[tvr2500m]

Just to give it a try, I grabbed a little Musical Fidelity V90 BHA balanced headphone amplifier. I'd like to try it with its balanced output. It is fitted with a 4 pin mini male XLR jack, requiring a cable with a female connector termination on the headphone cable. My Focal Elexes came with a balanced cable: a pair of 3.5mm TS at the headphones end and a single standard-sized male Neutrik 4 pin XLR at the other end.

I'm not at this point committed to the MF V90 BHA. Rather than spending the $50+ dollars for a new cable terminated with a mini 4 pin female plug, and since I do have an XLR terminated cable, I would make an adapter. Just a mini 4 pin female XLR to 4 pin standard female XLR connected with four runs of 24'ish gauge wire courtesy Belden, Canare, Mogami, etc. MF supplies the pinouts in the amplifier manual so I know how to connect up everything.

I have some questions. It seems kinda easy. Just straight up connect the same terminals between the two connectors per the MF wiring diagram. I could even get a little spiffy and braid them like some Kimber thing.

The question I have is about the shielding and drain wires. What do you do with them? Ground them somewhere? Leave them alone? ???

Thanks!

 

[enregistree]

Hi tvr,

luckilly pinout should be the same as for mini and standard size 4pin XLR:

• 4pin XLR & mini-XLR pinout (mini XLR has pin4 in the middle):
• 1 - left channel +
• 2 - left channel -
• 3 - right channel +
• 4 - right channel -

No drain wires, only pair of signal wires for each channel. Shield is optional and to be connected to XLR bodies so there is continuity from headphone cable through adaptor cable to amp chassis. Every neutrik XLR connector (including mini) has 1 solder lug more than number of pins. Separate 3pin XLRs for line level stereo are misleading here, because they will be better with only 2 pins and barrel/body connection, pin1 should not be there (it causes problems).

 

[tvr2500m]

Thanks! That helps a lot. So, optionally, I can ground the shield to the additional lug that's connected to the XLR body. I've worked with standard-sized XLRs, but not minis. Looking at pictures (I suspect I should look at a mechanical drawing) of the minis disassembled, I didn't see an obvious place to connect the shield, like the kind of lug the standard-sized XLR has.

Okay, off to make some adapters (when I get all the parts )

 

[randytsuch]

If it was me, I'd make a really short cable adapter, and not worry about the shield.
One nice thing about balanced is that its more immune to noise.

 

[enregistree]

Here, under E, from neutrik-rean assembly instruction:

I didn't see an obvious place to connect the shield, like the kind of lug the standard-sized XLR has.

Okay, off to make some adapters (when I get all the parts )

 

[tvr2500m]

Thanks for the assembly guide. Kind makes it too easy. And it's Rean Neutrik mini XLR that I bought.

@randytsuch - Yes, short. That's the plan. It's going to look like a Sennheiser or Grado 6.35mm to 3.5mm adapter cable. Four short runs of wire, optional shield connection.