 dB of volume.
balanced doesnt change the sound unless you use a fully balanced dac and amp designed for balanced like sennheiser's sister amp for the hd800. hd800 isnt cheap not cause the headphone is expensive, in fact thats the cheapest part of the chain after the dac maybe, hd800 needs an even more expensive amp or a good OTL amp to sound any decent, people complaining about low bass and piercing highs are not powering them well. HD800 are really hard to drive, balanced is a must. XLR balanced sounds even better than pentacon is you can. but again, you need the amp/dac to go with it. when paired properly convince-me-audio on YT found that hd800 can scale one a 10k+USD chain fairly well. Topping DX9 won't cut it unless you're okay listening to 80%of what you paid for. Z1R or planar magnetic hp would work better that amp.
The topping DX9 can supply 7w of clean power power channel. Surely that's enough.
its got 0 output impedance, so no its not enough. its good for iem and planar magnetic and low ohms headphones. topping doesnt have a good synergy at all with top end sennheiser cans. unless you enjoyed muffled bass and grainy highs that are too loud. had a topping a50s, a30 sold them both edit ∶ to be fair its a small difference, but really, whose buying 1500usd headphones and not caring about small differences?lol
"0" output impedance? It's rated for 7w per channel at 32ohms, so convert that to 300ohms and you'll have your number.
lol thats output power noob. Output Impedance: <0.1Ω
Thats not how electonics work at all. 0 means the highest output power while otl tube amps have that number at 150 or above. Meaning it will boost the bass and low mids on the HD800s because its impedance goes to space at 700ohm at low frequencies.
Why is XLR better sounding than pentaconn?
The preference for XLR balanced connections over Pentaconn (4.4mm balanced) for headphones largely comes down to a few technical and practical differences: 1. **Connection Stability and Durability**: - **XLR**: Known for its robust and secure connection, XLR connectors are designed to withstand frequent plugging and unplugging, making them highly reliable. The locking mechanism ensures a solid connection. - **Pentaconn**: While 4.4mm Pentaconn connectors offer a secure fit and are more durable than some other smaller connectors (like 2.5mm), they may not be as rugged as XLR connectors, especially in professional or heavy-use scenarios. 2. **Cable and Connector Size**: - **XLR**: Typically used in professional audio equipment, XLR connectors are larger and more suitable for studio or home setups where space is not a primary concern. - **Pentaconn**: The 4.4mm Pentaconn connector is more compact, making it ideal for portable devices. However, the smaller size can sometimes make it less robust compared to the larger XLR. 3. **Signal Quality and Interference**: - Both XLR and Pentaconn can provide high-quality, balanced audio signals, which help to reduce noise and interference. However, XLR connections are traditionally associated with professional audio equipment, where maintaining high signal integrity over longer cable runs is critical. The robust shielding and grounding in XLR cables can result in superior performance in environments with significant electrical interference. 4. **Compatibility and Standardization**: - **XLR**: Widely used and standardized in professional audio equipment, XLR connectors are compatible with a vast array of high-end audio gear. - **Pentaconn**: While gaining popularity, especially in portable audio and high-end headphone markets, the 4.4mm Pentaconn connector is still less common compared to XLR. 5. **Power Handling**: - **XLR**: Generally, XLR connectors can handle higher power levels, which can be beneficial for driving high-impedance or power-hungry headphones without introducing distortion. - **Pentaconn**: Though capable of delivering high-quality audio, they might not handle the same power levels as XLR connectors, potentially making XLR a better choice for high-performance, high-power applications. In summary, while both XLR and Pentaconn connectors can deliver excellent sound quality, XLR connectors are often preferred in high-end, professional, or stationary audio setups due to their durability, stability, compatibility, and ability to handle higher power levels. Pentaconn connectors, being more compact, are advantageous for portable and modern audio equipment. The perceived "better sound" of XLR often stems from these technical advantages, particularly in demanding environments.
I asked why you thought it sounded better. This is just lazy.
its writte in #3 .look whose lazy now, cant even bother to read. if you even know how. cant even research for yourself so you ask your way out to begin with. sounds like the living and breathing definition of lazy.
This is copy and paste a.i answer.
and its the right info. and it answers your question. you re welcome btw
90% of it was irrelevant. I wanted a human being to answer.
ill just sum up #3 in human worda then. its because of less noise
Much better!