Quality diff between 3.5mm and XLR inputs?

[Elsie N]

I know many on Reduser wish the audio outputs on the Epic and Scarlet were XLR instead of 3.5 mm. But are there really any quality differences between the two?

 

[Ted Parkes]

From what my usual Sound person told me there is no difference in quality but XLR are the industry standard and the 3.5mm jack is not as robust. I am using the WC A box. The fact that its a "mic level input" is another issue that might have an effect on quality.

 

[Mark L. Pederson]

I know many on Reduser wish the audio outputs on the Epic and Scarlet were XLR instead of 3.5 mm. But are there really any quality differences between the two?

No there is not.

Use a WC A box or high quality cable like these - http://www.lairddigitalcinema.com/P...REDINT&prodClass=REDAUDCAB&mfg=&search=0&off=

 

[Scott Crawley]

For the most part the quality is in the connection. It locks in, won't get kicked out, accommodates heavier gauge wire and is less likely to be damaged. The female side of the connection is also much more robust. In terms of total surface area of contact for conductivity, 3.5 mm can't touch it.

Have you ever seen a shielded cable that terminates in a 3.5 mm connector? I have not.

http://www.lairddigitalcinema.com/P...REDINT&prodClass=REDAUDCAB&mfg=&search=0&off=

Those look pretty nice. The Red cable isn't too shabby either... for 3.5 mm.

 

[Mike P.]

The problem with those laird cables is that they have no way of properly attaching to the camera/rig, so they fall victim to the exact problem with 3.5s in the first place (that they just aren't nearly robust enough of a connection.)

 

[ericyoung]

3.5mm socket contact plating are not known for their longevity either. Constant replugging will probably have some effect on quality of the contacts which is why a breakout like the WC A-Box are recommended to save your 3.5mm sockets on the body.

 

[Andrew Gentle]

Yes, the difference is in mechanical quality, not signal quality. I usually zip tie the cables going into the audio inputs to the rails or loop them under the tripod.

Have you ever seen a shielded cable that terminates in a 3.5 mm connector? I have not.

Yes, I made one up and it works perfectly. I would assume RED's is also shielded.

 

[Marc Wielage]

I'm not a fan of the 3.5mm balanced connections, and I don't think they have enough shielding or durability to hold up well for professional use. There's a reason why the XLR connector became standardized for pro sound over the last 60 years.

I don't have a problem with the TA3 "mini XLR" connector used on the original Red One camera, and much prefer that to the 3.5mm jack.

 

[Steve Sherrick]

I'm not a fan of the 3.5mm balanced connections, and I don't think they have enough shielding or durability to hold up well for professional use. There's a reason why the XLR connector became standardized for pro sound over the last 60 years.

I don't have a problem with the TA3 "mini XLR" connector used on the original Red One camera, and much prefer that to the 3.5mm jack.

Agreed. I don't mind the TA3 connectors either. They work fine on sound devices mixers/recorders and work fine on R1 as well.

 

[Scott Crawley]

Yes, I made one up and it works perfectly. I would assume RED's is also shielded.

Is the Red cable shielded? In my snobbery I must have assumed it was not. I would have expected them to be thicker and more stiff.

 

[Marc Wielage]

Is the Red cable shielded? In my snobbery I must have assumed it was not. I would have expected them to be thicker and more stiff.

The balanced connection is what will save you more than the shielding per se, but a lot of this advantage is lost because of the mic level input. One of the brilliant things about pro audio connections is that they run them at +4; when the mic level signal is down about 30dB below that (which is what the Red Epic requires), it brings the signal closer to the noise floor, which is not helpful. It's for reasons like this that I only regard the signal going to the Red as a scratch track, and I do it all wirelessly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_level

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balanced_line

I do use Canare StarQuad on the short cable I use going into the Epic/Scarlet 3.5mm jacks, but the cable's about 2 feet long, coming from a wireless receiver. I don't think it makes a huge difference either way.

 

[Scott Crawley]

I do use Canare StarQuad on the short cable I use going into the Epic/Scarlet 3.5mm jacks, but the cable's about 2 feet long, coming from a wireless receiver. I don't think it makes a huge difference either way.

Right, and that is more to the point. It isn't wise to do a long run of cable to a connector that doesn't lock in, so the shielding is unnecessary. OT, but this is why I hate the HDMI on Epic/Scarlet. We have done long runs of it and the risk of disconnect is disconcerting, particularly with all of the shorts happening lately.