I’m not too good at explaining something technical, so I’ll just give you the real life info lol
Realistically what you need to know is that balanced typically carries more voltage (stronger signal), and also rejects interference. So go for balanced if you need more power/volume for the headphones or have to do long runs of cable (over 10 ft). I would say if you have the ability to go balanced in a setup you already own, go for it, but if not don’t worry. I feel that people say balanced sounds better because if you compare the single ended output vs a balanced output on the same amp, typically more care has been put into the balanced output, along with the larger amount of power. A well designed single ended amp can sound just as good as a balanced amp. And it goes the same way with a balanced component like a dac or preamp.
IEM’s are a bit different but I won’t touch on that
I hear a difference in dynamics when I switched from se to xlr. Now I’d like to test my gsx mini which supposedly produces the same power on se as it does with xlr.
I can’t help but wonder, why ask when I intend to buy my equipment?
It really depends on the amp and headphones too, as some headphones will exhibit a difference, but it really depends how amp dependent they are. I’ve had headphones where balanced actually improves it a fair bit, and others where the only difference is more headroom on already plenty of volume
Because you eventually got pick something and I’m interested in what you end up getting. I’m also wondering if you will take one of the recommendations from this thread.
Is dynamics the correct description for headroom?
no…headroom would be better described as more gain, to understand conceptually.
Yes, if you have more headroom, it’s either more gain or more power to play louder without having distortion or whatnot. Having extra headroom is a good thing, but having too much can cause issues sometimes
Right now, I’m leaning more to the 4XX, with the Atom/D10 combo. Not really sure what else I would be able to grab at this point in time. Turns out I’d have to shell out an extra $50 for pads on the Argons, so they’re technically out of my budget range, Fiio K5 Pro or otherwise. If anything, I’d want to try Planars, which is why I’ve been focused on those or the 4XX over anything else. I mean, there’s also the Dekoni Blues, and I’m pretty much open to either of the two for entry-level planars.
I’d go with 4xx over the Dekoni Blues.
Would you mind explaining why? Just curious.
Well if they are close to t60rp which sounded good but felt like a small speaker so I’d only think the same of Dekoni it’s same driver just different tunning. So when you listen to small bookself vs large floor stand difference in feeling.
I agree that I would choose the 4xx over the blues, because I think the 4xx has much better soundstage and imaging, and better layering and separation with I would say more detail. I just think the t50rp isn’t as appealing unless you want a for the most part closed option
Also the t50s also don’t fully get the benefits of being planar because of the small driver vs the larger more traditional planar in the 4xx
This being your first headphone get one with a better track record.
Well I would say that if he was looking for something like a t50 mod that might fit his preferences and needs more, go with that, but if you are more undecided, the 4xx might be the better option
Does Fostex cater to audiophile’s or pro market?
The t50rp is mainly meant for pro use, and designed for that. Other headphones that use foster drivers are for more consumer, so it’s a solid mix of audiophile and pro gear
Ah, alright then, sounds good to me. As for the Amp/DAC, with the Atom/D10, I’ve heard some saying there really isn’t any other reason to upgrade either of them out of the sole principle that the atom is incredibly clean, even with something like the THX AAA 789. Would you object to that statement?
Actually, I would object if you were using much higher tier balanced headphones, then the extra power and a bit more finesse would make a larger difference. I think you could continue using the atom and d10 honestly until you have a headphone in the 1k range or multiple 500 headphones that are sensitive to amps, otherwise I do think that the jds atom would even power those headphones well too, but there would be a bit of a benefit to stepping up to a thx, but some may not think it is worth the cost