Do you NEED 4.4mm BAL? Is it Better? 

I like the explanation that the connector and cable aren't important factors in the audio you hear compared to the headphones and amp. I have yet to see a video explainer on balanced cables that goes into what the original point of balancing the signal is. Dealing with signal interference along the cable. A source of interference much smaller than what you are likely to get from various qualities of amplification stages. AFAICS The purpose is to allow for very long runs of cables with very low voltages like microphones and instruments. For example an electric guitar on a stage or big studio setting running to a mixing board set far from the source. There it's possible that some electromagnetic transience could be affecting the cable at some portions of its run. With a shared ground being the 0 reference point for the signal, and if the EM is shifting it a bit up or down in voltage, and consequently doing the same to the left and right signals, then the listening side is going to read that as part of the signal. But if instead the cables are balanced with R+ R-, L+ and L-, then some EM that is adding or removing voltage to the wires can be canceled out by the fact that the R+ added to the R- should be 0, and maybe the sum got shifted by EM but this means the signal is still relative to this shifted value. EG 2 + -2 = 0 so the signal at this point is 2 - 0/2 = 2, vs 2.5 + -1.5 = 1 so the signal at this point is 2.5 - 1/2 = 2. But headphones are connected to amps by reasonably short wires, the amount of EM being proportional to the length - quite small, and the non-balanced solutions to any EM interference include: shielding, moving the setup, grounding the setup better, changing the length, running the signal hotter - it's already much hotter for driving headphones than a mic or guitar signal would be. So, yeah, you can go to a balanced amp and wire run, but at 10 meters or less with normal amplification, it's basically not making an impact compared to spending in the other areas or on cleaner amplification.

You should do the same video but about HI and LOW gain. Or just a comment ❤

Man, this was such a great and simple explanation. I can't tell you how much forums I've read about this topic and gotten "lost in the sauce" with over-explanations. Thank you so much bro!!

balaced is done for noise reduction and power, not quality

My most analytically reviewer in RU-vid blogger,,, keep it up,,,Bro🇵🇭☺️👏👏👏👏👏💥🎉🤞🔥❤️‍🔥💪😘💋👍✌️

Wonderful explanation Andy, there's too many people who confuse others about the grandness of 4.4mm. Just to add, the part I'm sure you just forgot to mention is that, in a rare cases where there's electric ground noise interference , the common ground as available on Single ended can carry that noise to your earphones, while the advantage of a balanced system is that, the two grounds cause the noise to cancel out. This is usually the issue where there is a lot of other equipment and where very long cables are in use. This is very rare in desktop and in person use where we often use IEMs.

Step away from the balcony! It's giving me anxiety..

Love this kind of videos when you explain things in a way we all can understand. Thank you for your content! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

"Size does not determine the quality of performance. "

4.4mm is my default. It is my main adapter for all my cords. I use adapters to covert to any termination I need.

planning to buy a Fiio KA17 (although not sure I have to watch your Dongle madness style review) & haven't decided the iem yet but this 3.5 vs 4.4 mm jack video will help me to choose one . thanks again brother Andy...... love you bro ❤❤

You are the Channel that explain it simpler, first time diving to this hobby and i can understand you very well. Holding the Device on hand made it 100% more comprehensive, thank you for this Excellent Content.

Thanks andy great vid as always helped me a lot

this video is awesome! there should be no more questions after this. class dismissed😄

Dope video & I definitely appreciate you explaining it throughly & for also making it simple & straight to the point 👍🏿

Excellent video! Clear and concise explanation of an often asked rarely explained subject

All this is very helpful and educational! Thank you!

Unrelated but nice Mayhem T-Shirt! What's your recommended IEM for black metal music?

My recently acquired FC6 with only a 3.5mm SE output proved to me that 4.4mm is just nice to have.

There are 3 major stumbling blocks for me with the Chord Mojo series. 1) no 4.4, I have absolutely zero use for a redundant 3.5. 2) Micro-USB to charge. 'Nuff said, it's 2024 and Micro-USB needs to be banished forever. 3) Price. Is it REALLY worth it?

Thank u uncle andy... It's like in the classroom... I'm the student... You the teacher... Your explanation is very very clear.. so glad to have teacher like you...

Just seeing this today Andy. The most understandable explanation of the difference between 3.5 and 4.4 I have ever heard. You are THE Man! God bless. Loving your work!

The same pair of IEMs will draw the same amount of power from the dongle if they are driven to identical SPL. That's regardless whether SE or BAL outputs are used. True BAL will have more power into higher impedance loads because of twice the available voltage. The only downside of using BAL is power draw as both DAC stages will have to be used.

