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The Ultimate Guide to Audio

Connectors and Cables
Zach March 16, 2020 13 comments

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If you’re a musician or someone working in the sound industry, chances are you’re
going to come across different audio connectors or cables. All these colorful little
wires might leave you wondering what a specific cable is used for. In this guide, I’ll be
walking you through all the different types of audio connectors and cables you might
come across. I’ll break down what each connector is commonly used for, and get into
the technical aspects of cables and wiring as well. I’ve split the article up into two
sections, the first deals with the different types of audio connectors, and the second
deals with audio cabling. If you’re only looking for information on cables – feel free to
jump ahead!

Audio Connectors

Audio Connectors
Male vs Female Connectors
Before we get into each connection type, one thing you should know is that all connectors
come with what we refer to as a male and female end. Male connectors fit into female
connectors, and female connectors receive male ones. Keep this in mind where you see a
reference to a male or female connector, or if you see an image of a connector and thing
“that doesn’t look like the connector” – it might be that you’re thinking of the male
connector but looking at the female part.

In general, you’ll find the female connection built-into the device or equipment you’re
plugging the cable into. However, sometimes you might use a female connector as a
means to extend two or more cables to create one longer one.

TRS vs TS Connectors
You might have also come across a cable labeled as either “TRS” or “TS” and wondered
what those mean, or what the difference between the two is.

TRS stands for Tip, Ring, Sleeve. As you might have guessed, TS, therefore, stands for Tip
and Sleeve. Here is a diagram illustrating the two connectors side by side:

As you can see, a TRS connector has 3 contact points, whereas a TS connector only has 2.
What does this all mean? It means that a TRS connector can carry a balanced signal, while
the TS signal is unbalanced. A TRS connector will also be able to carry stereo sound, while
a TS connector will be mono. For more information on TRS cabling, click here to skip
ahead to that section.

Connector Types
If you’re looking for information on a specific connector, simply click on the picture
below to jump straight to it.
 If you’re looking for information on a specific connector, simply click on the connector
listed below to jump straight to it.

¼ inch Connector

Also called an instrument cable or guitar cable

The ¼ connector looks very similar to that of a 3.5mm headphone jack but is actually
larger in size (6.3mm). It’s a very common connector used for musical instruments
(especially guitars), as well as speakers, amplifiers, effect pedals, and mixing consoles.

This connector comes either in a TS or TRS design. As mentioned previously, you’ll use the
¼ inch TRS connector for balanced audio lines and stereo sound.

You’ll usually find that a ¼ inch cable comes with male connectors on both ends of the
cable. One goes into the instrument and the other into the amp or pedalboard.

3.5mm Connector
 Also called a 1/8-inch, mini cable, headphone jack or AUX cable

A 3.5mm connector is most commonly used for audio on smartphones, portable devices,
and computers. The two rings on the connector are for carrying right and left stereo
sound. For earphones with a built-in microphone, you’ll see the connector has a third ring.
This third ring also allows an audio signal to be carried.

XLR Connector

Also called a microphone cable/lead, cannon cable/ lead

The XLR connector can be used for balanced audio signals in a variety of audio
applications such as microphones, amplifiers, mixers and monitor speakers.

The XLR connector comes in a variety of designs ranging between three and seven pins
(for male connectors) or holes (for female connectors). The most common design in audio
equipment is the three-pin XLR.

Fun Fact: The XLR connector was originally invented by Cannon Electric. They first
released the Cannon X range, followed by the Cannon XL (which featured a locking
switch), and finally the Cannon XLR, which later became known as just an XLR. This is why
you might sometimes hear this connector being referred to as a “cannon connector”.
SpeakON Connector

Also called a Neutriks cable/connector

The XLR connector can be used for balanced audio signals in a variety of audio
applications such as microphones, amplifiers, mixers and monitor speakers. Originally
manufactured by a company called Neutrik, the SpeakON cable was designed to take high
current signals, and connect loudspeakers to amplifiers. A noticeable design feature is that
the SpeakON connector has a locking system that prevents them from disconnecting
easily or accidentally. They’re ideal for live music events where there are a lot of people
and fumbling over cables might take place. The XLR connector can be used for balanced
audio signals in a variety of audio applications such as microphones, amplifiers, mixers
and monitor speakers.

RCA Connector

Also called phono connectors and sometimes (incorrectly) referred to as an AUX

cable.

