Forgive a stupid question..

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fab4ever
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Fab4ever

Fab4ever

Getting better
...but I know you can help.

I just purchased the Brick preamp. It has an XLR out. I need to put it into the line in of my M-Audio Omni box, bypassing its preamps... but the Omni has a 1/4-inch balanced line in.

Do I simply need to purchase a male-to-male, XLR-to-quarter-inch cable? I assume that's the answer, but is there a special kind I need to get? I usually buy from Markertek, but I didn't see in their description that it's a "balanced" cable. Is it understood that an XLR-to-quarter inch cable, male-to-male, would be balanced?

Again, sorry for asking a dumb question. I just don't want to buy the wrong cable!
 
Fab4ever said:
Do I simply need to purchase a male-to-male, XLR-to-quarter-inch cable? I assume that's the answer, but is there a special kind I need to get?
Click to expand...

The XLR out should be a male jack. Thus you need a female XLR - male 1/4" TRS cable.
 
Thanks guys. And I am to assume if one end is XLR, then the cable is balanced, right?
 
Not necessarily. What makes the signal balanced is that it runs over 3 conductors (a little more to it, but that's the short answer). XLR connectors are (pretty much) always 3 conductor (3 pins). 1/4" plugs can be either 2 conductor (known as TS, looks like a mono plug) or 3 conductor (known as TRS, looks like a stereo plug).

If you have an XLR on one end, but a TS on the other, then the signal is not balanced...it is 3 conductor on one end, but not on the other. For a cable to be balanced, it must be 3 conductor on both ends. That could mean XLR's on both ends, XLR on one end and TRS on the other, or TRS on both ends.

Edit: Also, just because a cable has an XLR or TRS connector on it, you can't always assume that all 3 conductors were wired up on the plug.
 
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