# 4.4mm TRRRS female to 3.5mm male adapter?



## kcheung

I recently purchased the ALO Reference 8 cable with 4.4mm TRRRS connector for use with my Andromeda and Sony WM1A. I would also like to use my iem and cable with my iPhone and therefore I am looking for a good quality 4.4mm TRRRS female to 3.5mm male adapter. Any recommendation?

Thanks in advance.

Kenny


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## Fred Wang

I'm having one constructed by Peter at Double Helix Cable - from pictures I saw of his adapters, they look well-made. Still waiting on it though, so I can't comment on it realistically yet.


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## kcheung

Thanks for the info Fred. After some research while waiting for responses here, I ended up going with a custom adapter from plussound.Will see it in 6 weeks.


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## Fred Wang

Awesome. I've had  connectors and cables built by plussound before. I didn't initially recommend them because, when I last checked, they didn't have the option of using a 4.4 Female connector. I'm glad to see it becoming an option there too.


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## San Man

Anyone have luck with finding this adapter?


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## kcheung

I ordered and received mine from plussound (http://www.plussoundaudio.com/customcables/interconnect.html). Took longer than expected but worth the wait.


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## San Man

kcheung said:


> I ordered and received mine from plussound (http://www.plussoundaudio.com/customcables/interconnect.html). Took longer than expected but worth the wait.



They quote 8 weeks on the website, did it take that long?


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## kcheung

When I ordered mine, on their web site it estimated 6 weeks but it was more like 8 weeks when I received it.


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## San Man

Oh God


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## kcheung

Yup. But the quality of the interconnect is good. You just need to have the patience to wait for it to show up...


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## maxxevv

You can find off the shelf ones here: 

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?sp...ExLk0s&id=555929849162&ns=1&abbucket=7#detail


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## San Man

Thank you


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## Quasimodosbelfry

Fred Wang said:


> I'm having one constructed by Peter at Double Helix Cable - from pictures I saw of his adapters, they look well-made. Still waiting on it though, so I can't comment on it realistically yet.



Was thinking of ordering a similar connector from them but they didn't seem to have a 4.4mm female connector on their site. Have you got a picture of the connector you ordered?


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## Quasimodosbelfry (Jun 19, 2018)

kcheung said:


> I ordered and received mine from plussound (http://www.plussoundaudio.com/customcables/interconnect.html). Took longer than expected but worth the wait.


The plussound website didn't list a 4.4mm female connector as an interconnect option. Did you have to email them?


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## Wyville (Jun 19, 2018)

Quasimodosbelfry said:


> The plussound website didn't list a 4..4mm female connector as an interconnect option. Did you have to email them?


If you go to the 'Micro Series Termination Adapter' you can select '4.4mm TRRRS' for the 'Female Connector Side'.


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## kcheung

As Wyville stated, you can order directly from their site. Note that the end product looks different than what's in the picture but it works just fine:


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## Fred Wang

Quasimodosbelfry said:


> Was thinking of ordering a similar connector from them but they didn't seem to have a 4.4mm female connector on their site. Have you got a picture of the connector you ordered?



This is the one I ordered:

https://doublehelixcables.com/product/ultrashort-adapter-for-adapting-amp-terminations/

You can choose the 4.4 female on the top box.


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## Quasimodosbelfry

Thanks guys!!


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## Quasimodosbelfry

Found this at E-earphone in Tokyo. Works great.


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## SeeSax

I found this thread because I was tirelessly searching for said adapter and figured I would post since I found just what I was looking for. @alpha421 from Triton Audio Cables made this 3.5mm male to 4.4mm female adapter for me using some nice 22awg pure silver wire for around the $60 price point.

 

Triton build quality (I own several of their cables and adapters) is always among the best, so while it's not a cheap throw away adapter, it will certainly do justice for my nice 4.4mm cables and I'll be able to use them with my LG V35. Thought I'd share in case anyone is still looking for a nice adapter. 

-Collin-


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## Panohm

While not the best quality connectors Venture Electronics makes 4.4mm female to all 3.5mm se, 3.5mm balanced and 2.5mm balanced now https://www.veclan.com/engappliance_sel_one?eng_ApplianceVo.eac_id=17
Quite affordable at $10 usd starting and they use Junkosha wire.


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## Sarcasmo

Quasimodosbelfry said:


> Found this at E-earphone in Tokyo. Works great.


Really like the Musashino cables but can’t easily source them in the UK.
Decided to make my own as I like pigtail adapters with smooth edges on the plugs:


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## Carlsan

Reviving this thread, anyone find a one piece L shaped right angle adapter that is 4.4 female balanced to 3.5 SE?

Or is this to much to ask for?