The RCA connector is most commonly used in HiFi systems and other home audio
equipment. It is an unbalanced, mono connector that you’ll also find on DJ mixers. RCA
connectors are made up of 2 connectors, one for left side audio, and the other for the
right. They’re commonly found in the colors of red and white, but this is not always the
case.
Fun Fact! RCA stands for Radio Corporation of America, which developed this connection.
In the 1940s, the RCA replaced the ¼ inch TRS connectors on phonographs which allowed
them to be connected to amplifiers. This is why you’ll sometimes hear this connector
being called a phono connector.

MIDI Connector

Known just as a MIDI connector.

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) cables are mostly used by electronic musicians
and DJs. In a home studio setting, you’re likely to use a MIDI cable to connect your MIDI
controller/ keyboard, to a MIDI interface, which then connects to your computer. The
purpose of the connection is that it allows you to control the virtual instruments within
your DAW. However, with the introduction of USB connectors to the audio industry, MIDI
cables aren’t being used as often. This is because USB cables are able to transfer MIDI data
directly to your computer.

TOSLINK® Connector and Mini TOSLINK ® Connector

Also called optical audio connectors/ cables

TOSLINK, a registered trademark, was developed by Toshiba. It was originally intended for
use with Toshiba’s CD players but has since been adopted by other manufacturers too.
You’ll generally find these connections on DVD/ Blu-ray players, cable boxes, as well as
videogame consoles. Additionally, the Mini TOSLINK connector, which is commonly found
on Apple computers and audio devices, features a longer pin to that of its standard
version.

Banana Connector

Also called banana plug/ jack/ socket or 4mm connector.

Banana connectors are used to create connectors on bare speaker wires. Typically, you’ll
find two types of terminals on your speakers – The first is a clip type where you slide the
bare wire directly into the clip. The second type, which your banana connector fits into is
called a five-way binding post. Five-way binding posts are generally gold plated, more
durable, and you’ll likely find them on your more mid to high-end speakers. Pictured
below is an image of the clip-type as well as the five-way binding post type:

Banana connectors come in a variety of sizes and types to accommodate different wire
gauges. The benefit of adding banana connectors to your speaker wire, rather than using
the bare wire, is a permanent, high-quality connection. Often bare wire connections
become unreliable as they pull out or fray over time – which can then affect the sound
quality. By using a banana connector on your speaker wire instead, it not only looks more
aesthetically pleasing but ensures the wires will last longer.

USB-C Connector
 Also called USB Type-C

USB connectors come in a variety of types. In this guide, we’ll be looking at just USB-C
type as they’re the most relevant. The idea behind the USB-C connector was to create a
universal standard connection you could use across all your devices. While great in theory,
it hasn’t quite worked out, with many experiencing connection issues.

With more companies abandoning the headphone jack, the USB-C connector gives you
the means to still connect your headphones – should you wish to use a wired connection
over wireless.

You’ll find this connection port on many of the newer Android phones, as well as Apple’s
latest MacBooks. Some portable Bluetooth speakers are also starting to include this
connection for their charging ports.

HDMI Connector

Also called an HD cable

Most people will have come across the HDMI connector by now. HDMI stands for High
Definition Multimedia Interface and provides high-quality audio and visual transmission.
It’s mostly used with HD TV’s, gaming consoles, Blu-ray players, as well as cable boxes. The
HDMI connector replaced the RCA connectors, which meant devices would only need to
have one connection port for an HDMI connector, rather than two (or three for audio and
visual) RCA ports for RCA connectors.
Wireless Connectors
Now that we’ve covered all the common wired audio connector types, it’s worth
mentioning the two most common wireless connector types too.

Bluetooth

Nearly all new speakers and headphones releasing today are Bluetooth enabled.
This allows you to ditch the cables and listen to music wirelessly. While
convenient, Bluetooth is still inferior to wired connections in terms of audio
quality. Bluetooth connectivity definitely has its place in the portable speaker
world but is not a replacement (or at least, shouldn’t be) for wired connections.

WiFi

I guess you could say WiFi is the new kid on the block. We’re starting to see more
speakers being WiFi-enabled, particularly smart speakers. WiFi provides a better
connection to that of Bluetooth as it offers a further range and better sound
quality. WiFi is better for linking multiple speakers to a network (such as you
would with multi-room speakers), whereas Bluetooth is better suited for just a
single speaker experience.

Audio Cables

Moving along to the different types of audio cables, we’ll be looking at all the various
aspects when it comes to cabling. I’ve separated this into easy-to-read sections so that
by the end of this guide, you’ll have a really good understanding of audio cables.

