# My DIY Balanced Headphone Cable Webpage



## robrob

I have a balanced headphone cable DIY webpage that covers these cables:
  
 Make a Four Wire Balanced Line Headphone Cable
 Make a HiFiMan HE-500 or HE-400 Balanced Cable
 Convert The HE-500 Headphone Cable From Single Ended to Balanced
 Make a 4-Pin Mini XLR to TRS 1/4 (6.3mm) or 1/8 Inch (3.5mm) Single Ended Cable
 Make a 4-Pin Mini XLR to TRS Single Ended Cable Using 4 Conductor Cable
 Make a 4-Pin XLR  to TRS Plug Headphone Adapter Cable
 Make a Balanced Amplifier Speaker Out to Headphone Adapter
 Make a Single Ended Amplifier Speaker Out to Headphone Adapter
 Make a TRRS Balanced Headphone Cable or Adapter
 Other Balanced Headphone Connectors: Ibasso, Ray Samuels, 3-Pin XLR
 How to Do a 4-Wire Round Litz Braid
  
 Webpage is here: http://robrobinette.com/BalancedCable.htm
  

  
 I also have a webpage for modifying these headphones to balanced operation: Fostex T50RP, AKG K240, K701, K702, Q701, K712 & HE-500 Headphone Balanced Wire Mod
http://robrobinette.com/HeadphoneMods.htm


----------



## Paul Graham

Have you ever worked with the Sony mdr sa5000?
 I was going to have them recabled but with the adaptors etc its going to cost me nearly £500!
 What I'm looking at is a braided and sleeved copper cable with a y splitter. 
 I want my primary termination to be two 3 pin xlr connectors, then to make three 
 Adaptors........
 Single ended 
 Hirose ( ibasso ) 
 RSA
 That way I have all my bases covered. 
 But for now I need to learn how to build a balanced cable and how to solder both ends.
 Any help or tips would be appreciated 
 For now I'm going to look at those links........


----------



## robrob

I have never worked with the Sony SA5000's but normally headphones are pretty straight forward. Each ear speaker has two wires so you have a Right +, Right -, Left + and Left -. The + wires are usually red and the - wires are usually black or white. Converting headphones to balanced line is as simple as running the 4 speaker wires to a connector that matches your headphone amp. You can even run those 4 headphone wires to your speaker amplifier's speaker out terminals.
  
 4-Pin XLR Pinout

  
 3-Pin XLR Pinout:


----------



## adamantium

I have been looking into creating my own cables, and this is incredibly helpful. Thanks for your work and for sharing!


----------



## robrob

You're welcome. Just trying to help. Headfi has been instrumental to my headphone and amp education.


----------



## BeatsWork

Would there be any value in having separate run for left/right? I.e. use only two leads in Canare to each side from XLR plug to each side to minimize crosstalk? In theory at least?


----------



## robrob

In theory there would be a benefit to keeping the two channel cables separate but Canare Star Quad is used for very long microphone (very sensitive to noise) runs and does a fantastic job of suppressing noise.


----------



## soulorc

Can I ask which cable do you prefer? Canare or Mogami?


----------