Well, after I bought the Moondrop Dawn Pro DAC, I bought the LETSHUOER x GIZAUDIO Galileo IEMs with the 4.4.

Damn, Andy, you are right. I have tried in a few DACs; the only difference I saw was power. As always, you are the best, keep rocking!

I'm a beginner in this hobby. Was literally about to buy a 4.4mm cable before I stumbled upon your video because a decent amount of people from a certain FB group kept saying you'll benefit greatly in sound quality. Seems like a hassle for me as well to carry around my phone and the Dawn Pro on 4.4 which is why I'm going to stick with 3.5mm and a dongle when outside

The Andromeda 2020 certainly works better with 3.5mm. Most dongles are just too loud and noisy on the balanced output side. The balanced output tends to have higher output impedance, which is not appreciated by the Andro. I have so much anxiety watching you handling the gear next to an open balcony though :)) Nice video, and great explanation!

Изначально я был убежден, что 4.4мм всегда лучше для наушников из-за мощности и более четкого разделения каналов, но по факту сталкиваюсь с тем, что на недорогих dac (dawn pro, colorfly m1p) по 3.5 звук ощутимо четче и более естественный (вокал по центру, нет звонких высоких) причем не только на DD, но и на Planar (хотя по ним все однозначно говорят о необходимости мощного источника 4.4. У меня обратный опыт с лучшим звучанием по 3.5 на M1P для Hifiman 400SE, KZ PR2 и Nicehck F1 PRO)

Very interested in your opinion on cables, PureSilver / Graphene coated / etc. Are those basically just kind of impedance modding?

Completely wrong. This is not about power. In this day and age of dual or quad DACs and double dual mono amplifiers, using an SE is just a waste of technology. And the opinion that SE is at least as good as BAL is the same as saying that the Earth is flat. I already have everything BAL and the only headphones with SE are Sony R10 connected to Svetlana 2.

Again I LEARN A LOT FROM YOU VIDEOS! THX ANDY!

That why i still using ibasso dc03pro haha, very nice dac and maybe i will take colorfly cda m1p

Nice, well explained vid Andy.👍🏽 Just recently got my Hiby FC6, loving it😊 Will you be reviewing the Simgot ea500LM any time soon?

Been using Megatron since it came out, wish they'd make a version smaller in size like regular dongles..

Before, I always check the sensitivity and impedance of an IEM to determine if I should use it in balance or not. But there are some IEMs that despite having low impedance and high sensitivity, "demands" balanced/more power from sources, for example, Sennheiser IE200, sounds limp, thin and unengaging when plugged in an unbalanced source, but sounds "grand" punchy and very dynamic when switched to balanced source. It makes the IE200 "alive" . Same goes with Blessing 3, bass sounds limp, dry and thin, but sounds punchy and dynamic when switched to balanced source.

Well…. Technically speaking differential is not having separates grounds… One signal goes up and the other goes down. In fact if you short circuit the two “-“, like some adapters do (don”t use them), you break the output stage of the amp. Never use a 3.5mm hp/iem with the differential output of a dac/amp. Differential is much more immune to noise: as the noise is a sort of a voltage difference applied to both + and -, the differential voltage remains the same (+1/-1 is the same as +1.05/-0.95 this second with an applied +50mV noise, voltage difference is always 2V). Cables are twisted to avoid the noise spreading unevenly across the two signals. In principle differential should also be a little more precise being a little faster, I mean edges are smoothed by the load, so to reach 2V in differential should take less time (one signal goes +1 and the other -1) than in single ended. Of course as you said it is the quality of the circuit that really makes the difference, so it is possible a good SE is better than differential. But in principle, a good differential is better than a good SE. Thank you for all your videos!

Andy you are really great! This was in my mind these days! If I need to buy a 4.4mm balance cable for my HD600, cause I read that gives more power to the headphones. And as my next buy dongle maybe the (Colorfly m1p) will have balance output, to get the best for my Senns. Do you suggest me to have a 4.4mm balance cable? And if yes, can you suggest my any budget balance cable for my HD600? The only issue is my Tanchjim Zero which are only 3.5, but in this case I believe a 4.4mm option is not needed. As I will match them with my Go Link. Do you believe is a good match? Thanks for all!

Great video, thanks

Hi. I am new to iem and using ak hb1 Dac with simgot em6l.. it comes with 3.5mm cable and I am thinking of changing to 4.4mm to up the game for better power. Do you recommend it or its better for me to stick to 3.5mm for now ?

