There are a lot of misconceptiions about analog audio connectors. Many folks believe that audio will somehow sound better if it is carried on an XLR plug.
Let’s talk…
Several different types of connectors are used for audio equipment. Consumer equipment commonly uses RCA plugs and 3.5mm mini plugs. Pro gear has 1/4″ plugs and XLR connectors. Installed gear may have screw terminals or multi-pin connectors.
The primary purpose of all of these is the same… to deliver the electrical signals from one piece of audio equipment to the next without any loss. And they all do that job quite well. Then why are there so many different types of connectors?
The type of connector used is determined by cost, size, and special features.
RCA plugs are limited to 2 wire (unbalanced) audio. This is perfect for consumer audio gear that will remain connected for months or years at a time. Unbalanced audio works fine on cables under about 10 feet in length.
3.5 mm mini plugs are common with portable gear. Typically wired for unbalanced stereo. Their small size makes them prone to damage from rough handling.
XLR plugs most frequently deal with 3 wire (balanced) audio. Balanced audio is not “better quality” than unbalanced. The advantage of balanced audio is noise immunity and the ability to operate over longer cable runs. XLR connections have a couple of specific features that make them especially useful on stage: 1) the metal connectors are rugged, and can tolerate being stepped on or rolled over, and 2) the connectors lock together so the cables don’t come apart if someone trips on them.
1/4″ TRS plugs also carry 3 wires. They may be wired for unbalanced stereo, balanced mono, or various other configurations. TRS jacks are popular on compact mixers because of their lower cost and smaller size than XLR. You can pack a lot of TRS jacks onto a small mixer.
RJ45 plugs are becoming more popular for audio recently. Even smaller than TRS, and they latch. 8 wires carry stereo balanced audio and DC power. These are the same connections used by computer equipment with CAT5 and CAT6 cable. Excellent reliability.
Multi-pin connectors can be of any configuration. High density connections used mostly for permanent installations.
There are more. These are the most common. Remember, the configuration of the connector does not alter the sound. A balanced connection has better immunity to extraneous noise, but the audio signal is no different in quality.
BSW stocks interconnect cables that allow connection between TRS and RCA, or XLR and mini, or just about any combination you’re likely to encounter. In most cases signal level differences between the equipment can be accommodated. In a few cases you may need an interface amplifier to boost or attenuate the signals to keep the gear happy.
Don’t fear the connector… it’s just a plug.
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Working at BSW for the last 14 years has taught me a great deal and given me the opportunity to meet some of the most wonderful people in the world. While attending the WFX show in North Carolina recently, I made time to visit one of my favorite customers, Walt Howard of Sunrise Broadcasting. Walt and I have been talking to each other for nearly 13 years, but this was the first time we had met in person! It’s funny how you can be dear friends with someone without ever laying an eye on them.
Besides having six stations to take care of by himself (and one haunted transmitter), he also has to watch out for really big alligators. Once, he pulled over to the side of the road so I could see that he was not kidding with me. There, five feet from the truck, was a 12-foot gator just sitting in the shallow water. As we drove around, I saw many road signs warning you to not exit the vehicle lest you be eaten! Gators and ghosts. All in a day’s work for my brave friend, Walt!
An auspicious beginning: I ran into these two fellows in the lobby before the show opened on Friday. BSW ball caps at AES! Thanks for your support, John and Peter. I hope you had a great show!
New ribbon mics from Audio-Technica. The AT4080 ($999 street price), and AT4081 ($699 street price). Active electronics and new robust ribbon technology make these a “must-hear” for studio and stage applications.
Tascam is on fire! With 14 (!!!) new products in their booth, you’ll want to keep your eye on them. From the new VLM3 desktop sized active monitors (at $99), to the new HSP82, their new $4999 location recorder, Tascam is cranking out a steady stream in innovative products for a wide range of applications.
There was a lot of buzz about the new “Blackbox Recorder” From Joeco. Designed for “no-brainer” live recording, it offers 24 channels of low-latency, 24 bit/96khz recording for $2500 bucks!. You need to supply a USB disc drive, but they supply all the cables needed to hook it up to the insert points of a typical analog live sound console.
The new line of Shure headphones has been warmly received. And why not? Very neutral and musical sounding, built to withstand the rigors of everyday professional use (and built to be repaired easily, too!), and affordable. At the show, they debuted a new set of DJ cams – the SRH750DJ should have a street price around $149. Great isolation – with a slightly emphasized low end that will make them great for use in clubs.
Yamaha brought it’s spectacular new roving demo truck. It was packed full of goodies, and fully functioning demo stations. Definitely worth a spending some time there.
Broadcast maven, Neil Glassman hosted a broadcast industry gathering at his Greenwich Village flat on Friday evening. A few bottles of (really good) wine equipped those present for a thorough dissection of the current state of radio biz. This of course, devolved into a general raid on Neil’s music collection, where we found a gem. Yes, this is Neil posing with the jacket of his one and only album.
I hear it all the time: “I just want to use a 
Any engineer that’s been around the block a few times knows dozens of ways to use a piece of equipment that the manufacturer never intended. Some long-time favorites are: dead mixer as a doorstop, and: dead portable recorder as a paperweight. But wait… there are even things you can do with the stuff that still works!
Most of these systems will transmit 150-200 feet easily. A beltpack or plug-on wireless mic transmitter can be connected to a spare output on your mixing board (Mackie outputs can be switched to mic level).
Put the receiver at the destination. If you need more range, use a directional antenna pointed back to the source.
Comparing ‘there” versus “here”….hmmm. Fact is, we don’t really know where “here is” in broadcasting vernacular. I remember many years ago our “local” radio station receptionist trying to explain to an elderly listener (who baked a pie for her favorite DJ), that the DJ actually lived 2000 miles away in Chicago. Shocked and disappointed, Grandma and her Peach Pie went out the door (with a bumper sticker of course) never to return. I love pie. And it disappeared.
And just when we thought we had heard of everything… SIGSALY was mentioned. Actually more than mentioned, we met an unbelievable man who was involved with the invention of this fascinating technology. His name is Frank Laico, and he is a CBS Recording Engineer Emeritus who’s recording credits reads like a who’s who in hit records. (Sinatra, Bennett, Streisand, and on and on and on). Frank was the guest speaker at the recent AES Meeting in Seattle. Magnificant gentleman who gave us three hours of fascinating information regarding making hit records back in the days when hit records were really records.