Monitor connection question

[leschirons]

Nearly there regarding getting properly started, just waiting for another P.C. to come back after upgrade. Have scored a pair of Mackie HR624 Mk2 monitors.  There are different options for connecting the input on these, XLR, 1/4 jack or RCA plug.  I have 1/4 jack to RCA cables to use from the Steinberg UR22 to the Mackies, but is there any difference in what type of connection I use? or,  is it totally unimportant?  I have cables which are 1/4 jack to XLR,  1/4 jack to 1/4 jack and the 1/4 jack to RCA. I've so far chosen the RCA route as the cables are shorter and less of a mess to be honest.

[Dad3353]

Mostly a question of robustness, I'd say. Electrically, if the inputs/outputs are designed for 'em, I see no issues, but if they're to be plugged/unplugged a lot, the Xlr would be my first choice, followed by jacks, and Rca (phono plugs...) very much last. If they're to be plugged in, then left alone, no problem. There are oodles of hifi systems plugged in like that, which work perfectly well.

Hope this helps. 

[Baceface]

Sorry to crash in on this thread @leschirons but I have a similar question...

I have a Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 interface connected to some Yamaha MSP5 Monitors.
The speakers have some background hiss/noise which increases with higher volumes. 

The KA6 has only ¼" jack outputs, which I believe are balanced. The MSP5 inputs are either  ¼" jack or XLR, again balanced.
Being an idiot, I've just bunged some regular, mono jack leads in to connect them.  My questions are:

1. Is there a decent chance that I can reduce the noise by using balanced cables?
2. If so, is it better to buy XLR > ¼" jack cables, or would a standard, TRS stereo ¼" jack > ¼" jack do exactly the same job?

From what I've read, the ¼" jack stereo cable (I might even have some somewhere) should be the same, with the second connection being used as the balancing "doodad" (check out my electronics chops!) while the XLR is doing the same thing but is a more professional/robust connection. However, I might be wrong (and often am).

[lurksalot]

16 minutes ago, Baceface said:

Sorry to crash in on this thread @leschirons but I have a similar question...

I have a Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 interface connected to some Yamaha MSP5 Monitors.
The speakers have some background hiss/noise which increases with higher volumes. 

The KA6 has only ¼" jack outputs, which I believe are balanced. The MSP5 inputs are either  ¼" jack or XLR, again balanced.
Being an idiot, I've just bunged some regular, mono jack leads in to connect them.  My questions are:

1. Is there a decent chance that I can reduce the noise by using balanced cables?
2. If so, is it better to buy XLR > ¼" jack cables, or would a standard, TRS stereo ¼" jack > ¼" jack do exactly the same job?

From what I've read, the ¼" jack stereo cable (I might even have some somewhere) should be the same, with the second connection being used as the balancing "doodad" (check out my electronics chops!) while the XLR is doing the same thing but is a more professional/robust connection. However, I might be wrong (and often am).

Try the balanced leads jack cables first , I get the hiss if my piano is also connected to the inputs with ‘mono’ unbalanced jack leads , when I remove them from the interface input the noise disappears .

i will one day change these leads for balanced 

[Dad3353]

25 minutes ago, Baceface said:

...From what I've read, the ¼" jack stereo cable (I might even have some somewhere) should be the same, with the second connection being used as the balancing "doodad" (check out my electronics chops!) while the XLR is doing the same thing but is a more professional/robust connection...

This ^^ is correct. A mono jack has the signal delivered through the tip, the sleeve is the ground (earth...) connection, and doubles in carrying the signal 'return' path. A TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve...) jack has the signal delivered by the tip, and returned by the ring. The sleeve has only the grounding to do. The signal is less likely to be perturbed with this method.
A balanced Xlr does the same thing in a more robust (and 'lockable') connector. Go with the 2 x TRS jack cable if you're not going to be plugging in and out often.
Hope this helps. 

[Baceface]

5 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

This ^^ is correct. A mono jack has the signal delivered through the tip, the sleeve is the ground (earth...) connection, and doubles in carrying the signal 'return' path. A TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve...) jack has the signal delivered by the tip, and returned by the ring. The sleeve has only the grounding to do. The signal is less likely to be perturbed with this method.
A balanced Xlr does the same thing in a more robust (and 'lockable') connector. Go with the 2 x TRS jack cable if you're not going to be plugging in and out often.
Hope this helps. 

Brilliant! Thanks @Dad3353 and @lurksalot
Unfortunately, I've just had a ratch in my box-o-leads and the stereo ones have either gone or I just imagined that I owned them. I'll get some ordered. The noise is not intolerable but a bit more than I was expecting from monitor speakers. Of course, it might be the less than optimal positioning of the stuff I have that's contributing. Thanks again for the help.
 

[Dad3353]

[leschirons]

13 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

Mostly a question of robustness, I'd say. Electrically, if the inputs/outputs are designed for 'em, I see no issues, but if they're to be plugged/unplugged a lot, the Xlr would be my first choice, followed by jacks, and Rca (phono plugs...) very much last. If they're to be plugged in, then left alone, no problem. There are oodles of hifi systems plugged in like that, which work perfectly well.

Hope this helps. 

Thanks, I'll stick with the RCAs then for the moment. There will be no need to unplug them.

[Dad3353]

[BigRedX]

You should always use the balanced connections if both the interface and speakers have them.

[Leonard Smalls]

There should be no hiss or noise due to a short run of unbalanced cable... If your cable runs are less than about 3m I'd check that there isn't a coil, or a tangle with a mains lead or perhaps it's too close to a wall wart power supply.

If not, remake the connections -clean if necessary, make sure you haven't got too much gain going into them or that the speakers themselves haven't got too much gain or treble boost.

[Sibob]

As has been mentioned above I expect (just skimmed it):

RCA - Always unbalanced, even if there is a different connection on one of the ends. Lower output (quieter)
Jacks - Either balanced (two black stripes on tip), or unbalanced (1 black stripe). 
XLR - Always balanced

Unbalanced cables will be more susceptible to noise from longer cable lengths and external factors (other electronics in the vicinity, bad power supplies, dodgy lighting etc), if yours are quiet, no bother, but changing to balanced cables is generally the first port of call if noise starts appearing in your signal between interface and monitors.
As mentioned above, balanced cables will also give you a little more output, allowing you to not have to drive your monitors as hard.

Si

Edited March 5, 2020 by Sibob