Balanced Cable Types: Explained! - 2.5mm, 4.4mm & XLR.

balanced means nothing, good to know

In pro audio (stereo consoles) it’s always 2 x Xlr but this is more portable pro audio so 1 x 4 pin Xlr 💯

I must say seems like pentaconn is the future including patchbays and even possibly smart devices

Duel 3 pin XLRs are very often used in the live audio/production industry and basically all high end production gear uses duel 3 pins for balanced stereo audio, so would be very suitable for connecting headphones to a mixing desk as a stereo mix out

I wonder how many of these so called experts (or self proclaimed, I know better than you) could tell through a blind test if they were listening via single ended or balanced connection?

its 2023 XLR can die in a fire

been a while since i had too speed a video up to 2x speed just to be tolerable 😂

everyone i have a question, if my amp has 2 xlr slot, 1 for mic and it's that possible to used the other one for headphone(xlr)? thanks before.

2 decades ago, you never needed a balanced output other than being in a studio since they have cables going everywhere and need to stop interference from seeping in. The regular audiophile in their day-to-day use doesn't need a balanced output. The only reason why people nowadays are noticing the difference is because companies have become super greedy. Geez, how can we make exorbitant amounts of profit from the common masses. We know, lets introduce recording studio standards to the common audiophile community who don't need, so we can mark up our dacs & amps, make them pay for different cables that are grossly overcharged. The companies are purposely holding back the signal on a regular 3.5 / 6.5 mm jack just to create an artificial "difference" for the end user.

Great explanation and reasoning Josh. I use hart cables to overcome the issues you talk about. It is a good system.

@joshua hey im getting the sennheiser 800s , i already have the shiit modi stack ,no xlr input, do you recommend a xlr to 6.55 mm? or stick with the 6.55mm jack alone?

I'm confused. The professional audio engineers are 100% for balanced in their use case which is often 100 ft cabled but ask them about a 2 ft or 3 ft cable for your headphones or shorter ones for connecting devices and they think that you're smoking crack.

! Is this 2.5mm trrs balanced is the same as xlr balanced cable because I want to connect 2.5mm trrs to xlr balanced it compatible?

Which 4.4mm balanced cable would you recommend to be used with Sundara Hifiman ?

thank you captain, your explanation easy to understand.

Thanks Josh for a great informative video. I would say though there is a strong counter argument to even using balanced equipment in the first place. To make a true balanced preamp/amp requires basically building double the circuitry. And to make your balanced signal, requires splitting the signal into a positive and negative waveform (180deg out of phase with each other), then recombining them at a later stage. IMO as a tube amp designer, this makes absolutely no (zero) sense for hime audio. Yes a balanced signal/cable has less noise (common mode rejection) and slightly higher gain and yes the connectors are more robust than unbalanced (rca/3.5/6.3mm). But and here's the Big but, unbalanced signals in home audio gear are already very quiet and by staying unbalanced you keep the signal in an orignal state as it is played back from vinyl, tape or digital. As a designer I avoid altering the phase/timing of an orignal audio signal at all costs, creating preamps and amps that run in Pure Class A. This makes for amazing clarity. Using a balanced signal interferes with the audio signal in so many ways, I'm always wondering who is pushing this? Now in a recording studio environment balanced cables make perfect sense for long runs back to the booth. This was the origins of the technology and IMO where it should stay.

Awesome thank you for the great video! I’m familiar with using XLR for hifi speakers but just got into the world of hifi phones and was insanely confused by all the different connector options. This all makes so much more sense now!

Great video, thank you!

Is it possible to use a Cayin RU6 as a mai desktop amp? As in use its balanced 4.4mm to go out to 2 studio monitors (they have both RCA and XLR), so guess I would use a 4.4 to dual XLR or RCA?

