You CAN have it all — headphone adapter cables provide unbeatable flexibility for hardwired or detachable cables, giving you the freedom needed to quickly change out cables and move between gear. More and more connection types are becoming available, which makes this a great, ergonomic solution for hifi enthusiasts, audiophiles, & music lovers for "on the go" portable listening.
Benefits include:
- Better sound
- Use one main headphone cable with your headphone
- Just add or "plug in" adapter cables for "on the go" listening
- Quick changes between amplifiers and devices
- Save money
Moon Audio handcrafts adapter cable for most headphones. Simply purchase an adapter cable to connect with your main headphone cables if extra length is needed or if you need to change amplifier terminations.
Upgrade Your Headphones
Select Headphone Cable Connection
Moon Audio Adapters are designed to connect to headphone cables that have the following terminations:
- 1/4” Stereo plug
- 3.5mm gold stereo plug
- 3.5mm TRRS gold straight / right angle mini for HiFiMan HM901 or Sony NW-ZX2
- Dual 3.5mm plugs for balanced connections
- Dual 3 pin male or female XLR
- ibasso male connector
- Mini 4 pin male XLR
- Neutrik single 4 pin male gold XLR
- Oyaide 3.5mm female rhodium stereo plug
- RSA/ALO male connector
We recommend the Switchcraft mini 4pin Male XLR because it has a balanced connection. A balanced is important because it will allow you to switch between balanced and single-ended headphone connections.
Choose Adapter Cable with Matching Connection
Make sure you are choosing the right connection for your headphone cable. The matching connection for our recommended Switchcraft XLR is the Switchcraft mini 4pin Female XLR.
Make sure you are choosing the right connection for your headphone cable.
Select desired amp connection
Lastly, determine which connector your need based off of your audio gear and select it as the Amplifier Connection Option
The purpose of an adapter cable is to only have one headphone cable and as many adapters as you need to fit your collection of audio gear.
Some popular options for adapter cables include:
Ergonomics and Flexibility = EASY with adapter cables.
The Switchcraft 4pin mini male XLR (labeled #1 to the right) is a balanced connector.
This balanced connector offers separate: left and right, positive and negative connection points.
IMPORTANT: Balanced is important because it allows the user to switch balanced and a single ended headphone connections.
This picture to the left illustrates the adapter cables are plug-and-play to the main headphone cable.
The Fostex TH-900 headphones here to the left have a hardwired Silver Dragon V3 Headphone Cable to the drivers of the headphones and a 6" Silver Dragon V3 Adapter Cable powered by the Chord Hugo usb dac and headphone amp.
These three are a phenomenal, synergistic sound setup for any music enthusiast!
WARNING: You cannot convert a single ended connection into balanced.
NOTE: If you have a single ended headphone connection, we can upgrade your headphone cable to a balanced connection. Now you can add an adapter system to your headphone arsenal! Contact Us for info.
Adapter cables provide an endless selection of options for all of your devices.
Here are three 6" adapter cables with various connections. Portable setups work best with short adapter cables.
This helps with the ergonomics of smaller portable footprints.
4 Steps to Enjoy the music with adapter cables
- Choose your main headphone cable terminated to your headphones such as: Audeze, Fostex, Grado or Sennheiser. (we have many more options)
- Terminate the source end with the Switchcraft 4 pin mini XLR.>
- Add your adapter cables for your home and portable devices.
- Plug the 4 pin mini female XLR (on the left) into the 4 pin mini male XLR on the main headphone cable.
Rock On, & Enjoy the music EVERYWHERE your headphones take you!
The adapter cable connection options are truly limitless.
There are connectors available for each input source and Moon Audio has hundreds of choices.
Many headphone amp vendors are using uncommon output jacks or connectors these days.
Here is the Ray Samuels SR71b headphone amplifier with an uncommon output jack called the SR71b.
These specialized connectors deepen the need for custom adapter cables for the headphone enthusiast.
We build adapter cables for each amplifier and device at a variety of lengths. For your home balanced headphone amp, we can build a 10' or 20' cable to reach from your favorite listening chair.
Adapter cables provide a complete headphone listening solution.
The Audeze LCD-3 headphones to the right include 5 custom adapter cables.
1. There is one Silver Dragon V3 headphone cable with the balanced Switchcraft connector.
2. This 12" adapter cable has an 1/4" connector for a Chord Hugo.
3. This 12" adapter cable with a 4 pin male XLR is for a Bryston BHA-1 balanced headphone amp.
4. This 6" adapter cable with an RSA plug is for an balanced portable amp like the Cypher Labs Theorem or Duet.
5. This 6" adapter cable with an 1/8" connector is for most portable amps, such as the Vorzuge Pure II.
Audiophile DREAMS do come true!
Here are the Ultrasone Edition 8 headphones.
- First, we replaced the stock cable with a 5ft Silver Dragon V3 Headphone cable that utilizes a Switchcraft Mini 4 pin Male XLR.
- This is a 6″ Silver Dragon V3 adapter cable with the RSA Balanced plug.
- The RSA balanced plug is used with Ray Samuels SR71b amplifier or a Cypher Labs Theorem or Duet. These are all balanced portable headphone amps.
- The 2nd 6″ Silver Dragon Adapter Cable has a mini 1/8″ plug for single ended portable amplifiers or direct connection to a portable media player like the iPod.
- The 3rd cable in the picture is a Silver Dragon LOD cable.
*Look for a new LOD (line out doc) version for the iPhone 5 and 6 utilizing the Apple Lightning connector.
How to Connect Adapter Cables
One of the main benefits of adapter cables is that you can easily switch between multiple audio devices with different connections without having to change out your entire headphone cable.
Connect Adapter Cables in 3 Easy Steps:
Want to switch out your device? Adapter cables are the budget-friendly way to switch between all of your high-end electronics.
