So what is a common "balanced headphone" for testing?

[amirm]

I need to get a balanced, over the ear headphone for amplifier testing that is popular much like my Sennheiser HD-650s. Is there such a product?

 

[JJB70]

You could get a balanced cable for the HD650's, affordable balanced cables are pretty easy to find although you can also spend silly sums on boutique cables for them.

 

[amirm]

Oh, forgot about that option. I bought a spare set of ables which I was going to modify for that purpose.

 

[maxxevv]

For maximum flexibility, would suggest a cable terminated with 2.5mm TRRS.

It would allow via adaptors to be used with 4.4mm pentacon, 4-pin XLR, dual 3-pin XLR to be plugged.

 

[amirm]

That's a good suggestion. Thanks.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Go to amazon and type in Sennheiser HD650 balanced cable and bunches of them will pop up. Some are real pretty.

Like these:
https://www.amazon.com/NewFantasia-...=8-2&keywords=sennheiser+hd650+balanced+cable

I used to make interconnects like that. Looks like the same cable. I had some milspec coax that was teflon and silver with silver braided shield. I'd strip off the shield and use the core in a braided configuration. Sure was a pain to remove the outer cover and shield.

Adapters like this too.
https://www.amazon.com/Sukira-Balan...8-15&keywords=sennheiser+hd650+balanced+cable

 

[esm]

Something I always point out when folks are talking about HD650-esque replacement cables: the excellent 3m OEM cable is $11, from Sennheiser. I couldn't make a cable for that cheap if I wanted to; hell, a good 4-pin XLR connector is going to cost as much as that.

 

[JJB70]

Something I always point out when folks are talking about HD650-esque replacement cables: the excellent 3m OEM cable is $11, from Sennheiser. I couldn't make a cable for that cheap if I wanted to; hell, a good 4-pin XLR connector is going to cost as much as that.

I get the impression some headphone manufacturers see balanced cables as a bit of a cash cow. For example Beyerdynamic charge 99 Euros for a 2.5mm plug balanced cable for the T1/T5P and 149 Euros with an XLR connector. I suspect their (well found) assumption is that many of those looking for balanced headphones actually want expensive cables. However, luckily it is relatively easy to find third party alternatives for much less.

 

[maverickronin]

It's become common practice to use balanced connectors on anything and everything now. If a stock cable is detachable and has 4 conductors then someone will sell a balanced version. If not, there will be dealers who manage to get away with selling re-terminated and re-cabled versions.

Like @maxxevv said, just get and extra cable for the headphones you have, re-terminate it to something with 4 poles, and then make some adapters from there.

 

[Timbo2]

Something I always point out when folks are talking about HD650-esque replacement cables: the excellent 3m OEM cable is $11, from Sennheiser. I couldn't make a cable for that cheap if I wanted to; hell, a good 4-pin XLR connector is going to cost as much as that.

Exactly the cable I used. Highly recommended!

 

[maxxevv]

It's become common practice to use balanced connectors on anything and everything now. If a stock cable is detachable and has 4 conductors then someone will sell a balanced version. If not, there will be dealers who manage to get away with selling re-terminated and re-cabled versions.

Like @maxxevv said, just get and extra cable for the headphones you have, re-terminate it to something with 4 poles, and then make some adapters from there.

My HD6XX came with the shorter 3.5mm plugged cables. And I bought an aftermarket 4-core one, terminated in 2.5mm TRRS.
The OEM cable that came with the HD6XX was surprisingly poor when I measured the resistance of the cable versus the aftermarket one. It had effectively double the resistance value of the replacement cable. ( measured from plug R+ , L+ to headphone connector pins R+ and L+ and averaged.)

The original Sennheiser cable that came with the HD650 may be different, so it might be worth a check if have a chance to do such a comparison.

 

[Timbo2]

My HD6XX came with the shorter 3.5mm plugged cables. And I bought an aftermarket 4-core one, terminated in 2.5mm TRRS.
The OEM cable that came with the HD6XX was surprisingly poor when I measured the resistance of the cable versus the aftermarket one. It had effectively double the resistance value of the replacement cable. ( measured from plug R+ , L+ to headphone connector pins R+ and L+ and averaged.)

The original Sennheiser cable that came with the HD650 may be different, so it might be worth a check if have a chance to do such a comparison.

When I cut down the $10 cable mentioned above to 1.2m I measured the resistance to make sure my soldering was OK and that I wired the proper pins. I seem to recall it being about 10 milliohms or less on all 4 conductors. It may have actually been 1 milliohm. I remember the "1" but not the decimal place.

 

[amirm]

Something I always point out when folks are talking about HD650-esque replacement cables: the excellent 3m OEM cable is $11, from Sennheiser. I couldn't make a cable for that cheap if I wanted to; hell, a good 4-pin XLR connector is going to cost as much as that.

Gosh, I paid $23 for a third-party version. Had no idea the authentic one is so cheap!

 

[esm]

Yeah, for $11, cut the end off and terminate it any old way you want, and you're still going to come out ahead of any third-party cable made with unobtainium wire.

 

[Tircuit]

I run my HE-400i headphones balanced. There's $12-35 cables out there that work well.

 

[Pavano]

do those 650 cables also fit the HD600?

 

[solderdude]

yes, and the HD580, HD58X and quite a bunch of other Sennheisers.

 

[MrPokeboy8]

If you want to wait and take a risk, there's this cheap cable for your HD650 from LunaShops that says it is a balanced 2.5mm. There is also a posting of this, but more expensive for some reason, on eBay; it comes in a twisted variant on both sites.
I have done a small search on LunaShops and it is a mixed bag to me. Proceed with caution and time. If anyone else knows of these cables, please tell if they are good to use or not.

Though, the option to make your own balanced cable using the OEM cable as a base sounds interesting, if it truly comes with 4-cores.

 

[Timbo2]

Though, the option to make your own balanced cable using the OEM cable as a base sounds interesting, if it truly comes with 4-cores.

The OEM cable is 4 cores, BUT it's litz wire.

 

[maverickronin]

The OEM cable is 4 cores, BUT it's litz wire.

I've reterminated a couple of them before. The enamel just burns right off in a solder blob.