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## ChisChas (Sep 19, 2019)

Well I must be a real cheapskate? I just ordered a cheapo 4.4mm TRRS to 3.5mm SE very short adapter from the AliExpress website, made by Tiandirenhe, cost USD13.22 or about £11GBP. yes, I'm already aware of Double Helix cables & PLUSSOUND but didn't feel inclined to pay such huge prices for such a simple thing as an adapter like this. I just need it to be adequate enough so I can use a 4.4mm TRRS cable with my Chord Hugo 2. If it's a crap product then I can always order the Rolls-Royce version from PLUSSOUND, I think it would be Christmas 2021 if I ordered from Pete.
You can also buy from Amazon UK the Meijunter 4.4mm TRRS female to 3.5mm SE male short adapter at £11.76 + £1.85 shipping, I also bought one of those to cover things.


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## PaganDL

@kcheung,

I suggest penon-official.com or veclan.com for your affordable adapter & cable needs.

Hope you have a great day !


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## HamsterKing

Hey guys, 

I found a few on AliExpress what do you think about this link , and the purple one


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## phonomat

I'm also looking for a 3.5 mm male to 4.4 mm TRRRS female adapter as well as a 4.4 mm male to 6.5 mm female one that don'r cost me an arm and a leg. Both are really hard to find in Europe, so any help is much appreciated. TIA!


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## 52203

phonomat said:


> I'm also looking for a 3.5 mm male to 4.4 mm TRRRS female adapter as well as a 4.4 mm male to 6.5 mm female one that don'r cost me an arm and a leg. Both are really hard to find in Europe, so any help is much appreciated. TIA!



https://www.ddhifi.com/ProductInfoCategory?categoryId=37594&PageInfoId=0
I bought the 4.4 to 3.5, build quality is top notch. cost about 35 usd where I live. 
u can then buy a 3.5 to 6.3 easily everywhere.


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## MightBeAlon

Has anyone mentioned the DDHifi adapter yet? I quite like them. (first review link I could find, I'm not affiliated in any way) 
https://www.thephonograph.net/ddhifi-dj44b-dj44c-4-4mm-balanced-adapter-review/

Edit: Whoops, didn't see the last post in this thread. My bad. Still, +1 for the DDHifi adapter


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## phonomat

52203 said:


> https://www.ddhifi.com/ProductInfoCategory?categoryId=37594&PageInfoId=0
> I bought the 4.4 to 3.5, build quality is top notch. cost about 35 usd where I live.
> u can then buy a 3.5 to 6.3 easily everywhere.





nlovell said:


> Has anyone mentioned the DDHifi adapter yet? I quite like them. (first review link I could find, I'm not affiliated in any way)
> https://www.thephonograph.net/ddhifi-dj44b-dj44c-4-4mm-balanced-adapter-review/
> 
> Edit: Whoops, didn't see the last post in this thread. My bad. Still, +1 for the DDHifi adapter



Thanks for the tip. I've seen that one before, but was a little worried that it might end up putting too much stress on the connector, so I was looking more for a pigtail adapter of some sort. But if I I don't find one, I might give it try.


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## moriez

Considering the DJ44B as well. What did you end up with? @phonomat


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## phonomat

moriez said:


> Considering the DJ44B as well. What did you end up with? @phonomat


It's a bit complicated as I decided to take another route, forego the 3.5 to 4.4 entirely and use a 4-pin balanced XLR to 4.4 instead of the 6.5 to 4.4. for the other headphone. Found this cheap one on Amazon, but haven't ordered it yet, as I'm waiting to include it in a larger order.

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07MNMNP3K/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_rqRXEb50DWB00


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## corgifall

The dj44b is really nice. Kinda heavy though I don't believe it will cause any strain problems on the port. If the souce player were to say fall on the ground with the adapter in place that might be a different story however. I use it when I wanna plug into a music game arcade cabinet or my nintendo switch.


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## corgifall (May 22, 2020)

phonomat said:


> It's a bit complicated as I decided to take another route, forego the 3.5 to 4.4 entirely and use a 4-pin balanced XLR to 4.4 instead of the 6.5 to 4.4. for the other headphone. Found this cheap one on Amazon, but haven't ordered it yet, as I'm waiting to include it in a larger order.
> 
> https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07MNMNP3K/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_rqRXEb50DWB00


I just got that in the mail the other day from amazon here in the US. Well the connector cover on mine looks slightly different but otherwise looks identical. It feels pretty nice for the price. It didn't mess with the sound signature so I was fairly happy about that.


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## corgifall

Some pics of the DJ44B if anyone is curious on the size. It does stick out quite a bit but I believe for wiring reasons it has to be that way.


