Gold-Plated 3-Pin XLR Male to Female Adapter – Balanced Audio Mic Connector for Microphone, Mixer, Speaker & Studio, 4/10/20pcs
Gold-plated 3-pin XLR male-to-female inline adapters for balanced audio signal routing in microphone, mixer, speaker, and studio applications. XLR inline adapters (also called gender changers or barrel adapters) allow two XLR cables to be connected end-to-end, extending cable runs or reversing gender at a connection point. Gold-plated contacts provide low contact resistance and long-term corrosion resistance — critical for balanced audio where contact resistance directly affects noise floor and signal integrity.
Balanced audio uses three conductors: Hot (+), Cold (-), and Ground. The signal is transmitted as a differential pair — the Hot conductor carries the signal; the Cold conductor carries an inverted copy of the same signal. At the receiving end, the differential amplifier subtracts Cold from Hot, doubling the signal level and canceling any noise that was induced equally on both conductors during transmission. This common-mode noise rejection (CMRR) allows balanced audio cables to run 100m+ without significant noise pickup — impossible with unbalanced (2-conductor) connections. Use balanced XLR connections for all microphone and line-level connections in professional audio environments.
XLR male connectors have pins (protruding contacts); XLR female connectors have sockets (recessed contacts). Convention: microphone outputs and equipment outputs use XLR male; microphone inputs and equipment inputs use XLR female. A microphone cable has XLR male on one end (connects to the microphone’s female output) and XLR female on the other end (connects to the mixer’s male input). This adapter (male-to-female) allows two female-ended cables to be connected, or reverses the gender at any point in the signal chain.
A high-quality gold-plated XLR adapter adds negligible resistance and no measurable noise to a balanced audio signal. The contact resistance of a gold-plated XLR connection is typically below 5mΩ — insignificant compared to the source and load impedances in a balanced audio circuit. For critical recording applications, minimize the number of connections in the signal chain, but a single inline adapter will not produce audible degradation.
Yes. Phantom power (+48V DC) is carried on XLR pins 2 and 3 relative to pin 1. A properly wired XLR inline adapter passes phantom power through without modification. Verify that the adapter’s contacts are rated for the phantom power voltage (48V DC) — standard XLR contacts are rated for 250V AC, well above the 48V phantom power requirement.
IEC 60268-12 (international standard): Pin 1 = Ground/Shield, Pin 2 = Hot (+, non-inverting), Pin 3 = Cold (-, inverting). This is the standard used by all major professional audio equipment manufacturers. Some older equipment (particularly vintage Neve and some European manufacturers) used Pin 3 = Hot, Pin 2 = Cold — connecting such equipment to standard Pin 2 Hot equipment reverses polarity, causing phase cancellation when mixed with other sources. Always verify the pin assignment of vintage equipment before connecting.
4, 10, or 20 pieces (select above) — gold-plated 3-pin XLR male to female inline adapters.
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3 Pin Connectors
