[jack1960]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sejarzo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Would you possibly have a link to those instructions?

This is the link to the EasyCon instructions.

http://www.neutrik.com/client/neutri...a_59131852.pdf

 

[sejarzo]

A few months ago, a very helpful fellow at Neutrik USA answered my questions about the availability of some of the NYS line of connectors in the US (some items shown on the Neutrik site apparently are not popular enough here, so they don't distribute each and every item in that line in the US.) I sent him an email to see if the EasyCon XLR connectors are still a current product......I will post when he responds!

 

[sejarzo]

Just got this email:

Steve:

I am glad to answer your question for you. The Solderless XLR’s that you are referring to are still available. These connectors may be discontinued at some point that is why they are no longer in the catalog or on the Web site. While the solder-less connectors are a very good connector, much of the audio industry has been afraid of solderless. It is a mind set that has been difficult to over come. We do still have OEM assemblers that continue to use these connectors. However, the end customers like yourself have been committed to solder connectors.

Neutrik is also working on a crimp XLR as well which should be released soon.

If you are looking for the Solder-less version and you do not see them available at your distributor, that is because they do not stock them. They can still get them from Neutrik.

I hope this answers your question.

And in my follow up to that, asking "How soon?" and if the new one might be more "star quad friendly", he replied:

The crimp version will be out by the end of the year. Whether is the solderless easycon or the crimp version, the strain relief is key. The contact point where the wires are attached is never in question because the superior strain relief system which Neutrik uses eliminates the potential for the wires being pulled loose. I believe you will be impressed with the Crimp version once it is released.

As far as the start quad is concerned! You are correct, the Easycon does not work well with the star quad. The Easycon is more wire specific.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Hmm, sounds interesting... I wonder if the guys at BJC would go this route, considering that they recommend crimped-on Canare RCAPs over other alternatives.

 

[infinitesymphony]

I'm about to order parts to make some XLR cables. I've decided on the Neutrik XX series (NC3MXX-B, NC3FXX-B) for connectors. Now I'm trying to decide on cable.

Does anyone sell Belden 1800F by the foot? I'd really like to try that cable, but I guess I'll settle for Canare L-4E6S. Mogami W2534 is an option, but it's twice as expensive as the Canare and most people say it's only comparable.

 

[sejarzo]

They don't carry Belden, but Redco Audio carries a variety of Mogami and Gotham twisted pair AES/EBU cables by the foot that have lower capacitance than any of the star quads. I suppose it all depends on what you need most--lowest capacitance or maximum rejection of interference!

 

[jack1960]

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinitesymphony /img/forum/go_quote.gif Does anyone sell Belden 1800F by the foot? I'd really like to try that cable, but I guess I'll settle for Canare L-4E6S. Mogami W2534 is an option, but it's twice as expensive as the Canare and most people say it's only comparable.

You can probably substitute Canare DA202 for the Belden 1800F. It's also a 110 ohm AES/EBU type cable with very similar electrical specs. It's available by the foot from Markertek.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Is it possible to use the same cable type for balanced XLR, 1/4" TRS, and 1/4" TS, or should I buy particular cable for each of those types?

In order to avoid a potential "buy them all and listen to them for hours trying to hear the differences" situation, I'm thinking about sticking with the tried-and-true Canare L-4E6S, since it seems to be easily available.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Okay, I bit the bullet and bought some cable materials. I decided to try jack1960's suggestion and get the Canare DA-202, even though I only read after the fact that the jacket is blue instead of the usual black.

Here's my order:

40 feet of Canare DA-202
2 Neutrik NC3MXX-B (XX series, male, black/gold)
2 Neutrik NC3FXX-B (XX series, female, black/gold)
2 Neutrik NC3MEZY-B (EasyCon series, male, black/gold)
2 Neutrik NC3FEZY-B (EasyCon series, female, black/gold)

So, enough cable and connectors for four 10' XLR cables.

 

[jack1960]

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinitesymphony /img/forum/go_quote.gif Okay, I bit the bullet and bought some cable materials. I decided to try jack1960's suggestion and get the Canare DA-202, even though I only read after the fact that the jacket is blue instead of the usual black.

Great. Let us know how it all works out.

 

[rodentmacbeastie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinitesymphony /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is it possible to use the same cable type for balanced XLR, 1/4" TRS, and 1/4" TS, or should I buy particular cable for each of those types? In order to avoid a potential "buy them all and listen to them for hours trying to hear the differences" situation, I'm thinking about sticking with the tried-and-true Canare L-4E6S, since it seems to be easily available.

Yes, TRS plugs can be used or for that matter any connector with three pins/conductors will work to carry a balanced signal.

 

[rodentmacbeastie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jack1960 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not able to get them to work with the Star-Quad cable as there doesn't seem to be any way to properly align two wires per contact (and I doubt that they are designed for two wires) while fastening the cable rentention piece. It's probably best to use a 2-conductor cable such as Belden 1800F or Canare DA-202. The EasyCon XLR's are currently available at Markertek and PartsExpress. Assembly instructions are available on the Neutrik web site.

If Star Quad has 4 conductors, how do you plan to use 2 per contact? You need a +, -, and ground.

 

[sejarzo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodentmacbeastie /img/forum/go_quote.gif If Star Quad has 4 conductors, how do you plan to use 2 per contact? You need a +, -, and ground.

Star quad cables are commonly said to have 4 conductors...two pairs of insulated wires, plus a braided shield......so there are really 5 in the true sense of the term "conductor".

One pair is used for "hot", the other for "cold", and the shield is connected to the ground pin.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Just curious... What's going on with the extra wires of the Canare DA-202? Is this also a star-quad configuration?

 

[sejarzo]

The two "extra wires" you see within the inner twisted bundle are not wires, they are simply polymer strands (imagine a very soft, fairly heavy monofilament fishing line, maybe?) that are incorporated into the bundle to keep the geometry between the hot and cold conductors very consistent......so it's not star quad. The two that are truly conductors are shown with stripped ends, the "spacer strands" are cut off shorter in all depictions of Canare and Mogami cables that I've seen on the web.

The wire sticking out from under the braid is a drain wire.....which means that you don't have to mess with unbraiding the shield and twisting it into something that is easily solderable to the ground tab. You can just trim off the braid and solder the drain to the ground tab.

That drain wire arrangement might be necessary (or just extra convenient?) for AES/EBU cables, because from what I've seen, they require an additional part in the connector that sort of encases the end of the stripped cable inside the XLR body.