XLR Male

The XLR connector is a type of electrical connector primarily found on professional audio, video, and stage lighting equipment. The connectors are circular in design and the types we carry normally have 3 pins. They are most commonly associated with a balanced audio interconnection.

XLR inputs on a mixing desk are "mic level" inputs, however the XLR outputs (generally 2 of them) are always set to line level, ready for connection to a line input on a powered speaker, amplifier or processing device. XLR outputs are generally always balanced, whether mic or line level.

Balanced audio is a method of interconnecting audio equipment using balanced lines. This type of connection is very important in sound recording and production because it allows the use of long cables while reducing susceptibility to external noise caused by electromagnetic interference.

Balanced connections typically use shielded twisted-pair cable and three-conductor connectors. The connectors are usually three-pin XLR or 1⁄4 inch (6.35 mm) TRS phone connectors. When used in this manner, each cable carries one channel, therefore stereo audio (for example) would require two of them.