is microphone xlr cable same as an audio xlr interconnect?

[TonyJZX]

apparently sources of xlr stereo interconnects have dried up in this country

but i see a lot of single microphone xlr cables

can i just buy TWO microphone xlr cables and just use them instead?

they are cheap enough under 1m that its like sub $10 per piece, i need two obviously between dac and preamp

 

[antcollinet]

yes (nice easy answer )

 

[mhardy6647]

yes (nice easy answer )

There are no easy answers when it comes to XLR, though At least, not for those of us with some legacy balanced equipment.
Fortunately, only (AFAIK) two pins are "open to interpretation" so the permutation space is fairly limited. Still, XLR can be a hassle.

 

[TonyJZX]

thanks

the reason i was a bit confused is i visited a few pro audio shops here and you get the usual old wives tales from the typical pro audio worker there... every caricature you can think of is there... and one guy was saying the ohms was diffferent etc. etc.

and i know nothing about mics

ALSO they looked at me like i was an alien because i wanted a STEREO one (for what reason??? stereo mics???)

i refuse to buy "audiophile" xlr cables because they are nordost and platinum plated and cost more than most of my dacs

 

[antcollinet]

There are no easy answers when it comes to XLR, though At least, not for those of us with some legacy balanced equipment.
Fortunately, only (AFAIK) two pins are "open to interpretation" so the permutation space is fairly limited. Still, XLR can be a hassle.

But the cables are always wired 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 = unless you are makeing custom cables to swap pins 2/3 for legacy kit.


Or am I misunderstanding?

 

[antcollinet]

thanks

the reason i was a bit confused is i visited a few pro audio shops here and you get the usual old wives tales from the typical pro audio worker there... every caricature you can think of is there... and one guy was saying the ohms was diffferent etc. etc.

and i know nothing about mics

ALSO they looked at me like i was an alien because i wanted a STEREO one (for what reason??? stereo mics???)

i refuse to buy "audiophile" xlr cables because they are nordost and platinum plated and cost more than most of my dacs

The "ohms is different" statement is bobbins.

Stereo XLR can only be two separate connections (with 4 xlr connectors) joined together.

 

[FrankW]

apparently sources of xlr stereo interconnects have dried up in this country

but i see a lot of single microphone xlr cables

can i just buy TWO microphone xlr cables and just use them instead?

they are cheap enough under 1m that its like sub $10 per piece, i need two obviously between dac and preamp

Trying picking up your DAC and singing into it. If no sound comes out of your speakers, you're fine.

 

[mhardy6647]

But the cables are always wired 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 = unless you are makeing custom cables to swap pins 2/3 for legacy kit.


Or am I misunderstanding?

You're understanding.
Note that you yourself added an unless.

Good ol' XLR...

In seriousness... yeah, it's mostly easy-peasy.
Just like the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's assessment of Earth: Mostly Harmless.

Trying picking up your DAC and singing into it. If no sound comes out of your speakers, you're fine.

I like good, simple, to-the-point advice like this!

 

[Speedskater]

A microphone cable is a sub-set of balanced XLR interconnect cables.
It is optimized for flexibility, robust construction and low handling noise.
Any microphone cable can be used as a analog interconnect cable, but the opposite is not true.

 

[ElJaimito]

A microphone cable is a sub-set of balanced XLR interconnect cables.
It is optimized for flexibility, robust construction and low handling noise.
Any microphone cable can be used as a analog interconnect cable, but the opposite is not true.

This.

 

[fpitas]

apparently sources of xlr stereo interconnects have dried up in this country

but i see a lot of single microphone xlr cables

can i just buy TWO microphone xlr cables and just use them instead?

they are cheap enough under 1m that its like sub $10 per piece, i need two obviously between dac and preamp

No Amazon in your country? I use a lot of their cheapie XLR cables.

 

[LTig]

apparently sources of xlr stereo interconnects have dried up in this country

but i see a lot of single microphone xlr cables

can i just buy TWO microphone xlr cables and just use them instead?

they are cheap enough under 1m that its like sub $10 per piece, i need two obviously between dac and preamp

Yep, that's what I do, although I solder them myself.

