This might be a good topic: Explain the power rating of headphone amps and how the load matters. Perhaps transition to what 1266 needs and why.

great topic, hope u do what the different between class A and class A/B amp

Thank you Joe for talking to me on the phone a few months ago and explaining this to me, and why I didn't need to swap the connectors on my Formula S to XLR :-D I've really appreciated your patience answering questions through email as well.

I like the simplicity of zen dac zen can combo. You can run them balanced with small 4.4mm balanced cable. No need for bulky xlr cables.

In some headphone amplifiers using 4-pin XLR means the balanced output will have more power than the single ended.

Balanced equipment is usually balanced because that give one the ability to keep channels to exactly the same level and to keep noise down, also the transients of left and right are better if you can hear it, Non balanced equipment has reduced left and right transients because the channels really only use one channel to play them the same, with balanced equipment you are using two mono output amplifiers, it depends on the user’s ability to appreciate the equipment.

Thanks for clearing that up. Will save me money too; will go single ended.

Hey guys, i been doing discos for years, had all different stuff over the years The music sound source i have used has always been rca outputs, i have never had a cd player or mp3 player with xlr connectors, so i dont have a comparison Usually the cd player i use is within a foot of the mixer and amp, so there's only ever a 2 foot length of rca cable The only real reasons i use xlr cables between the mixer and amps are, your less likely to knock a plug out if you drop something behind the setup, as the xlr are latched in, and rca cables seem to deteriorate quicker I have had lots of rca cables either oxidize and start to sound really crackly, or the actual pin and ring of the rca plug have separated from the plug and been left on or in the jack on the mixer when i been dismantling the system to move it from place to place I never had an xlr cable go bad On the other end of the spectrum, I have only ever used xlr mic inputs, because i have only ever had mics that come with xlr cables only, and the mixers i have used have only had xlr jacks for the mic channels, and again, xlr jacks/plugs are latched, so if you walk around with the mic, which i have done at presentations, the mic plug doesnt pull out the mixer when you walk too far away Im becoming aware of how good balanced is though, and im getting into the carnival side of sound systems, i ordered a reverb for the mic, and theres only phone plug sockets on it, so does that actually mean im taking a step back?

Great explanation. Thanks!

The formula s shows you that single ended is more than adequate. I prefer lower noise > higher gain/power as long as your power is sufficient, but this can be for hard for hard to drive planar's

great explanation! usually you just get an explaniation of what the different connectors are. Youve actually explained what it does and is.

For us with hearing damage, who need lots of volume, balanced, especially in smaller, lower powered, cheaper gear, is beneficial for the power increase. No one ever really points that out. For me, the internet's common saying of "you'll never need more power for 95 percent of headphones" does not apply. Magni 3, atom for example, I run common cans like the he4xx at completely maxed all day . So for me, a cheap balanced amp would benefit mainly for the power/slash volume so I am not running full blast all day.

How is balanced different from doubled voltage, assuming two leads for each channel of course? That is: How does a headphone tell the difference between a pair of cables at 0V (ground) and +12V (push) on the one hand, and -6V (pull) and +6V (push) on the other? I think headphones can tell only potential difference and not absolute potential, but I might have missed something. (You seem to agree with this viewpoint, though.)

very good, and technical, class.

could you go through a run-down of what amp specs you guys look for... There is always the watts @ various ohm loads, stated THD, Frequency response , input impedance, signal to noise, damping factor, gain, noise floor. I get each metric independently but gets confusing putting them all together to try to judge "quality" by the specs. Also maybe on tubes you could discuss the different types and importance of tubes: Rectifier, preamp, power... Triode vs. Ultra Linear... KT-88/120 vs. EL 34.. Also it seems that Tubes can push speakers/HPs with considerably less stated power/watts than solid state which also gets a bit confusing.

with a lot of entry level and mid FI amps that have balanced the emphasis has been on the balanced output and it just is better, or on some they have a 4.4 output for example but it's not balanced at all just the connector is designed to take a balanced cable. See if the amp is balanced and as you say do they recommend using the balanced output as it's often also up to twice the power in terms of Watts and volts. As my budget sits me fully in this space I often end up ru ni g my headphones balanced, although for nomadic usage I am about to get the chord mojo 2 and they don't use balanced so you know the SE is going to be the best output it's the only one 😁

On the Amp outputs on 4 pin xlr vs. 1/4 inch unbalanced at least on my amps the XLR is always the better output. Phonitor, Holo Audio Mammoth KTE, and cavalli liquid platinum are significantly better using balanced than 1/4. Obviously the Hps that require more juice are easier to tell but I can even tell on efficient headphones.

Loved the video. I chose a cheap amp dac with 4.4 over 2.5 because I too got the vibes that it's the future of portable audio port. Also I wish you guys checked out ifi's new micro idsd signature. I believe It's 4.4 out will be a step above ifi's own xcan. I think you guys should keep it on your recommended gear list for Diana v2 (or even phi). ☺

Agreed

using a DAP via 4.4mm out to home system can be an issue if the 4.4mm is only wired to 4 pole (for headphone use) but dual 3-pin XLR input on home system needs the ground. Most people use the wrong cable. I hate gear that is fake balanced. It is very common to see XLR jacks but the circuit is not balanced.

What are your favourite headphones for any price range or in general from other manufacturers? Except your own products obviously.... ;) ...can you even tell?

great video! 3 guys discussing the topic they don't know nothing about :)

Right side guy tries to impress centre guy and the centre guy wants left side guy to speak more. I think the left side guy is centre guy's son? Right side guy has more valuable inputs though.

Thanks! Super informative vid for a noob

I bought my Diana's with xlr's thinking that I can just attached adapters for 4.4, 2.5, 3.5 and 6.5. Sound wise, is that a reasonable set up? am I loosing sound quality by using adapter on xlr? Are there adapters that Abyss recommends?

I have been watching you guys now for about a week now. I love your podcast. Much respect and love for you guys. I am studying engineer in college right now. Do you guys have any dealers here in Utah? I am going to by me some Diana's this summer this. summer

why does the green-blue T shirt guy look like "Christopher Reeves works at hospital" !

You guys should review the fiio m15 . Would like your input

what about 3,5 connector 4 poles for fostex t60rp are they balanced by this way? it has connection only for 1 cup

Do you guys think that the Kann Alpha from A&K is a good enough portable that as a DAC paired with the GS-X mini it would pair as well as something like a Nuprime DAC-10H or a RME ADI-2?

Engineers will say balanced is better than single ended pointing to numbers (XLR Vs RCA). Audiophilles will say most of the time single ended connection sounds better.

I have both... balanced sound is more detailed, stronger

ABYSS! What are 3 amps (budget priced) strong enough for the 1266 TC?

I don't agree. In truly balanced amps, XLR will be much better in terms of being able to use a lower volume, and overall clarity. I have extensively tested both on multiple TOTL headphone sets.

What microphones and microphone stands are they using?

Ive never met any audiophile that doesnt prefer the sound of balanced.

Dreadful video: they’re trying to clarify for complete beginners (as per 00:18) whether balanced cables are good or needed, but nowhere do they actually give a definition of what balanced cables are. Confused? A complete beginner will be suicidal after watching this!