XLR vs. 1/4"?

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Dumby

Dumby

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How great is the difference when recording using the XLR jacks instead of the standard 1/4" on everything...I"m a wondering because is it worth spending the extra money on the podxt pro(rack) vs. the podxt live(floor pedal) just to get the XLR jacks?

And when connecting V-Drums to an amp that has XLR jacks...The drum brain is connected to the amp with a 1/4" jack, and the amp to the studio directly with an XLR...does it make it pointless to use the XLR after because there is a 1/4" connection first?--------(V-Drums-1/4" to amp-XLR to studio board in that order if I'm confusing you)

On a microphone also.

Please reply if you've upgraged to XLR's from 1/4" and let me know you're thoughts and results! Thanks alot!
Dumby
 
I just spent $30 on XLR/ Balanced. It sounded exactly the same to me.

I kept the Balanced/XLR.
1) There is a technical benefit to having Balanced, so I kept the XLR's.

2) and the fact the YSM1P XLR conection is much better than the 1/4".
 
i think XLR is usually less noisy, but i have any clue why that would be true if it is...it's just my experience
 
1/4" and XLR are just connectors. Neither one is "better". They each have their own application.

XLR and 1/4" can both be balanced connections. I don't know which gear you are looking at, but if you can go balanced...you should. Perhaps the 1/4" is still balanced on the unit you're looking at.

It comes down to what kind of connectors you want to use in your studio and if you want to bother with adapters if need be. As for microphones, you typically ALWAYS have to go with XLR, because that's how they are made. Plus, XLR on a mixer or soundcard typically means "you're plugging into a preamp"...which is important for a microphone.
 
Sound-on-Sound magazine did a study of connector types a little while back.

They found the resistance and total surface area of 1/4" and XLR to be nearly identical.

1/8" miniplug jacks, however, had much higher resistance and far less surface area--- very bad for our purposes.

So Benny is right... don't fret about it.
 
I"m looking between the podlive and the rack unit, if it's worth the extra money just for that pretty much? THe XLR inputs pretty much.
 
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The POD rack mount unit offers Balanced output connections via the XLR jack only. If you need to interface with something as a balanced signal, then you will need this unit.

The "Live" box only offers unbalanced output.

So again, IF you "need" balanced connections, or prefer to interface that way, the rack mount unit provides that via the XLR outputs. If you don't mind unbalanced, then the "Live" unit would be fine too.

It was asked why balanced is quieter. Here is the simple version.

A circuit on the output takes your signal, splits it into two signals, and reverses the phase of one of the two signals.

The two signal run down the wire out of phase with each other. At the receiving unit, a circuit there takes the reversed phase signal, turns it back into phase, then uses it to compare to the in phase signal. Any difference between the two signals is sent to ground, and thus eliminated. (actually, I am trying to remember if they are compared, or summed....a EE type could answer that...)

So, how does that make the signal possibly quieter?

Simple. While the two out of phase signals are running down the wire, any noise introduced for EFI will hit both of the signals in the same phase relationship. So, when the noise is introduced at the circuit on the receiving end, the noise on one signal will be phase reversed, and that will cause a "difference" between the two signals, and that difference is sent to ground. (or, is it that the phase reversal cause a phase cancellation when the two signals are summed?)

Nifty huh?
 
One of the main differences I've noticed is XLR cables are quieter over longer distance, (more than say 20') but for short cables there dosen't seem to be a lot of difference. Another difference, XLR cables seem to carry low impedance a little better. To me cable choice is largely a matter of what the gear is set up to use, if it has 1/4 jacks then use them, if it has XLR plugs then use them.
 
Just for clarity, when going from balanced xlr to balanced 1/4, you just need a cable with one connector on one side and the oter on the other. The $30 radio shack transformer is to turn low imbedance into high impedance and change the connector. If you are talking about line levels, you simply need to go from one connection to another.
 
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