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## corgifall

phonomat said:


> It's a bit complicated as I decided to take another route, forego the 3.5 to 4.4 entirely and use a 4-pin balanced XLR to 4.4 instead of the 6.5 to 4.4. for the other headphone. Found this cheap one on Amazon, but haven't ordered it yet, as I'm waiting to include it in a larger order.
> 
> https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07MNMNP3K/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_rqRXEb50DWB00


Pics of what I'm assuming is probably the same xlr to 4.4 adapter you were looking into.


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## phonomat

corgifall said:


> Pics of what I'm assuming is probably the same xlr to 4.4 adapter you were looking into.


Sure looks like it. Thanks! I figure I can't really go wrong for that price.


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## XM3orZ7m2 (May 23, 2020)

phonomat said:


> I'm also looking for a 3.5 mm male to 4.4 mm TRRRS female adapter as well as a 4.4 mm male to 6.5 mm female one that don'r cost me an arm and a leg. Both are really hard to find in Europe, so any help is much appreciated. TIA!



Fiio makes one if you want one from a reputable brand: it's the LL-4.4M.

Although I'm really not sure how you can transform the signals Left / Right / Ground into Left - / Left + / Right - / Right + / Ground. Like how is that even possible? I'd say just get a iFi Zen Dac amp, since it seems to be the cheapest 4.4mm output amp.

Edit: What the the adapters probably do is just flip and duplicate the signal to L and R, so I don't think you benefit from a balanced connection in this sense. I'm not sure though, I'm very new to 4.4mm balanced


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## 52203 (May 23, 2020)

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sim...d-audio-with-headphones.926329/#post-15626622
Here is a good explanation for balanced & single ended

I bought both DD and Fiio LL-4.4M , and Fiio build quality on this adapter is terrible. DD DJ44B  build quality is on different level. strongly suggest DD~~


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## corgifall

XM3orZ7m2 said:


> Fiio makes one if you want one from a reputable brand: it's the LL-4.4M.
> 
> Although I'm really not sure how you can transform the signals Left / Right / Ground into Left - / Left + / Right - / Right + / Ground. Like how is that even possible? I'd say just get a iFi Zen Dac amp, since it seems to be the cheapest 4.4mm output amp.
> 
> Edit: What the the adapters probably do is just flip and duplicate the signal to L and R, so I don't think you benefit from a balanced connection in this sense. I'm not sure though, I'm very new to 4.4mm balanced


They simply solder both left and right ground cables to the single ground post. You do end up losing the benefits of balanced in this happening.


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## XM3orZ7m2

corgifall said:


> They simply solder both left and right ground cables to the single ground post. You do end up losing the benefits of balanced in this happening.


Just to be clear, if you want the benefits of balanced, the only way is to connect it to a balanced source?

For someone who wants as minimal of a setup as possible, I know there's the iFi Zen DAC, but I was wondering if a dongle would be feasible. What I'm hearing is that at least for the 3.5mm jack, an adapter would kill the effects of a balanced sound.

However, I'm wondering if it's theoretically possible for there to be a USB A or USB C to 4.4mm balanced pentaconn, just like Audioquest does with their usb dacs? There's a usb C to 2.5mm balanced dongle: https://www.amazon.com/iBasso-Audio-Balanced-DC01-Products】【Ships/dp/B07X2J9F1C, but I don't see anything for the 4.4mm. In the above linked product, is that still balanced output?

Much thanks


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## corgifall

XM3orZ7m2 said:


> Just to be clear, if you want the benefits of balanced, the only way is to connect it to a balanced source?
> 
> For someone who wants as minimal of a setup as possible, I know there's the iFi Zen DAC, but I was wondering if a dongle would be feasible. What I'm hearing is that at least for the 3.5mm jack, an adapter would kill the effects of a balanced sound.
> 
> ...


That is correct. With the ground wires being grounded together it means it’s single ended only. The other part is that the balanced jack you plug into is using two dac chips instead of just one like with a single ended set up. FiiO has a diagram showing how they wire their dac chips to each jack.

You probably won’t see anything in 4.4mm for a bit. While I think the 4.4mm pentaconn connector is fantastic, it’s not as cheap to get the jack as say a 2.5mm jack. The 4.4mm connector is still fairly fresh and companies are slowly switching to it. Also the 2.5mm has been around way longer so it appeals to those of us who had old cables who don’t wanna buy a adapter to 4.4mm. We now have the ddhifi adapters. Before we had to usually buy interconnects made by the cable companies we used to make sure we had the exact cable material and no sound changes if an adapter had a cable between the connectors. For a lot of people the switch to 4.4 wasn’t worth it back then but much better now.


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## corgifall (May 24, 2020)

Actually it looks like they use both dacs for single ended or balanced so ignore my prior comment!


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## chomskyan

Does anyone have a suggestion for an off the shelf adapter that would arrive by end of week to USA? I can't seem to find anything on Amazon, and Google isn't yielding much either..


