Seeking clarification on Zoom R16 1/4" input jack in XLR combo plug: Balanced or not?

Q

quesne

New member
Seeking clarification on Zoom R16 1/4" input jack in XLR combo plug: Balanced or not?

Hello All:

I have a very simple question regarding the Zoom R16 XLR combo input jacks.

The Zoom R16 documentation appears to state that when you use an XLR connection to the combo jack, it is a balanced signal. The documentation is not so clear on whether the 1/4" port provides a balanced TRS connection. If I could find a schematic of the input buss for the R16, the answer would be easy to see.

I have seen conflicting info in a few forums regarding this, and I was hoping to find out for sure. Does anyone know the answer to the question? Or (better yet) is there a schematic out there that someone can share?

Thanks in advance for any assistance :-) Quesne


These are the only descriptions I see of the input ports from the user manual:

XLR/standard phone combo jack x8
Input impedance:
(Balanced input) 1K balanced, 2 hot
(Unbalanced input) 50K unbalanced
1 equipped with Hi-Z switch, input impedance 470k (Hi-Z on)
2 equipped with phantom power switches
Input level: –50dBm < continuous < +4dBm

Supports input from a variety of sources, including guitars, mics and line level instruments. The 8 onboard jacks, which accept XLR and standard phone plugs, include one high-impedance input and two with 48V phantom power. From high-impedance guitars and basses to dynamic and condenser microphones and line-level devices like synthesizers, many sources are supported.
 
Based on someone's recommendation, I made measurements on the TRS conductors of a balanced cable. It was plugged into the channel 8 input of my unpowered Zoom R16. The results are below. If anyone here can help me interpret the results, I would appreciate it:

On 2000K ohm setting
T - R = 92
T - S = 47
R - S = 44

On 200K ohm setting
T - R = 91.9 (slowly and consistently rises approx 0.1 per second)
T - S = 47.0 (stable)
R - S = 43.7 (slowly and consistently rises approx 0.1 per second)

On 20K ohm setting (or lower)
T - R = infinite
T - S = infinite
R - S = infinite
 
Awesome gecko zzed. Thanks very much. That does seem to be pretty clear :-)

BTW - I found this on page 11 of the operation manual: "You can connect cables with XLR and monaural phone plugs (balanced or
unbalanced) to the INPUT jacks."

That also seems to indicate that the 1/4" connection is balanced.
 
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