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   :VD15_0::VD15_1::VD15_2::VD15_3::VD15_4::VD15_5::VD15_6::VD15_7: (vd15@pl.valkyrie.world)'s status on Thursday, 27-Aug-2026 07:40:38 JST :VD15_0::VD15_1::VD15_2::VD15_3::VD15_4::VD15_5::VD15_6::VD15_7:

   Realised that my headphones were sounding really muddy and somehow got it into my head that maybe my amp just couldn't drive them properly. Turns out I was just using the wrong gain setting and missing out on like 60% of the output power by not using the balanced port.

   Successfully staved off urge to buy more expensive audio equipment.

   • iced depresso likes this.
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     iced depresso (icedquinn@blob.cat)'s status on Thursday, 27-Aug-2026 07:40:36 JST iced depresso

     in reply to
     @VD15 y'know i've never actually done anything with balanced signals. i only have one or two mics that even support it as a concept and the recorders don't
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     iced depresso (icedquinn@blob.cat)'s status on Thursday, 27-Aug-2026 07:53:46 JST iced depresso

     in reply to
     @VD15 mostly going to be a meme. i've used some bluetooth adapters that were "noisy" because the IEMs have so little resistance that the line noise inside the adaptor gets through. higher ohm headsets don't have the problem because they just resist it.
     
     you gotta be doing long runs with clean interfaces for balanced connectors to mean anything.
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     :VD15_0::VD15_1::VD15_2::VD15_3::VD15_4::VD15_5::VD15_6::VD15_7: (vd15@pl.valkyrie.world)'s status on Thursday, 27-Aug-2026 07:53:48 JST :VD15_0::VD15_1::VD15_2::VD15_3::VD15_4::VD15_5::VD15_6::VD15_7:

     in reply to

     • iced depresso

     @icedquinn I have two headphones that support it, it's just that 4.4mm balanced cables are just really hard to find for some reason. The ones I bought cost a king's ransom for how pitifully short they are.

     The tech behind it is really cool in concept. I can't really speak to the noise reduction aspect they're supposed to have but my amp is definitely louder over the balanced connector - it's able to use the whole ass second amp it's got inside of it at the same time.

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     iced depresso (icedquinn@blob.cat)'s status on Thursday, 27-Aug-2026 07:54:25 JST iced depresso

     in reply to

     • iced depresso
     @VD15 as someone who actually owns a small amount of studio gear i can tell you not a single one of those things has a 4.4mm jack. we use 3.5mm, 1/4th, and occasionally XLR.
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     iced depresso (icedquinn@blob.cat)'s status on Thursday, 27-Aug-2026 07:56:25 JST iced depresso

     in reply to

     • iced depresso
     @VD15 i'm pretty sure the 1/4th jacks are also only used because big chonks are more durable. same reason XLR has locks. you don't want the cable fritzing out on your recording take with the 50$/hr session musician in the tank :comfyderp:
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     iced depresso (icedquinn@blob.cat)'s status on Thursday, 27-Aug-2026 08:11:08 JST iced depresso

     in reply to
     @VD15 microphones are indeed long runs of wire, where copper is going to start trying to pick up EM fields because thats just what copper does.
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     :VD15_0::VD15_1::VD15_2::VD15_3::VD15_4::VD15_5::VD15_6::VD15_7: (vd15@pl.valkyrie.world)'s status on Thursday, 27-Aug-2026 08:11:10 JST :VD15_0::VD15_1::VD15_2::VD15_3::VD15_4::VD15_5::VD15_6::VD15_7:

     in reply to

     • iced depresso

     @icedquinn Yeah, XLR was all I was getting results for when I was specifically searching for "4.4mm balanced jack". Old guitarist mate of mine used to have an amp that took the 5-pin XLR stuff, that's the only time I've actually seen it in person though.

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     iced depresso (icedquinn@blob.cat)'s status on Thursday, 27-Aug-2026 08:12:47 JST iced depresso

     in reply to
     @VD15 KZ ZS210s have like 8ohm resistance, you'll hear hiss on all but the hifi bluetooths with them.
     
     and yeah. motherboards have terrible DACs. they're crammed up in with a lot of chips that have particularly large amounts of activity and basically no shielding.
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     :VD15_0::VD15_1::VD15_2::VD15_3::VD15_4::VD15_5::VD15_6::VD15_7: (vd15@pl.valkyrie.world)'s status on Thursday, 27-Aug-2026 08:12:48 JST :VD15_0::VD15_1::VD15_2::VD15_3::VD15_4::VD15_5::VD15_6::VD15_7:

     in reply to

     • iced depresso

     @icedquinn I think the first time I ever noticed noise in my setup was when I was tying to get my nintendo switch to passthrough to my PC. I thought it was interference cuz I had like a 2m long unshielded aux cable snaking through the same rat's nest as multiple mains connectors. Turns out the switch's DAC just has some terrible mains hum when in TV mode. I have everything digital now so it's practically a non-issue for me.

     Low impedance IEMs are nuts, though. If I crank the volume on my amp, I can hear the noise profile of my PC changing when I move the mouse. This is over USB audio btw. No idea how that's happening unless it's some wonkery with whatever audio driver I'm using

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     iced depresso (icedquinn@blob.cat)'s status on Thursday, 27-Aug-2026 08:23:11 JST iced depresso

     in reply to
     @VD15 spin fits helped a lot. can some days wear kzs or chus with those. i have all the in-ear stuff redone with spinfits.
     
     though the flat head drivers (nice buds or nicehck's) i've been using a bit lately. have to take the covers off entirely to fit in my ear, but they hurt less than the things that plug the canal. (and as a bonus i can hear around them)
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     :VD15_0::VD15_1::VD15_2::VD15_3::VD15_4::VD15_5::VD15_6::VD15_7: (vd15@pl.valkyrie.world)'s status on Thursday, 27-Aug-2026 08:23:13 JST :VD15_0::VD15_1::VD15_2::VD15_3::VD15_4::VD15_5::VD15_6::VD15_7:

     in reply to

     • iced depresso

     @icedquinn Yeah, KZs are what I have, too. Don't know what model they are, though. I bought like whatever was the most bogstandard pair they had at the time. Really liked them so I bought a second pair that were advertised as like "planar open backs" reviews of the previous gen said they were kind of mid and not at all open and yeah, that's pretty much exactly what I got lol.

     Don't really use them much, mind. In-ears just start to hurt or get really uncomfortable after an hour or so. Much prefer the over-ear type.

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     iced depresso (icedquinn@blob.cat)'s status on Thursday, 27-Aug-2026 08:40:52 JST iced depresso

     in reply to
     @VD15 spin fits help if you have fiddly ear canals. its basically a chunk of silicone that bends and squishes a bit instead of trying to be rigid.
     
     some people are unlucky that none of them help, but for my ears they did. i just had to get small ones.
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     :VD15_0::VD15_1::VD15_2::VD15_3::VD15_4::VD15_5::VD15_6::VD15_7: (vd15@pl.valkyrie.world)'s status on Thursday, 27-Aug-2026 08:40:54 JST :VD15_0::VD15_1::VD15_2::VD15_3::VD15_4::VD15_5::VD15_6::VD15_7:

     in reply to

     • iced depresso

     @icedquinn I might give those a go, then. The only tips I've ever tried are the ones that came with the headphones and some no-name memory foam ones I got off amazon. Didn't get along with those either, just a bunch of faf for a fit that kept sliding out after two minutes.

     I do actually have a 2.5mm balanced connector for my KZs, so I might finally be able to get some use out of it.