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Forum: General Discussion

Topic: XLR Cables and Whatnot- Pioneer We Go

This topic is old and might contain outdated or incorrect information.

So I have 2 Numark V7s connected to my DJM 250 (DJM25 has XLR outs), and I also have a Numark N4 with XLR outs...my question is..I recently saw the Pioneer WE-GO, and they say its an entry level controller. But even with all my equipment, my eyes started drooling: Its so compact...has everything I need - hot cues,led visual eye candy(not necessary but eye candy non the less), ect... The fact that is so compact will save a ton of space in my backpack..sorry back to the question: Since it only has RCA outs, I was wondering if anybody here has used this cable ->

http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-1-5ft-Plated-16AWG-Cable/dp/B001UJCS82/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1362015005&sr=8-7&keywords=RCA+to+XLR+male

If so..is the sound quality any different? Is the cable an ideal solution to virtually be able to hook it up to any sound system as most mixers and controllers can?
 
Posted Wed 27 Feb 13 @ 7:55 pm
I always use a PA Mixer on gigs.
XLR vs RCA... you'll hear a big difference on the sound for sure.
But if I use RCA, I do little tweaks on my PA Mixer to make the sound close enough if not the same as the XLR outputs.

It's a good thing to test and trust your ears every once in a while.

Just my 2 cents!

Cheers!!!
 
@ DJ arum. Those cables will would work great As long as the cable (Rca To XLR) is Not that long.
 
Thanks guys. It seems the one from amazon will be perfect. I also wanted to ask- the product is described as -

"An XLR to RCA cable converts a balanced audio signal into an unbalanced signal. This is good for sending audio signals from an XLR source to an RCA input, or vice versa. Regardless of direction, the result will be an unbalanced signal."

I had it understood that XLR outs are balanced, and therefore "better" ^but according to this, it wont. Not that it matters much because I don't really have an alternative if I want to plug it directly into a snake. I'm just trying to understand this better, and while Google does explain everything from 239,924,9926
perspectives, I always prefer to hear it from people here on the VDJ forums with actual experience.
 
A balanced connection will knock out noise added on your signal due to interference with other signals and magnetic fields (such as power lines traveling alongside with your audio lines). Also MOST of the times (not all though) it will eliminate ground loops.
Unbalanced connections won't eliminate any noise at all and most of the times they can pick up additional noise too.
As a general rule you should use unbalanced connections only for short cables (up to 3 meters, 5 tops) and balanced connections for bigger distances. Also you should use unbalanced connections to connect your gear together, and balanced to connect your mixer to your PA system.
If you use self-powered speakers then you should always use BALANCED connections as the cables run long distances and usually they travel alongside with the power cables.
Once a balanced signal converts to unbalanced it can't be converted back to balanced and the result will always be an unbalanced signal.
There's no "proper" way to convert an unbalanced signal to balanced or vise-versa without using SPECIAL equipment.
All cables and converters that "convert" balanced to unbalanced use a "hack trick" way to do it (they short-circuit pins 1+3 of the balanced signal) and that "may" cause some audio issues and/or distortion on some cases.
Finally there's no way to convert an unbalanced signal to balanced with a plain cable/converter.

The bottom line:
I would suggest you to connect your WeGo with RCA to another mixer that has BALANCED outputs, and then drive your PA system with the external mixer. The only exception would be if the distance between your controller and your amps is less than 3 meters. Then you can use a cable to convert RCA to XLR without any significant issues.
 
I forgot to mention something:
If you hook up your gear on a snake to send the signal on an audio mixing console then at least make sure that the inputs you are using don't have Phantom Power enabled on them! Phantom Power won't cause any issues on XLR connections, but will heavily distort the sound if you "convert" it to unbalanced because of the short-circuit I mentioned above.
Also if you hook up to a snake and then on an audio mixing console I would suggest you to use two direct injection boxes as this would provide you the best solution. It sure adds up to the cost but your sound will be decent! Also while the DI boxes require power, on most cases they can be powered via Phantom Power of the console.
 
I would just go get yourself a couple of cheapy Direct boxes or a good Radial stereo Direct box. Go out of the wego RCA to 1/4" TS then use the XLR outs of the di's into your rig and you're done.

This is the best way to convert an unbalanced signal into balanced since a line level is MUCH hotter than a balanced input level.
 


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