Author Topic: Headphone cables: Balanced vs Unbalanced  (Read 6429 times)

Offline dflee

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Headphone cables: Balanced vs Unbalanced
« on: November 23, 2020, 11:17:24 AM »
Is it really a big thing for a 6' cable to be balanced
or is it like interconnects where it only starts to make
a difference with long runs?

Thanks for any input
Don
"Enjoy pleasure, not because it is fleeting, but because it exists at all." Sacrament, Clive Barker.

Offline HAL

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Re: Headphone cables: Balanced vs Unbalanced
« Reply #1 on: November 23, 2020, 12:16:28 PM »
Don,
Is your headphone amp a balanced output amp with balanced connectors?

Offline dflee

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Re: Headphone cables: Balanced vs Unbalanced
« Reply #2 on: November 23, 2020, 01:05:59 PM »
Hal:
I have either 6.3 on the front or balanced TRS on the back of the
Mytek Liberty and only 6.3 on my pre (two different systems).
I can get a balanced to 6.3 adapter but was wondering if it makes
that big of a difference.

Don
"Enjoy pleasure, not because it is fleeting, but because it exists at all." Sacrament, Clive Barker.

Offline HAL

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Re: Headphone cables: Balanced vs Unbalanced
« Reply #3 on: November 23, 2020, 07:11:44 PM »
Don,
The balanced outputs on the back of the Mytek Liberty DAC will not drive headphones, they are line level.  Only the front headphone jack that is unbalanced will drive headphones.

So in that case the balanced headphone cables will not help.