Audio Cables and Connections (page 2)
How It Connects
- Three-pin connector. Male connectors are used for audio output and female connectors accept input.
- Spring-loaded locking tab ensures a solid connection.
How to Use It
- Connect a quality microphone to a high-end audio deck.
- Connect an audio or video deck with XLR outputs directly to a PC interface card for digitizing and final output.
How the Cable Measures Up
- Extremely durable metal connector and robust cable.
- Heavily shielded to ensure interference is kept to a minimum.
- Balanced signal path allows long cable runs and high signal fidelity.
- XLR connectors available only on expensive pro-audio and video devices and analog-to-digital interface cards.
- Can be tricky to adapt to other equipment (see this month's Tech Support).
RCA
RCA cables and connectors are found on televisions, VCRs, stereos and camcorders so they'll allow you to connect almost anything to almost anything else. Though not nearly as robust as XLR, RCA connections clearly win in the convenience cat…
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