Why isn't the 4.4mm proprietary connector on SONY's portable music players grounded? A standard balanced headphone cable only has four connection points: R+, R-, L+, and L-. However, it does not include a ground point on the 4.4mm plug. On the other hand, if the 4.4mm headphone connector were grounded, there could be negative feedback when connecting and disconnecting. Perhaps for this reason, the SONY 4.4mm connector is not grounded.
Why does sound quality improve after grounding? The essential condition is that the 4.4mm headphone cable used must be shielded and properly grounded. The body of Sony players, particularly NW-WM1Z and NW-WM1ZM2, is made of oxygen-free copper with high purity and high electrical conductivity, which can provide good grounding for shielded cables. When connecting a shielded cable with a 4.4mm plug, the protective layer of the cable is grounded to the player's body. As a result, it can better prevent the influence of external electrostatic and electromagnetic interference.
Built-in grounding enhances the reliability and safety of Sony players with a grounded 3.5mm connector. The grounding connector DJ44S is much shorter than the 3.5mm headphone connector, which provides proper grounding and prevents connector damage due to unbalanced force. Unbalanced force means that the pressure point can be excessively shifted in one direction when inserting or extracting the plug at an inclined angle. Since the 3.5mm headphone connector typically uses a plastic housing, this can lead to connector damage.
Features:
- Designed for NW-WM1Z / WM1A
- Material: Aluminum 6063
- Internal wiring: 25.5AWG 6N OCC
- Contact group: Gold-plated copper
- Weight: 35g
Package Includes:
- Adapter for SONY NW-WM1Z / WM1A
