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Hi i found a good deal on a pair of XLR female - TRS cables. I need the for my vocal and acoustic condenser mics . Some people say it doesn't matter if it is XLR or TRS they are both the same but i have read TRS jacks don't support phantom power. So should i stay away from XLR - TRS cables for my condenser mics?

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dvdhawk Mon, 09/09/2013 - 06:50

Yes, that is correct, you should not use those for condenser mics. Any mixer or pre-amp worth having, would not apply Phantom Power to a TRS input due to their momentary shorting nature. (electrically speaking) They generally just provide Phantom Power to the XLR.

A block diagram from a typical mixer:

 

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Boswell Mon, 09/09/2013 - 07:56

DVDhawk is correct - don't use XLR-TRS cables for your microphones, either condenser or dynamic. Not only is phantom power on any reputable mixer or pre-amp supplied only to the XLR connectors and not to the TRS jacks, the TRS inputs usually include an attenuator (typically 20dB) so that they can accept line-level inputs when needed.

Even if you managed to supply phantom power to your mics from a separate in-line power supply, line inputs do not generally work well for microphone signals due to inappropriate input impedance and a rise in the noise level roughly equal to the amount of input attenuation.

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