Analog vs Digital Cables

 Analog vs Digital Cables
The very first thing to know about audio cables is that you’ll find two different types:
analog and digital. What’s the difference between the two you might ask? Analog
cables transmit the information using electricity, whereas digital cables transmit
information through a long string of binary code (1’s and 0’s). Keep reading below to
find out which of the connectors we spoke about above are analog and which are
digital.

Analog Audio Cables

Within this category, there are two types of analog cables: balanced and unbalanced. We
use balanced cables for microphones and audio equipment, whereas instruments such as
an electric guitar will use an unbalanced cable.

Balanced vs Unbalanced Analog Cables

Now you might be wondering, what does a balanced signal mean and why is it important?
Simply put – a balanced cable reduces noise, while an unbalanced cable does not.

For a more technical explanation:

When you have a balanced cable, both the positive and negative wires receive identical
versions of a signal. While they receive identical versions of the signal, the polarity of the
negative wire is inverted. As the signal travels along both wires inside the cable, both wires
gather noise. This is true for both balanced and unbalanced cables. However, before they
re-combine at the end of the cable, the polarity of the negative wire is flipped back to
positive. The opposite polarities then cancel each other out, which in turn leaves the
signal noise-free.

This should raise the question of: “if an unbalanced cable is noisier – why use them?”

Due to the way electric guitars and various other musical instruments are designed,
starting off with a balanced signal isn’t always possible. Oftentimes you’ll find guitar
cables tend to get too noisy beyond 20-25 feet. To correct this, you’ll need to use a direct
box (also sometimes called direct injection) to convert the signal.

Balanced vs Unbalanced Analog Connectors

In the first half of this article I spoke about the various types of audio connectors, and
which of those are analog, and more specifically which of those are balanced or
unbalanced analog.

The XLR and TRS connectors I mentioned above are both balanced analog connectors.
They have 3 wires being positive, negative, and ground. Remember an XLR connector has
3 separate pins, while the TRS connector has 3 contact points.

Finally, the RCA, TS, SpeakON, and Banana connectors are unbalanced analog connectors.

TRS vs TS Cabling
After looking at TRS vs TS cabling, you might be imagining what they actually look like.
Above is an image of a TRS cable, which has two separate wires, and a TS cable, which has
only one. The way that each cable will be wired to the connector is as follows:

In a TRS cable the wiring will be:

Tip – positive

Ring – Negative

Sleeve – Ground.

However, in a TS cable the wiring will look like this:

Tip – positive

Sleeve – Ground.

Heres a video to sum up balanced vs unbalanced audio cables:

Digital Audio Cables
Moving along to digital cables: they’re pretty straightforward, and unlike analog cables,
you don’t need to understand how they work in order to use them correctly. There’s no
useful purpose of going into the schematics of digital cables so I’ve left them out.
However, there are a variety of digital cable types, so being able to identify them can be
useful. The digital connectors we looked at in this guide are MIDI, TOSLINK (optical), USB,
and HDMI. For more information on each type, jump back up to the first half of this guide
where we discussed each connector.

One important thing to note about digital cables is that its best to keep them on the
shorter side. Longer digital cables have a greater chance of working incorrectly.

Audio Cable Shielding

Audio cable shielding is a metal shielding that protects (or shields) the core wires inside
the cable which transmit the original sound. The reason that shielding is vital is that
certain radio or electromagnetic frequencies can disturb the path of an audio signal
resulting in unwanted noise. When it comes to audio cable shielding, there are three
different types of shields which we will look at below:

Braided Shielding

As the name suggests, braided shielding consists of copper wire strands braided around
the original signal conductor wires. This type of shield offers between 50% to 97%
protection, depending on the angle of the braid, the number of picks, as well as the rate at
which they were applied. While braided shielding provides great protection against
unwanted noise, these cables tend to be less flexible and more prone to damage or
breaking when twisted or bent. Due to this, braided shield cables are generally used for
more permanent installations where they will not be rolled or twisted.

Serve Shielding

Serve Shedding, also known as ‘spiral-wrapped’ shielding is similar to the braided

shielding in that it is also made of copper strands. However, with serve shielding, the
copper strands rather than being braided together, are wrapped around the original signal
conductor. They’re more flexible and therefore better suited for live performances. While
they are more flexible than braided cables, they do provide less protection against Radio
frequencies (RFI).

Foil Shielding

Finally, we have foil shielding. This type of shielding provides 100% protection. It consists
of a thin layer of aluminum foil in addition to a copper line. The metal-to-metal contact of
the aluminum and copper increases the effectiveness, but the copper line decreases the
flexibility of the cable. You’ll often find this type of shielding in digital audio cabling.

