introction article to balanced headphone cables?

[blanc]

Hi,

can anyone recommend a good introction article to balanced headphone cables? I just want to upgrade my own one for classical music.

 

[Audiophonics]

Hi,

You can take a look here : https://www.headphonesty.com/2019/05/balanced-vs-unbalanced-audio-connections/

 

[fpitas]

Balanced headphone drive may not hurt anything, but to me it's a solution in search of a problem.

 

[Killingbeans]

I just want to upgrade my own one for classical music.

The single-ended output on your amp is not powerful enough to drive the headphones?

 

[blanc]

Thank you. Infact I’m not talking about whether but how to choose cables. There are confusing terms such as OFC, copper, silver, gold and so on.

 

[Elitzur–Vaidman]

Thank you. Infact I’m not talking about whether but how to choose cables. There are confusing terms such as OFC, copper, silver, gold and so on.

Get a cheap cable from a known manufacturer. All those confusing terms are designed to confuse and upsell you snake-oil.

 

[fpitas]

We're not much on fancy cables here. Frankly, the vast majority of boutique cables offer nothing but increased cost.

 

[Killingbeans]

There are confusing terms such as OFC, copper, silver, gold and so on.

Don't waste money on silver. Any old copper will do. Everything is OFC these days. It doen't hurt, but it doesn't do anything either. Gold is nice to have as a coating on connectors, but only because it doesn't tarnish and give a bad connection over time. Gold wire is nothing but jewelry (same for silver). If you just want bling, go for it. But don't expect better sound, other than what you get from placebo.

Go for headphone cables that are well made (as in: doesn't fall apart from the stress of everyday use), have a nice feel (nice to touch and doesn't fray or snag on clothing) and is non microphonic. Besides that, it's all about fashion statement and placebo.

 

[Cote Dazur]

Hi,

can anyone recommend a good introction article to balanced headphone cables? I just want to upgrade my own one for classical music.

this resume it very well in my book.
“Balanced audio is great for pro use with long cables and electrically hostile environments. But it’s generally more of a liability than an asset in home audio gear. All else being equal, balanced stages usually have higher overall noise and distortion than their unbalanced counterparts. Headphone drivers don’t magically somehow work better when driven by a balanced source.” – NwAvGuy

 

[BR52]

this resume it very well in my book.
“Balanced audio is great for pro use with long cables and electrically hostile environments. But it’s generally more of a liability than an asset in home audio gear. All else being equal, balanced stages usually have higher overall noise and distortion than their unbalanced counterparts.

Are you sure ?

 

[bkdc]

I have to agree that the balanced cable is a solution in search of a problem. In any reasonable setting, there is no improvement in audio quality by using a balanced vs unbalanced headphone cable.

Add to that various manufacturers guilty of trying to propagate their own connection standard (the most annoying being Sony). The audio accessories industry loves all these different cables and connectors so you can be sold additional accessories that contribute nothing but headaches to your audio enjoyment. The audio industry is sabotaging consumers.

Unbalanced standards should be the 1/4 inch phono and the 3.5mm.

The balanced standards should be the 4.4mm and 2.5mm for portables. I can see a role for the durable 4-pin XLR in pro audio applications, but everyone needs to get on the same page. I guess the world of hi-fi audio and headphones is for dinosaurs anyway. Young folks wear earbuds and IEMs.

 

[SoNic]

I have to agree that the balanced cable is a solution in search of a problem.

All else being equal, balanced stages usually have higher overall noise and distortion than their unbalanced counterparts.

You know that any balanced amp outputs less even order harmonic distortions, because they tend to cancel each other?
This is well known, not debatable.

 

[DVDdoug]

You know that any balanced amp outputs less even order harmonic distortions, because they tend to cancel each other?

NO amplifier should have ANY audible distortion unless it's over-driven into clipping.

And unbalanced amplifier-A may have lower distortion than balanced amplifier-B. And meaningless if you can't hear the distortion...

Back to the question - Most audio cables aren't critical as long as they are correctly & adequately built for the application/purpose. Headphone cabling is less critical than any other audio application.