Hello, I need help with an explination. I have been trying to explain
to a co-worker why it is "wrong" to use a cable to convert from XLR to
RCA, when you should rather be using something like Henry Engineering's
"Matchbox". Is there a real reason or is it just personal preference
or what the surrent job requires?
-Luther

It's not wrong but you will loose some "feaures" of the XLR cabling.

+ the whole line is not balanced anymore
+ You will loose 3dB (41%) compared to a real balanced XLR-XLR
connection.
+ the shield of the cable is either linked to the ground of the signal
or not with XLR you have both possibilies.
+ RCA / Cinch is 0.775Vrms and XLR can be everything from mic level to
24dBu or even DMX.
+ If you have phantom power on the XLR you will short this voltage
(although the phantom output is high impedance, it's not very good to
do this)

As long you keep this points in mind, why not!?!

Lukas Leuthold

Luther Bell wrote:
Hello, I need help with an explination. I have been trying to explain
to a co-worker why it is "wrong" to use a cable to convert from XLR to
RCA, when you should rather be using something like Henry Engineering's
"Matchbox".

Much of the time, there's nothing wrong with using a "cable" adapter,
but it depends on the output and thei input to which you're connecting
it. Sometimes you can get away with murder, sometimes you can't.

On 6 Feb 2006 17:02:01 -0800, "Luther Bell"
wrote:

Hello, I need help with an explination. I have been trying to explain
to a co-worker why it is "wrong" to use a cable to convert from XLR to
RCA, when you should rather be using something like Henry Engineering's
"Matchbox". Is there a real reason or is it just personal preference
or what the surrent job requires?

It may be bad, it may be OK. What's the details?

Luther Bell wrote:
Hello, I need help with an explination. I have been trying to explain
to a co-worker why it is "wrong" to use a cable to convert from XLR to
RCA, when you should rather be using something like Henry Engineering's
"Matchbox". Is there a real reason or is it just personal preference
or what the surrent job requires?

It's not "wrong." It just doesn't give you the noise rejection that a
balanced connection does. That's fine.

There could be a level issue also, but that has nothing to do with the
connectors or the balancing.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."