 

[thecheapseats]

apparently sources of xlr stereo interconnects have dried up in this country
but i see a lot of single microphone xlr cables
can i just buy TWO microphone xlr cables and just use them instead?
they are cheap enough under 1m that its like sub $10 per piece, i need two obviously between dac and preamp

exactly 'what' is an xlr stereo interconnect??... from your post (dac and preamp) you don't mean a 4 pin xlr used for headphones?...

do you mean a single sheathed cable that contains two discreet 2-wire twisted pairs+shield cables- terminaited with 2 xlr-males on one end and 2 xlr-females on the other end?...

 

[dfuller]

thanks

the reason i was a bit confused is i visited a few pro audio shops here and you get the usual old wives tales from the typical pro audio worker there... every caricature you can think of is there... and one guy was saying the ohms was diffferent etc. etc.

and i know nothing about mics

ALSO they looked at me like i was an alien because i wanted a STEREO one (for what reason??? stereo mics???)

The impedance of the cable is negligible - but the impedance of the sources and loads are quite different from mic level (150ish source to about 1.5-3k loaded) vs line level (ballpark 500 ohms or lower source to about 10k or more load), as is the signal level (~0.1V RMS vs ~1-10V RMS)

 

[AnalogSteph]

Any microphone cable can be used as a analog interconnect cable, but the opposite is not true.

Indeed.

I will mention that it is arguably best to stick with bog standard shielded twisted pair rather than fancy starquad cable stock in the interest of lower capacitance. At line level, the connection will still be plenty robust enough.

 

[Ricardus]

Any microphone cable can be used as a analog interconnect cable, but the opposite is not true.

It isn't? Why?

This is just bad info. If the cable is a standard 3 pin XLR and is wired properly is can be use as an cable to hook up your stereo and as an XLR mic cable.

I mean, if the end user is Roger Daltrey then all bets are off, of course. But an XLR is an XLR is an XLR.

 

[TonyJZX]

I regret asking this question (except for Mr Collinet and Hardy who answered the question!)

I turned around my preamp and to my surprise the unit also has AES/EBU... and so this exists:

SWAMP Digital Audio Cable - AES/EBU 110ohm Shielded

SWAMP 3pin XLR AES/EBU Digital Audio cable for AES3 data protocol, ideal for stage lighting, consoles, dimmers, lasers, and fog machines.

www.swamp.net.au

how is THIS different to a mic. or standard xlr interconnect???

I think AES/EBU is a largely deprecated format for DACs so its elementary at this point but it seems the manufactures were just recycling cables for different uses.

This is one of those times that the more deeply you go into a topic the more you wished you were content to just listen to MP3s on your android phone speaker!

 

[DWPress]

I use a good quality 2 foot XLR cable for my AES connection and have had no problems. Our rigs tend to be stationary, once you've made your connections how often do you fiddle with things? I don't know if the 110ohm rating matters, could depend on what kind of interference is locally affecting the system.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I regret asking this question (except for Mr Collinet and Hardy who answered the question!)

I turned around my preamp and to my surprise the unit also has AES/EBU... and so this exists:

SWAMP Digital Audio Cable - AES/EBU 110ohm Shielded

SWAMP 3pin XLR AES/EBU Digital Audio cable for AES3 data protocol, ideal for stage lighting, consoles, dimmers, lasers, and fog machines.

www.swamp.net.au

how is THIS different to a mic. or standard xlr interconnect???

I think AES/EBU is a largely deprecated format for DACs so its elementary at this point but it seems the manufactures were just recycling cables for different uses.

This is one of those times that the more deeply you go into a topic the more you wished you were content to just listen to MP3s on your android phone speaker!

Many studio analog XLRs were of a design with an impedance of roughly 110 ohm. So to make it possible for studio gear to use existing cable, the XLR based AES/EBu digital standard used that impedance. The impedance will not matter even with digital signals until the cable length gets long which in studio it might.

 

[restorer-john]

This is just bad info. If the cable is a standard 3 pin XLR and is wired properly is can be use as an cable to hook up your stereo and as an XLR mic cable.

Not bad info.