DizRotus Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 (edited) EDIT: 10/29/15 Go to post #10. Klipsch 7 day trial kit was delivered. Included are 3 pairs of "balanced armature" headphones and an adaptor plug I suspect is part of balanced mode operation. No information regarding the adaptor is provided. Can someone point me to information regarding the adaptor and the possibility of using the X4, X7 and X11s in balanced mode with my Pono player?EDIT: 7/18/15Balanced mode works, but not with Klipsch "balanced" headphones. Go to post #8 to learn more, if you're interested. Edited October 30, 2015 by DizRotus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 You must be referring to the airline adaptor. That is not for balanced mode - only for additional compatibility on flights that require it. Does it look like this? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceptorman Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Vlad, yes the one it the kit looks just like that, plus a 1/4" adaptor also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Yes, the goal was to include everything you normally get with the product directly in the little case it comes in. That way when you decide to keep one you get all the accessories. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceptorman Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Only the X7i and the X11i came with the airline and 1/4 adaptor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted July 14, 2015 Author Share Posted July 14, 2015 (edited) Thanks for the replies. I guessed that the adaptor is for airline use, not balanced mode. After speaking with Pono tech support, it's clear the Klipsch phones are not "balanced" in the way needed to play a Pono player in balanced mode. I've come to the conclusion that I could use two pair of headphones and two 3.5 mm TRS plugs to make a Single pair of "balanced" phones. Each channel would be wired with the positive to the tip of the plug and the ground to the ring of the plug. Nothing would connect to the sleeve of the plugs, which is typically a common ground. One Chanel of each pair of phones would be unused to avoid allowing the balanced Pono player to see a common ground, which would be fatal. Despite the tech bulletins and schematics supplied by Pono, I'm reluctant to test the validity of my theory, as being wrong would turn the Pono into a paperweight. Edited July 14, 2015 by DizRotus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted July 14, 2015 Author Share Posted July 14, 2015 (edited) FWIW, my kit had one airline adaptor and the 1/4 to 3.5mm adaptor. Edited July 15, 2015 by DizRotus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted July 17, 2015 Author Share Posted July 17, 2015 (edited) It worked. After reading the Pono tech bulletins I decided to take a chance on balanced mode. I purchased a sacrficial pair of the bargain mrice/Baldoor E300 phones http://www.amazon.com/Earphones-Headphones-Resistance-Different-Packaging/dp/B00O0I39GU/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1437094275&sr=1-1&keywords=granvela+mrice+baldoor+e300 and sacrificed a new 3.5 mm stereo male to male TRS cable to solder up a set of balanced headphones. The E300s sound very good in single ended mode, but the balanced mode makes them sound way better. Bass, mid-range & treble are all improved. It sounds crazy when referring to headphones, but the soundstage is wider and more 3D. Percussion is superb. It sounds so good I'll be doing this to a really good set of headphones yet to be determined. It's hard to imagine how the improvement in balanced mode of more expensive headphones over the E300s can equal the improvement of balanced over single-ended. I just returned the Klipsch Try On Kit. The X11s were the best of the bunch, but the E300s in balanced mode are seriously better. I'd like to hear the X11s in balanced mode. Balanced 3.pdf Edited July 22, 2015 by DizRotus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLSamuel Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Thanks for the info. I hope to get a Pono player "soon". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 (edited) I finally got the nerve to put my Klipsch X4s under the knife. They're now balanced in that the left and right channels no longer share a common ground. The difference in separation and sound stage is dramatic. They're now much better than single-ended and better than the bargain E300s in balanced mode.Soon I'll fabricate a Y adapter to be able to quickly convert back to single-ended for comparisons. I'll also be able to use it to use the balanced phones with single-ended sources. Dire Straits' Ride Across The River is 3 dimensional inside my head as I type this. Edited October 30, 2015 by DizRotus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted November 25, 2015 Author Share Posted November 25, 2015 (edited) I made the adaptor, so I can again use the X4s in single-ended mode. When the belt has been loosened on Thursday and before the tryptophan kicks in, I'll have my son switch back and forth between balanced and single-ended, behind my back, to see if I can accurately identify the mode. Edited May 26, 2016 by DizRotus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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