Hello👋, great explanation, sorry English is not my first language and I had a doubt about the planar IEMs., so I need to ask and clarify this please, I bought the Mp145 but with the simple 3.5 output and the Shanling ua4 DAC, do you think I will lose sound quality because of that, or will I just lose power? What do I lose by using the 3.5 cable instead of the 4.4 cable with the hidizs mp145?

Sir, thank you for a very informative video - you explain complicated stuff in simple terms - easy to understand - audiophile Philippines **

Hey, just picked up Tanchajim Origin Impedance 16 sensitivity 126db I find the dynamics improve with 4.4 However I cannot bring it past about 65 on my Fiio K11 (gets too loud) Honestly not much more “hiss” than the 3.5 termination. From your explanation if I’m not mistaken, I shouldn’t use 4.4. but I quite like the change in sound. (High notes are higher, bass is more sub) I cannot find any solid clear info about this online. Would love an explanation to this.

Thanks Andy for a very clear explanation. At first I was a little uneasy that the FC6 doesn't have a balanced output. Thanks to you I know better now. Also, I know it is unfair, but how do you compare the FC6 against the Mojo 2? I'm curious about your thoughts. I also owned a mojo 2 before, I just didn't like that it has a battery on it that will be just a dead weight in the future.

2.5 not very reliable. crunched and broke. in some Balanced they play worse than 3.5, it all depends on the engineer

👍👍👍👏👏👏🙌

I have 4.4mm male to 3.5mm female adapter. Will it tirn my iem to unbalanced? (My dac has both female ports)

Thank you for this video. Im just starting to explore being an audiophile and this video helps me understand more about 4.4mm and 3.5mm.

Hello Andy, I like your reviews and comparisons❤️👌🏻✌🏻 great thanks for your videos. Please suggest any budget 4.4 mm to 3.5 mm reducer adapter for my Artti T10 4.4 mm cable.

Great explanation. Love this Video. Thank you.

i switched my ea1000s to 3.5 while watching this lol

Thank you! Can you also tell do 3.5 mm single ended not balanced output make sens connect it to 4.4 balanced? Its gonna give more power or not?

Interesting I've been trying to wrap my head around the whole balance connector thing. It makes no sense to me and it's even more surprising that it's not surprising that the jacks are arbitrarily limited. It shouldn't really make any difference whether it's sharing a ground or having separate grounds as long as the ground is intact. After all that's how our entire electrical system works in the US with split phase saving a neutral wire. And it doesn't help that balance confuses the term with traditional balanced audio circuits sending the opposite phase of the signal to cancel interference.

Very informative video and the one that introduced me about the different jack types. I have a questiony andy, I'm purchasing an IEM with a 4.4mm balanced cable. I owned a dongle to pair with it but I also want to use it directly to my phone with 3.5mm port. Is it okay to use a 4.4 to 3.5mm adapter instead of buying another cable dedicated to 3.5mm. Is there any difference/quality loss when using an adapter.

Thank you for the plain language explanation. I just bought a SM4, which is ~7 ohm, so I guess anyone saying it's peaky or shouty is most likely running too much power through it?

So I 'd like to know what's your favorite dac and headphone to listen mayhem? And 2nd, how much better sounds the playmate 2 compared to an RU7 dongle? ( i use my hifiman R10P, most of the time, really like its relaxed sound).

Very helpful video thank you

Very well explained video Uncle Andy! I just want to ask for recommendation, i am planning to get Hidizs Mp145 and Dc04 pro or Shanling UA4 combo. Since you have both dongles, what is more good for the MP145? And should I get the 4.4mm bal variant of MP145? Will use it for my phone or my Hiby R2 II. Thanks again for these kinds of videos!

What about channel crosstalk? Many DACs seem to improve the soundstage, the imaging and the sound separation when used in BAL compared to PO, for example the KA5 goes from ≥72dB in PO to ≥115dB in BAL, and the BTR15 from ≥78dB in PO to ≥114dB in BAL. Personally, I tend to prefer the output from the Balanced port for this reason. Love your videos, keep the good work! :)

My curiosity was answered, thanks for explanation Andy

thankyou for the explanation🙌 i'd like to ask question, for Moondrop May do you prefer the 3.5 mm or 4.4 mm for the better sound quality? i'm new in IEM thingy and not really sure about "shouty" or "power" in term of sound🙏

Thanks for that knowledge, got to learn something new today. Thanks again

You explain things well, thank you for the information and video sir.

So basically, if I only use UE Live Pro, which has a 10 Ohm impedance, and I have a balanced cable for it, that means I can sell it because I won't be able to notice any difference from now (when I have Dragonfly Cobalt which has only 3.5 single ended) and a dongle with 4.4 balanced that I will get in the future?

