3.5mm vs. 6.5mm Jacks

[TKFT]

I recently picked up and a new pair of headphones and was looking into getting an amp for them. The headphones have 3.5mm cable but come with a 6.5mm adapter. I was looking at the O2 amp form Mayflower and was wondering what the difference between the 3.5mm standard model and the 6.5mm desktop model and why one would cost so much more. Is there a benefit to getting the 6.5mm version for the future if I get an headphone with only a 6.5mm cable? Also is it worth getting the DAC/Amp combo?

[vengeancek70]

There is no sound quality difference as far as I can hear. So just go with the cheap one, you can always buy an adapter. 

[DJ H2 Mk2]

6.5 mm is just a more robust cable that is harder to break simply because it is bigger, however if you plan on taking your headphones out most phones, mp3 players, etc only support 3.5 mm. As for DAC/Amp depending on the headphones it doesn't really matter unless they have a higher impedance, it will give you better sound than the mob amp (usually) but it's up to you if you want to do that or not

[TKFT]

6.5 mm is just a more robust cable that is harder to break simply because it is bigger, however if you plan on taking your headphones out most phones, mp3 players, etc only support 3.5 mm. As for DAC/Amp depending on the headphones it doesn't really matter unless they have a higher impedance, it will give you better sound than the mob amp (usually) but it's up to you if you want to do that or not

 

Thanks, getting the 3.5mm version.

[theodoro]

I personally don't like 3.5 jack because there are fragile. There is no difference in sound quality but i really don't like 3.5mm jack, specially for an amp. Also, high end headphones sometimes have 6.5mm jack, so you won't need to use an adaptor. (it's much better to use a 3.5 to 6.5 adaptor than the opposite) 

[creatip123]

The main difference is the size of the cable that can be used. Most 6.35mm got relatively bigger cable hole than 3,5mm ones. There are a few 3,5mm plugs that also got big cable hole, but like said above, thinner plug means more fragile, especially considering if you're using big, thick, heavy cable with it.