XLR vs phono
- Thread starter WesleyC21
- Start date
mattr
Resident moody teenager
A 1/4" jack (probably TRS) you mean? 'Phono' normally refers to RCA connectors. If the cables you are current using are balanced (with TRS jacks) and you're having no problems with them, the only benefit of using XLR cables would be the advantages connectors themselves.
As for making it louder? On some interfaces you find that jack input is only a line input and bypasses the mic preamp, however I'm guessing on a quite basic small interface like the Alpha then both connections will go through the same preamp stage. Louder... answer? No.
As for making it louder? On some interfaces you find that jack input is only a line input and bypasses the mic preamp, however I'm guessing on a quite basic small interface like the Alpha then both connections will go through the same preamp stage. Louder... answer? No.
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
It would have to. The 1/4" inputs on the alpha are *line* inputs not *mic* inputs. The big question is- *What* mic with a 1/4" lead? The mic has to be really old, really cheap, or really weird. If it is a high impedence mic (really old, except for a for a few specialty mics), the answer will be different.-Richie
Strangely enough, some mics seem to come with 1/4", my AT4040SM (which is a £350) high quality mic, came with one. A good friend who runs a studio in Oxford, purchased a Shure KSM32 and strangely got a 1/4" with it... no idea why as I know others who've bought the same mics and got XLR's?
Back the subject - Depending on your interface, yes it can make it louder. My old mixer would recognize both 1/4" and XLR the same, but another one of my friends interfaces won't supply Phantom Power to a 1/4". So in that interfaces case, an XLR will drastically improve volume.