Sennheiser HD600 from unbalanced to balanced connector

Audio Gear Talk
1

Hi guys,
I’m looking at getting an iFi Can to add to my system. Long story short I have been looking for a balanced cable for my HD 600’s but can’t seem to find anything here in The Netherlands.
It struck me (aha moment) that it should be relatively straight forward to just replace the standard plug with a 4.4mm jack (pentaconn) connector or am I missing something critical. If it is straight forward can anyone guide me a to where the wiring needs to be soldered on the pin?

Thanks in advance!

Tim

2

Is this maybe what you are looking for:
https://amzn.eu/d/5wmMcUH

3

I’m not sure, but I think the cable shorts the two negative connectors together at the “y split” not at termination. If that’s right, then this is a real bad idea. Search for instructions on building your own balanced cable, you’ll find the pin out. Of course this all depends on what the wiring of the stock cable is and whether there are 3 or 4 conductors extending down from the y. All of us have screwed something up like this at some point, it’s generally not worth it.

2 Likes
4

Thanks Dirk, I’ve found these but I’m looking for a 4.4mm plug to fit the balanced output on the iFi CAN.

5

Looking now for a balanced cable tutorial :wink:

2 Likes
6

You could order a custom cable from these guys (or a similar shop) : https://www.arcticcables.com

In USD, you’ll have options ranging from about a hundred bucks to several thousands.

1 Like
7

Then this should do
https://amzn.eu/d/ahbhHif

Dirk

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8

You might look on the ifi-audio site, under cables. They sell a lot of adapters.

9

I’ll give them a try, thanks

10

Isn’t there an OEM cable from Sennheiser, I recently bought one for the HD800(s) 4 pin XLR

This is a local South African site with a Pentaconn 4.4 plug

https://e-piphany.co.za/product/sennheiser-ch-660-p-balanced-cable-with-pentaconn-jack-for-hd-660-s/?utm_source=Google%20Shopping&utm_campaign=Sales%20Price%20feed%20test%20&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=42098&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1sucBhDgARIsAFoytUvfUHPBxZ47rt5NpojRdrdW5QiGNYg10v1M0osEhBWmJvcVtwZ-tGkaAoAWEALw_wcB

Not cheap R4321 = $250, but OEM rarely is here. May well be cheaper in Europe

11

I found this info…on Balanced Cables

" Sennheiser HD 600, 650, 6XX Balanced Cable

The cables provided with these headphones have four conductors so to convert the supplied single-ended TRS (Tip, Ring Sleeve) cable to balanced is as easy as clipping off the TRS connector and soldering on the balanced connector needed by your amplifier. My balanced headphone amp needs a full size 4-pin XLR connector. I purchased a single ended spare cable from Amazon for $23 and clipped off the TRS connector and replaced it with a Neutrik full size male 4-pin XLR cable connector. Use a multimeter in the continuity “beep” mode to identify which cable wires are connected to which headphone connectors and solder the XLR connector to the cable using the table at the bottom of this section as a connector pin guide.

The Stock Sennheiser Cable

The stock cable can easily be split into its left and right halves to make trimming the wires easier. The stock cable’s green wire is Left+, its copper pair is Left-, the red wire is Right+ and its copper pair is Right-. The cable’s wires are enamel coated for insulation so you must scrape off the enamel from all four wires–or at least remove enough to get a good solder connection. I used a pocket knife to gently scrape the insulation off and checked my results with a multimeter in the continuity mode to ensure I had enough insulation off for good contact.

This is optional but when I cut the TRS connector off the Sennheiser cable I left about one foot of cable on the TRS end and soldered on a Neutrik full size female 4-pin XLR cable connector to create a balanced to single-ended converter cable."