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## CantScareMe

Great thread, good suggestions so far...

I'm looking for one with a very slim 3.5mm jack plug. It's to fit the latest LGV50S / V60 / G8X dual screen case which by very poor design only lets the thinnest of 3.5mm plugs in.

Opening looks like:



The case opening is probably big enough for most plugs but its center doesn't align with the center of the jack. Poor design like I said..

Which leaves only the thinnest of plugs fitting - like say the 3.5mm tip plugs of the beyerdynamic t5p/t1 v2 balanced cable (https://europe.beyerdynamic.com/connection-cable-audiophile-3m-balanced.html)



Any help would be appreciated


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## Luis1316

Maybe is an stupid question, but I guess someone had to do it. Is using a 4.4mm female to 3.5mm male adaptor harmful for the device or It's only going to be harmful if you're trying to go unbalanced to balanced?


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## dazzerfong (Aug 5, 2020)

Luis1316 said:


> Maybe is an stupid question, but I guess someone had to do it. Is using a 4.4mm female to 3.5mm male adaptor harmful for the device or It's only going to be harmful if you're trying to go unbalanced to balanced?



Balanced headphone jack converted to unbalanced source is OK.

Unbalanced headphone jack converted to balanced source is not OK.


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## Luis1316

dazzerfong said:


> Balanced headphone jack converted to unbalanced source is OK.
> 
> Unbalanced headphone jack converted to balanced source is not OK.


Thanks, I couldn't find a direct answer anywhere.


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## vanhalen26

dazzerfong said:


> Balanced headphone jack converted to unbalanced source is OK.
> 
> Unbalanced headphone jack converted to balanced source is not OK.



Question - your saying I shouldn’t use my balanced headphones with a traditional 3.5mm output on a cellphone etc by using an adapter?


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## megabigeye

vanhalen26 said:


> Question - your saying I shouldn’t use my balanced headphones with a traditional 3.5mm output on a cellphone etc by using an adapter?


The previous afte answer was poorly worded.
Using balanced headphones with a single-ended amp is fine.
Never go the other way, though.


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## mammal

4.4 mm Pentaconn is such PITA connector when it comes to buying/having made pigtail or ultra short adapters for. What I wanted originally, was 4.4mm female to 6.3 male, thinking since it's bigger, it will be easier to make. However, after speaking to Mat from Forza Audio Works, apparently the best Pentaconn housing is the one from Sony. So adapter makers that care about reliability, are kinda left with this cheap plastic looking OEM housing. Anything else has apparently liability issues, which I can confirm on both (expensive) Lavricables Grand pigtail adapter, as well as cheap Aliexpress one. Not sure what Double Helix uses for 4.4mm female housing, but maaan, this whole thing is PITA. I hope the situation improves as this adapter becomes more popular (even some TOTL desktop amps are now including it, for example Niimbus US5 Pro that goes for 5-6k).


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## Nostoi

mammal said:


> 4.4 mm Pentaconn is such PITA connector when it comes to buying/having made pigtail or ultra short adapters for. What I wanted originally, was 4.4mm female to 6.3 male, thinking since it's bigger, it will be easier to make. However, after speaking to Mat from Forza Audio Works, apparently the best Pentaconn housing is the one from Sony. So adapter makers that care about reliability, are kinda left with this cheap plastic looking OEM housing. Anything else has apparently liability issues, which I can confirm on both (expensive) Lavricables Grand pigtail adapter, as well as cheap Aliexpress one. Not sure what Double Helix uses for 4.4mm female housing, but maaan, this whole thing is PITA. I hope the situation improves as this adapter becomes more popular (even some TOTL desktop amps are now including it, for example Niimbus US5 Pro that goes for 5-6k).


I have both those adaptors you mention - the Forza one and the Double Helix ultrashort. They're both good and I think you'd be hard pressed to hear a difference, but the Double Helix feels a bit better in terms of build.


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## BaTou069

A bit late to the game, found the thread since im also searching 4.4female to 3.5 male



corgifall said:


> The other part is that the balanced jack you plug into is using two dac chips instead of just one like with a single ended set up.



Just wanted to clarify that in order to benefit from a balanced headphone output you don't need to use a DAC with balanced topology at all.
Benefits are being able to use longer wires without sound degradation & increased power, theoretically up to 4x compared to SE if I remember correctly, but not necesserally depends on implementation (many 3.5 + 4.4 amps or dac/amps out there that don't even do 2x)
Also having a DAC with balanced topology is honestly kind of an audiophile gimmick that became popular due to demand not by necessity, a single DAC chip is not performing better if doing one channel only. I'm opening a thread in sound science to get some more opinions on that ur all welcome to get some popcorn and watch


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