Conclusion
That wraps up this guide! I hope you’ve found this information useful, that it has
answered many of your questions, or simply added to your knowledge. If there’s
anything I’ve left out or perhaps a question I didn’t answer, please let me know down
in the comment section below and I’ll be sure to get back to you!

To summarise all the audio connectors I’ve discussed in this guide, I’ve put everything
into a quick-reference table below:
83
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 Written by
Zach
Zach is a South African-based writer, audiophile, and PC enthusiast. When
he's not writing for Audiostance, you'll find him reading and re-enacting
scenes from the Lord of the Rings.

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13 comments
Alex Sze
June 7, 2020 at 9:54 am
Which cable produce better sound system for home theater receiver, HDMI or Optical Cable?

REPLY

audiostance
June 8, 2020 at 11:38 am

Hi Alex,

Thanks for getting in touch!

HDMI is going to be the better choice for home theater. While both HDMI and
optical can pass multi-channel audio, like Dolby Digital, HDMI can pass higher-
resolution audio. This includes Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio, formats
found on Blu-ray. Optical can’t transmit these formats.

Hope that helps!

REPLY

David
August 19, 2021 at 1:50 am

Hi,

I am having difficulty figuring out whether or not I can find an adapter for hooking up my
ancient reel-to-reel audio tape player to my computer. The plug size is larger than 3.5 mm and
smaller than a 1/4 TS. The microphone plug looks similar to the 1/4 TS, and even has the
single ring at the top…but it’s smaller. I’m so frustrated.

REPLY

Cameron Schooley
December 13, 2021 at 10:23 pm

I’m at the end of my rope. I’ve reached the tentative conclusion that “it can’t be done”, but
what I’m trying to accomplish for my wife is connect a plantronics headset C510-M which
terminates in a male USB plug – to a Yeti Microphone that has a 3.5mm headphone plug.
Obviously, the Yeti does not use the signal from the Plantronics microphone. Is there a …
gadget … that will connect the two?

REPLY

Randolph Capili
January 10, 2022 at 8:45 am

Good day. I came across this website discussing audio connectors and cables. Suggest you
could also discuss and describe the types of matching connectors (male & female) found at
the back of the AVT Car Multimedia System where we can connect inputs and outputs to
certain devices such as Audio-Video systems which uses still the RCA technology.

REPLY

M Mason
February 12, 2022 at 10:00 pm

Very informative and helpful – thanks so much!

REPLY

Lulu
April 30, 2022 at 9:39 pm

Hey Zack, Thanks for your fun and up-beat info! Can you explain about the colours involved in
connecting transducers to an Amp? The Pyle Amp has red and black with + and – markings …
the transducers (for use in Sonatherapy) have 2 little wires that are white and green&white,
without markings !! ??

REPLY

Abhijit
May 20, 2022 at 12:19 pm

Is the 3.5mm TRRS plug of an Apple earbud different from that of other (Android) earbuds ?

REPLY

Dee Kay
June 3, 2022 at 5:34 am

Help please!!! I have a 1971 “The Fisher 28” turntable/radio, that I inherited from my mother
(and ALL her albums and hundreds of 45’s from the 1950’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s). My brother
packaged it up and sent it to me, and I told him I did not want the large speakers (no room in
my small house, and I have Bose bookshelf 201 speakers that are amazing). But, I should have
 asked him to measure the terminals or cut the cord off the speakers and send them too. I have
no idea what size they are, but they are NOT RCA. My RCA plugs do not fit into the turntable
female receiver end where the speakers should plug in. So I have no idea what size they are
but smaller than 3.5mm, but not too much smaller. Any idea what size I need or what I am
looking for? Thank you very much.

REPLY

Tammy Knight
June 3, 2022 at 7:58 pm

tammyknight42@gmail.com

REPLY

Ken Trethewey
September 20, 2022 at 12:23 pm

Your site is great. I have been looking for this for a long time. However, soon after starting you
talked about a balanced and an unbalanced audio signal. Please explain…

REPLY

Ken Trethewey
September 20, 2022 at 12:27 pm

OK, Sorry. Now I find the balanced explanation…!

REPLY

Marc Frampton
September 22, 2022 at 1:29 am

I’m trying to connect a CD player to my auto speakers.

Is there a cable with a USB-A connector at one end and a 3.5mm connector made by
someone?

REPLY

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