you can use either one. for hooking up to pro gear, often a 1/4" to XLR cable is what you will use. then you have the RCA free to go to something else, or to a recording device or something.

for home use, RCA to RCA will be just fine

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Last edited by Briden on Jul-08-2005 at 14:07

All these different connectors and connections get a little confusing can someone give some quick definition/descripiton of things like phono plug, jack, balanced and un-balanced.

quote:

Originally posted by Sound O fTrance Hello all, I am going to recieve my PCV-275 within the next 3-4 weeks, and was wondering why there are to different types of outputs in the back of the Vestax? (one RCA and another 1/8th) Which output would I use to plug into my stereo AUX input on my stereo? Would audio from my turntables just require a two headed RCA cable from the output of my mixer to the input AUX on my stereo? What could the 1/8th socket be used for? Here is a picture of the Master outputs in the back for a better idea, thanks in advance.

MASTER OUT 2 (RCA) from mixer connects to AUX input (RCA) on stereo.

Turntables have RCA cables and ground wires attached. One turntable connects to PHONO 3 on the mixer and the second turntable connects to PHONO 1 on the mixer. Don't forget to connect the ground wires to the mixer. You do not connect your turntables directly to your stereo.

i have the 1/4 phone jacks going to the line-in on my PC and the RCAs going to the line-in on my stereo. works for me.

what type of sound card do you have that gives you 1/4 phono plugs in your computer? Even with my two sound cards that have connection up the yingyang the 1/4 jack that ihave is for headphones....which is an output.

I have a sound blaster audigy 2 platinum, it's a few years old, but it still has everything I will ever need. It has 1/4 inch input and output (microphone and headphones respectively) but they work fine for any other purpose.


XLR is a standard production microphone cable, and has three prongs. You generally need to have REALLY high end DJ equipment to be using these.
1/4 (aka quarter inch, or stereo plug) is a fairly thick cable with a big metal connector on the end.
1/8 (aka eighth inch, or stereo mini-plug) looks the same as a quarter inch but just smaller.
NOTE: if the quarter or eighth inch plugs have two bands it is stereo, if it is one then it is mono.
RCA phono are what's most prominent in homes and is sometimes known as the "red and white" cables. If you are using both red and white , it's stereo. If it's just white, it's mono.
SPDIF looks the same as an RCA but I believe it is digital and has stereo in just one cable (instead of having two like RCA). I don't know much about SPDIF as I have never used it.
Optical as far as I know, optical is the most advanced cable used for audio use. they are rather stiff (since they have mirrors inside) and are very rare in most equipment. You don't really need it unless you are doing high quality recording.
MIDI is used for plugging in keyboards or other "MIDI controllers" to devices.

Please correct me if anything is wrong. But that's pretty much all the cables.

1/4" TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) is mono, even though there are 3 contacts and wires. It is a single channel, left or right, with 2 signal wires (+ and -) plus ground. The opposite polarities of the signal reduces noise and interference, and makes it balanced. You need two of these for stereo. This mixer appears to have balanced TRS.

1/4" TS (Tip-Sleeve) is mono, with only 2 contacts and wires. It has only one signal wire plus ground, which makes it unbalanced. This mixer does not seem to have this.

A single RCA is mono and unbalanced, like the 1/4" TS. A double RCA makes stereo, but is still unbalanced. This is used on all DJ mixers.

to add, balanced cables i believe can have a longer reach as where RCA's (un-balanced) will loose sound quality.

Jay

Just a minor correction, which incidently has nothing to do with Djing, but the highest type of audio connection is currently HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) and carries a HD digital video and digital audio signal in one cable. The DVI (Digital Video Interface) cable is being quickly replaced by HDMI. Also, for home theater there is often the choice between 5.1 RCA audio and optical (digital). This is a shady area and often times the analog 5.1 RCA will provide better sound if the encoder/decoder in the DVD player/Reciever isn't top-of-the-line. The only note is that 5.1 RCA (5 cables; left main, right main, left rear, right rear, center and the 0.1 is the subwoofer) is not the same as stereo RCA (red/white--2 cable).

Anyway, XLR isn't necessarily only used for "high-end" equipment. The utility of this cable is that there is very little signal loss due to the extremely low resistance in the cable. RCA cables by comparison have a much higher resistance and therefor cannot carry signals very far without a large amount of signal loss. XLR can therefor be used if you are wiring your systems together that are not in the same room or are in small/large clubs etc. (ie DJ equipment to computer, then computer to main stereo system on the otherside of your house.) It is not the balancing or unbalancing nature of the cable that does this, as noted above, it is the ultra-low resistance of the wire.

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