I have a Pono player, where do I get a set of balanced headphones?

I have a Pono Player which I am thoroughly enjoying, I see Charlie Hansen recommends Balanced use so I would love to know what others think of balanced mode with the Pono and where could I source a set of balanced cabled headphones.

 

Head-Fi really is your friend on this one, but please post here what you get.

 

Since your Pono player only has single ended out for headphones you'd need to get an amp that has balanced outputs. There're quite a few options out there now for that ranging from the reasonably expensive to the obscene.
As far as I'm aware there are no solely balanced headphones as sold by a manufacturer. There are some like Audeze and Oppo that come with both se and balanced cables and there are plenty of companies about who will take your money to convert your phones to balanced operation. As to whether it's worth it I sit on the fence. I do run both my Audeze and the Oppo PM-1 phones in balanced mode but cant say I've ever sat down to do a comparison. Balanced does have advantages with harder to drive phones like most of the planer models where an amp like the Oppo HA-1 gives far more output power in balanced mode.
Some swear that balanced phones make a noticeable difference in sq, other not, so it's really something you have to work out, starting with the extra expense V any improvements you may gain.

 

That is simply incorrect.

The Pono uses both TRS jacks to provide a fully balanced connection. Cables for various headphones are already available from most of the usual cable vendors. I suspect that adapters are around as well, but I haven't gone looking for them.

 

The PonoPlayer does to balanced. To do balanced mode you plug in special cable that has two mini TRS plugs. You connect that special cable to both of the TRS jacks on the PonoPlayer, then go to the settings and set the PonoPlayer for balanced output. The PonoPlayer can do either balanced line-out or drive balanced headphones in that mode. The PonoPlayer support area has PDF support documents that show the wiring diagram needed to make the cables.

Balanced headphones do sound better on the PonoPlayer. It's not just a matter of balanced being able to provide more power. It is providing better sound quality as well. To me it results in better soundstage, a slightly wider soundstage. Possibly better dynamics and micro-dynamics, but it's difficult to tell.

The Pono store is supposed to be offering balanced cables at some point. I don't know when they'll get to it.

I suspect that Ayre will be offering balanced cables and balanced adapters soon after they release their Ayre Codex 1 DAC and headphone amp. The Ayre Codex 1 uses the same dual TRS plugs to do balanced. People are going to be needing cables for that.

There are some cable companies offering balanced Pono cables. Some of the boutique ones that are kinda expensive. Cardas, Moon Audio, ALO Audio, and some others. There are some less expensive balanced Pono cables available from sellers on eBay.

Some interesting news on a balanced closed portable friendly headphone. The just released Oppo PM-3 headphone is actually internally wired to allow balanced if you can get a compatible cable. This is good news. And somewhat unexpected. The pre-production versions weren't able to be balanced. But the production versions are. The catch is that Oppo won't be making a cable to do it. So you'll need to go the custom cable route. I'm going to be trying an Oppo PM-3 next weekend. If I like it I'll buy one and then figure out how to make or get a balanced cable for it for use with my PonoPlayer.

 

Ok-shows how much interest I have in the pono player-now retire back to my cave.

 

I'll be interested on your opinion re the PM-3. Cant say that mine has rocked my socks off as a replacement in my bedroom system for the PM-1. Took some time to work through the tight clamp on my head which now seems to be a bit better. At least i can use them for more than half hour at a time.
Biggest complaint is the closed in sound stage. I have other closed phones that do it better(ie the W1000/Yamamoto I'm using right now) but that's not quite comparing apples with apples. At this stage as a portable walk to work setup I prefer the Hifi man Re600s/X3/E12A to the same dap/amp combo with the PM-3.

 

I'm very curious to try the PM-3 and find out what its soundstage actually is like for me. I'm a bit of a soundstage junkie with headphones. But I'm more interested in depth than width. So a slightly closed in soundstage may not be a deal killer for me if it can do the depth thing well enough. Or maybe not? I'll have to listen to them to find out.

 

The balanced cable that I'm currently using with my Pono is one by Surf Cables. He sells on his web site store and on eBay. I've got a version that goes from the PonoPlayer to a 4-pin XLR. That allows me to try out my Pono with my Audeze and with other balanced headphones. But that Surf Cables balanced adapter is stiff and unwieldy. It works well enough for me to try out various balanced headphones with it. But is not convenient at all for portable use. It's suited for home use only. Once I figure out what headphones I want to use with the Pono I'll get specially made cables and do away with that bulky and stiff adapter.

Here's a link to the adapter cable I'm using: http://www.surfcables.com/products/ponoplayer-cables?variant=1083067039

 

Thanks, Ham. That's going to be very handy info.

 

Don't consider my mention of the cable to be an endorsement of the cable. It works. But really needs to be made of more flexible cable to be practical.

The version I got was on eBay for less than what is listed on his web site. I bought it because I discovered I'm far too lazy to make a cable for myself. And I don't own a suitable soldering iron or soldering tools to do it, cause I'm too lazy for that too. I sat around for a month saying to myself "I need to make myself a balanced cable adapter for my Pono". I realized that was never gonna happen. So I ordered one from eBay.

 

I know that situation intimately. I have the tools, but the will is weak.

 

Thanks for all the advice. I was just looking for a set of headphones that I could use with the Pono without an amplifier, simply just connecting up but that seems too much of an ask technically!! I think I will just continue on as is.

 

It's not actually that bad. Audeze, Mr. Speakers, HiFi Man, Oppo, Sennheiser, and I'm sure plenty of others, only need you to swap their [removable, socketed] cables to make them run balanced.

If I scared you off, it's only because I have a couple dozen or so different balanced cables for various headphones littering the floor around my desk, and the idea of buying adapter rather than another half dozen cables seems like a really good idea.

 

I wish it were easier and less expensive to try balanced headphones. It does get expensive and confusing to look at the various balanced headphone options. The cabling gets confusing. And gets expensive. And sometimes requires DIY soldering and modding of your headphones. It's a product and concept aimed at enthusiasts rather than regular people.

Fortunately going balanced isn't a necessity with the PonoPlayer. It can drive efficient headphones well enough in single ended mode.

Keep an eye on the Pono web store for future balanced headphones and cables. They may get some options there to sell that aren't crazy expensive.

Also keep an eye on news from Ayre Acoustics related to their Codex 1 amp/dac. I suspect they'll be offering cables and accessories as well that will be Pono compatible once the Codex 1 is released.

 

Have you located balanced phones yet?

I've posted threads on Klipsch and DiyAudio forms describing the easy and inexpensive conversion of IEMs (or phones) to balanced.

Since I just joined here, it'll take a while to learn the ropes to post links, photos, etc. Until then, try a Google search and locate the other threads.

 

Already I see a problem. How to edit? In my initial, post I misspelled forum. Is it possible to edit a post? I've been known to correct spelling, grammar, syntax, etc. in one of my posts years later. Does this forum permit editing?

 

There is a limited window for editing (15 minutes I think. It bothers me to see typos in my old posts too, but you have to learn to let it go . Welcome to the forum