XLR to TRS phase reversed question

W

wjgypsy

New member
I've just purchased a 16 ch XLR female to TRS male snake and I plan on connecting my (currently in use) live room snake (which is XLR f to XLR m) to the newly purchased snake AND THEN running that into my balanced TRS patchbay (to rout to outboard pres / effects) and then out from there into my interface which is 8 XLR in/8 TRS in.

While checking each channel of the new snake with a whirlwind cable tester, all channels read :


(TRS)
pin 1 shield - green light
pin 2 ring - green light

(XLR)
Pin 2 HOT / Phase Reverse - red light


Is this bad? Every channel is reading this way. Is this the standard for a XLR to TRS? (I have no others laying around to counter-test but I tested a couple unbalanced XLR to TS cables and they read phase reverse - red light too.

Any test of XLR to XLR cables or balanced TRS to TRS reads in phase - green light. This is what worries / confuses me because I thought balanced cables were wired the same, regardless of the end pieces (XLR, TRS).

I also purchased some single XLR to TRS patch cables (for use with pres) and noticed each of those read the same, phase reversed - red light

THEN another new 8 ch XLR male to TRS snake (purchased from a totally separate dealer) gave me the same reading. At this point I'm thinking this is hopefully standard, but want to be sure. Could I just flip the phase reverse switch on a pre-amp or at the console? If I needed to do that for all channels that would seem excessive if the cables are just wired wrong / backwards from the front end.


Thanks in advance for any help. I want to learn!!
 
Hey Mark, It's this model


When I plug a TRS male (into one end) and female XLR (into other end) it reads like this :

(One End)
PIN 1 - Shield - Green Light
PIN 2 - Ring - Green Light

(Other End)

PIN 2 - Hot - Red Light - Phase Reverse

*pin 3 - hot - does not illuminate at all.
 
Farview said:
Are you sure it is a TRS and not a TS? It sounds like you got an unbalanced snake.
Click to expand...


That's what's worrying me, indeed. I've double checked that the cables do in fact say TRS / balanced (or at least they claim to be....it says TRS/balanced on the package listing)...and there's clearly a Tip with 2 black stripes on the ends of the jacks, as opposed to there only being a Tip and 1 stripe with unbalanced TS jacks, right?
 
Atkron205 said:
TRS should have 3 conductors, have you checked the connector?
Click to expand...

Yes, just peaked inside and all 3 are present (thankfully) and appear to be in line with the standard configuration pic that Mark posted. Red----Tip / Blue(white in this case)----Ring...and a ground is connected to the sleeve.
 
wjgypsy said:
Yes, just peaked inside and all 3 are present (thankfully) and appear to be in line with the standard configuration pic that Mark posted. Red----Tip / Blue(white in this case)----Ring...and a ground is connected to the sleeve.
Click to expand...

cool, maybe the tester is reading it wrong? you can check with a meter to make sure the pinout is correct.:thumbs up:
 
As long as pin 1 goes to the sleeve through the shield braid and the other two connections are present and unique, especially since they're all the same, everything is fine. Absolute polarity is arbitrary and meaningless. If you were to try to record the same source through two cables that were wired opposite, it might be an issue, but otherwise just go with it.
 
Atkron205 said:
cool, maybe the tester is reading it wrong? you can check with a meter to make sure the pinout is correct.:thumbs up:
Click to expand...

Checked with a multitester and it read (from end to end) :

Pin 1 = ground / sleeve
Pin 2 = hot / tip
Pin 3 = cold / ring

checked the specs for the XLR female inputs on my interface and it matches the above (Pin 2 = Hot), which is comforting news right?

arcaxis said:
The tester manual states, "either the LED labeled PIN 2 HOT or PIN 3 HOT will light depending upon which is wired to the tip of the TRS plug.". It sort of implies it's not faulty, but just the way the manufacturer decided to wire the connectors. Is there any kind of tag on the cable or connector that would hint at a phase reversal. What's the manufacturer's part number?
I make all my cables, so I can't offer an explanation why it's reversed, but I believe if one of the more experienced studio guys catches this thread, they may know.
Did find this, so you're not alone...
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/new...-my-xlr-trs-cables-wired-wrong-something.html
Click to expand...

Thanks for that info, Mark! And yes, I saw that gearslutz link a little earlier via google along with this one from which I'll quote :

"AES26 states as a recommended practice that pin 2 on the XL connector shall drive the non-inverting input (or “+”) and pin 3 shall drive the inverting input" (1995)

I really want to start making my own cables and plan to but I need to learn a bit more.
 
oh! and the product number is : SAXT-16x5F


ashcat_lt said:
As long as pin 1 goes to the sleeve through the shield braid and the other two connections are present and unique, especially since they're all the same, everything is fine. Absolute polarity is arbitrary and meaningless. If you were to try to record the same source through two cables that were wired opposite, it might be an issue, but otherwise just go with it.
Click to expand...

I can dig that outlook! Thanks for the info ashcat!
 
"Checked with a multitester and it read (from end to end) :

Pin 1 = ground / sleeve
Pin 2 = hot / tip
Pin 3 = cold / ring"

TFFThat! HAD that snake been wired OOPs I would have urged you to ship it back or correct it, probably easiest at the XLR end. You REALLY do not want a miswired cable in your collection. Various short "slugs" are very handy. A couple wired OOP, one with pin one dissed one end. Gender changers (tho these are very cheap now) but! LABEL the fekkers!

If you are going into cable production I strongly suggest you build your own cable tester, only a few £/$ worth of connectors, LEDs and a Maplin buzzer can speed up production no end.
AND! Whoever thought of putting a CPU in a cable tester should have it inserted somewhere painful!

Dave.
That tester is out of whack.
 
I'm really confused! XLR pin 2 is connected to tip and XLR pin 3 is connected to the ring? The metering says the wiring is correct. The tester is the only thing that is saying reversed? Maybe the indicator system or wording is the problem. Nothing is wrong, assuming if I read the test result correctly. Historically in the past the UK had loads of polarity issues when using American kit, wired pin 3 hot.

Using a meter or a proper socket filled tester should give identical results, otherwise what is the point?
 
Get a DMM and learn how to use it (including the polarity standards for the balanced connectors you use). Cable testers are fast and convenient but can only tell you so much.
 
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