Hello, sir. I have the KZ PR1 Pro and Moondrop Dawn Pro. I have set the internal volume level of the Dawn Pro at 50% and have set Windows volume at 50%. Will there be any improvement in sound quality if I use a 4.4mm balanced cable? Thanks!

Really helpful video. Nice work Andy!

Thx krub Uncle Andy.

Please don't attack me for this... I have beats studio pros. I have bought a DAC AMP for use with my phone to get lossless audio from apple music. Will the 3.5mm suffice for sound quality or would I benefit from a 4.4mm adapter? I know theyre not the greatest quality headphones but any info would be greatly appreciated.

If say I'm using 3.5mm mp145 but using the onlx alpha xl1. is it necessary to convert using 4.4 adaptor to maximise the max benefit from the dongle DAC?

I'll have to watch this a couple more times before it finally sinks in for good - 'Saved' thanks

I would mention that the reason you’re top dongles and chord mojo use single ended is because their designs are single ended. In particular pulse array dac is a single ended design. Adding balanced to any of the top listed dongles and chord mojo could actually degrade the audio quality by introducing extra parts to the circuit. In short single ended designs benefit from single ended connections. Conversely a dac amp designed to be balanced will benefit from a balanced connection.

You made an incorrect statement. The rings are not the "ground" on the balanced plugs. The sleeve is the ground.

Great explanation, very helpful, thanks

Superb discussion! Thanks much! 🙏🙌

when i switched my cable for timeless to 4.4mm, everything changed. in my opinion, 4.4 cables bring next level experience, but for universality, 3.5 is the way to go. anyways, straight to the point explanation on ur analysis!

But because you I feel better now thank you I run a speaker system and I run my iams and my over the head headphones with it and I love it

Would the blessing 3 go well with a 4.4mm bal?

Very well explained, concise! Thanks 🎉

I wonder if manufacturers will soon offer "monobloc" DAC-AMP soon.

Thank you for helping ❤

Thanks for great review, i need your advice i have fiio btr7 dac but unfortunatly there is destortion in the audio when i use wire will 😱 i changed 3 type of wires and in 3.5 port with 2 iem but the problem 🤔 still there however no problem in Bluetooth connection

Thanks to you Andy I bought Aune Yuki and MP145 together! But only with 3.5 cable. Do you think MP145 sounds same good with 3.5 entry on Aune Yuki?

Wouldn't balanced circuitry benefit from improved channel separation, which affects imaging? Or the improvement is simply not audible? (SE vs BAL within the same DAC/amp).

Very informative and easy to understand!!!! Appreciate this asa much I wish more success to you

Awesome explanation, thanks!

I am using the Fiio BTR 15 Balanced and noticed that it gets really hot. I suppose that is because it transmitting so much power?

Well explained. Thanks for the video Andy.

Hi! So basically Planar iems/headphones 4.4 mm and hibrid iems or dynamic headphones 3.5mm?

would you take the chord mojo 2 over all the dongle dacs you've tried; price wise it's not fair but size wise if i had to carry something also where would the mojo 2 fit in your analog scale

Thank you so much for this video!

Hey can you explain how to find a power output at different ohms? The BTR15 SE is 15mW at 300 ohm while BAL is 50mW at 300ohm and idk why thanks man.

Thanks for the explanation, really appreciate it.

I knew that plug did something different

i got colorfly cda m1p and i'm very happy with it. i have balanced headphones with 3.5mm, and wondering if they would sound even better on 4.4mm BAL... when you do your reviews of DACs can you mention the difference between 3.5mm and 4.4mm for that particular DAC?

Hi Andy, I have followed your very interesting videos but I remain confused. I just got a KA5 and am using it with my Beyerdynamic DT 770 250 ohm which has a fixed cable and a 3.5mm jack. Is there ant way I can connect my headphones to the 4.4mm output? From what I understand an adapter would fry the KA5......I could have someone rewire the DT 770 but would it be worth it? Thank you.

I am learning a lot from u thanks!

Thank you so much. I subscribed

To make headphones/earphones balanced, can you just use the balanced cable or do they need to be rewired inside as well?

Can I get the same power by using 3.5 female to 4.5 male converter?

Can Fiio DAC-AMP Q11 warm an HIFIMAN H400se...if i just want to use it with an phone instead of dedicate sound board... 🤔 in that area were they have trouble...?Thx❤Is that setup good...🤔

Hi Andy, I have Sony WH -1000xm5. ifi hip dac 3 vs iBasso DC04 Pro, which Dac is better to listen clasical music? Thank you.