For a Dap and iem combo, besides power, is there any acoustic benefit to using 4.4mm vs 3.5mm. Using fiio m11 and u12t. But sometimes I use the iem on my phone. Switching 4.4 to 3.5 is anoying even with my modular cable

Guys, please help a newcomer in terms of audio stuff...I have a FiiO K3 and want to run a pair of HD600 balanced. What cables/adapters do I need to purchase? Thank you kindly.

Does 3.5 vs 4.4mm cable make any difference in sound quality in an iem.
Will mainly use iem through smartphone with a type c dac to 3.5 or 4.4mm.

Which xlr cable should I use with thx 789 I’m so confused

Do all 4.4 cables are balanced cables? Because I saw some earphone mentioned their 4.4 is balanced while others dont. Also, can I use the (not mentioned to be balanced) 4.4 cables with balanced dac?

Where can I get that Purple Periapt cable ? I have been checking their website for almost a year now and haven't seen it, the closest thing is the "Navy" color but even that isn't close to this.

Hi! What do you know about ground connection not used. There's 5 port, 2L+2R and one connections GROUND not used. I don't understand, is not useful ground connection such time hi end amplifier have ground connections active?

I'm a complete newbie at this stuff. I was expecting a quick explanation of what a balanced cable is and what it does. Why is it called a balanced cable?

I have Fiio btr5 dac and Philips X2hr headphones, can this combo run balanced? what cable/adapter do i need to buy? is it worth it??
Thanks

Just ordered a 2.5 balanced cable that fits with the amp I’m using. Wanted to learn more about them in general, thanks for a good introduction!

Just get the Hart audio multi kit and it will cover it all.

Thank you for sharing 🙏

Can't believe my HD 560S is actually balanced and one of the ideal DAC/amp combo units also is, the Zen Dac V2.

The best thing about creating "standards" is that there are so many to choose from!!!

how can i use DT 990 on balanced AMP/DAC like iFi HipDAC2

So, wait a cable sec here... Any headset (provided cables are detachable on such headset) can be fitted with balanced cables? Are there balanced-specific headsets?

Are there balanced (exclusively) headphones??

And they all work with all kinds of headphones?

XLR for home use and 4.4 for mobile use. Just one adapter and just don't buy anything with 2.5. It shouldn't exist.

Thanks Josh for the info.Just getting into this hobby and it can be a little overwhelming at times.Your videos are extremely helpful.

Sundara cable replacement other than Periapt ?

I have a 2.5 female balance cable coming from my Senheisser 6xx. What is the best type of connector to use to connect to my drop THX 789 amp. I got the 2.5 cable for my ear studio es100. I also noticed that there are not many cables longer than 1.5 meters. Why is that?

Although I wish I saw this sooner, I am all it on balanced. I have Hifiman Anandas balanced 4.4 from Ifi Zen Dan. For mobility I have the Hip Dac and BLon-03 and Tin T2 with balanced 2.5 cables. Going balanced, to me, just opens up the sound at all levels. Might be getting a headphone amp with XLR output soon. Thank you for the great information.

4,4 mm it is.

I know this video is already 1 year old, but over the past year many 4.4mm compatible devices came out including budget ones.... So I think 4.4 is the better way to go now.

Will 4.4 work with the magni? Trying use sundaras and a magni will a 4.4 cable work with these?

Nice video ! If I may ask, what brand is that 4.4 cable with sennheiser end ? I've been looking for exactly that kind of cable but could not find anything but the aliexpress ones

Can the Sundara be run balanced, also HD 600 and 660s ????

Enjoy yor videos Josh. But I have what mignt seem a naive question. You explained how you connect baplanced wiresto the amplifier but how do you connect the balanced cable to a standard 35 or 3.5 mm regular headphone? Or do you need headphones that are made specifically to handle balanced cables? Thanks.

This is a stupid question, would a USB to 4.4mm female jack adapter work with Hifiman Sundara with a balanced cable? I want to try it without a amp or dac

thank you for the video. it was SUPER helpful for me.

Thank you for taking the time to post this video. Exactly what I was looking for.