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Dovahkiin
50
Mar 15, 2018
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Why is it better to reterminate my cables with balanced inputs, instead of using a balanced adapter/connector? And would the solder wire need to be a specific material ratio for gold-silver cables when reterminating?
Mar 15, 2018
Jesse0403
16
Mar 15, 2018
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DovahkiinNormal 6.3mm or 3.5mm consist of 3 wires: Left and right channel and one balance-wire. Balanced cables on the other hand have two seperate balance-wires for the left and right channel. Using an adapter on a balanced output would be useless because those two seperate wires would be combined to a single wire again. So, you would need to buy a completely new cable (or make one) to use the advantages of balanced.
Mar 15, 2018
ZeikCallaway
4
Mar 15, 2018
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DovahkiinNot an audio expert but I do tinker in electronics from time to time and I can say that re-terminating any cable gives you the opportunity for a few things. 1. It can allow you to reinforce the contact points, making them less prone to failure. 2. Less connection points means less points of failure. An adapter can wear out over time or may not have as solid of a connection as a new soldered end. 3. Save space. Without the adapter, you have a smaller overall connection and it is a cleaner/neater interface.
Mar 15, 2018
Dovahkiin
50
Mar 15, 2018
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Jesse0403Wow. I suspected as much. I've got Noble Audio's SilverxGold cable but it terminates as a 3.5mm male. Sony's NW series DAPs have a 4.4mm balanced input. I'd rather reterminate my Silver-Gold cable for 4.4mm than use an adapter. Any pointers to keep in mind? Also, does the solder wire need to be a specific material ratio for high value cables? Or will just anything do?
Mar 15, 2018
DarknessAngel
43
Mar 15, 2018
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DovahkiinJesse is 100 percent correct. The only reason to run an adapter is if you only have the option of a balanced input or your 3.5mm input is busted.
Your best option is a nice custom self made cable and it's 20x cheaper. Simple Google search will provide instructions on how to do so.
Mar 15, 2018
ssorg
17
Mar 15, 2018
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DarknessAngelNot true for all headphone cables. In some (maybe grado... I'd have to 2x check) there are separate "ground" wires for L and R channels. For these an option that's much less of a hassle than a full re-wire is simply reterminating with a balanced plug. YMMV. I've found Bayerdynamic to be quite straightforward to re-wire. Grado seems much more difficult, owing to the use of glue to keep the headphones together.
Just 2x checked and my Grados do have separate ground wires for L and R, so you can just reterminate those with a balanced plug, rather than completely rewiring them.
Mar 15, 2018
Karnat
156
Mar 15, 2018
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ZeikCallawayMake sure to NEVER connect the grounds of left and right when reterminating cables. This will damage your equipment. You need 4 seperate wires, while most 3.5mm terminated wires only have 3 cores.
Mar 15, 2018
DarknessAngel
43
Mar 15, 2018
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ssorgYou are correct you can do the same with Sennheiser hd650 and 6xx cables as well if I'm not mistaken. Wasn't trying to be all inclusive I just personally think it's a better idea to make your own set of better quality.
I tend to not put much faith in stock cables. Guess it's a bad habit of mine from past experiences. I'm sure there's plenty of folks who go this route since it is easier and things work out fine.
Mar 15, 2018
Jesse0403
16
Mar 15, 2018
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DovahkiinWith that connection you should make sure that you connect the balance-wire from your existing cable to both balance-connection on the new termination. You can just split the cable for that. I wouldnt use the cheapest solder there is but practically anything will do. There might be some specific solder for those materials but I think thats mostly for jewellery.
Mar 15, 2018
ZeikCallaway
4
Mar 16, 2018
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Jesse0403This is a solid answer, and from the framing of the original question I assumed the cable was a 3 wire and shared the ground. So I imagined re-terminating a 3-wire connection to a balanced connection, which would make no sense.
Mar 16, 2018
Dovahkiin
50
Mar 26, 2018
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Jesse0403I would like to ask for anyone's advice on the following:
I want to reterminate my Noble Audio Gold x Silver cable with a Balanced 4.4mm TRRRS connector.
Use case: Sony NW-WM1A audio player. Yes, I have learned which points are hot and cold, via a continuity test.
1. Can it be done with this cable? I've uploaded a photo which shows each 2-pin connector has 4 wires (2 silver & 2 gold).
2. How am I to discern which to solder to hot/cold points and which one is Ground?
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Mar 26, 2018
Karnat
156
Mar 27, 2018
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DovahkiinGet a multimeter and set it to "continuous". If done correctly, when you touch the leads, you get a beep. Use this beep to discover which cable is which :).
Mar 27, 2018
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