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Cannon XLR connector — IEC 61076-2-103
XLR is a type of electrical connector, developed in the 1950s
by Cannon (ITT)
and primarily used with audio-visual and stage lighting
equipment. The circular connectors have between 3 and 7 contacts, and are also
used for control, low-voltage power supplies and other applications [1].
Although the official name for these connectors is XLR – named after Cannon's
X-series connectors – they are also referred to as Cannon connectors. They
are made by many manufacturers though.
Below are the most common pin layouts and wiring schemes.
When describing the gender of the connectors (pins or holes), it is common to
add a suffix to the plug name, such as '/M' (male) or '/P' (plug) for pins,
and '/F' (female) or '/S' (socket) for holes.
In the descriptions below we use '/P' and '/S', e.g. XLR-5/S for a 5-pin
female XLR connector.
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Layout Audio Headsets Lighting Power
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This is arguably the most common type of XLR connecor. It is used
for balanced audio signals in microphones, mixers, amplifiers, etc.
It is also used for intercoms and for low-voltage power supplies,
although in the latter case the pinout is not unambiguous.
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The 4-pin XLR is often used for low-voltage power supplies
– typically 12V DC – and is used with professional audio and
video equipment, in particular with camera's. The pin-out is
unambiguous and it should be preferred over 3-pin XLR.
4-pin XLR is also used for headphones and headsets,
in particular with stage intercoms.
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The 5-pin XLR is most commonly used for lighting control, in
particular when using the DMX512 standard. They are also used
for stereo microphones (using two balanced pairs and a common
ground) and for various kinds of DC power supply.
In some cases, this connector is also used for intercoms,
especially when stereo is required.
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6-pin XLR is commonly used for dual-channel intercom systems and
for stage lighting control applications. It is also used for professional
stereo headphones with a balanced microphone (boom), and for a variety
of special purpose devices.
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7-pin XLR is used for the connection of (some) valve-based condenser
microphones, and carries their signal as well as the LT and HT voltages
for the valves (tubes). It is also used for the remote control of certain
Le Maitre and Ultratec fog machines, and for a variety of special purpose
devices.
Crypto Museum has adopted the 7-pin XLR for the connection of
vintage POTS telephone sets to (wartime) speech scramblers,
such as the SA-5030 dial phone
and the Frequency Changer 6AC.
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Mono balanced audio
XLR 3
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This is the most common XLR plug for audio signals. It can be used for
microphones as well as line-level signals. Male chassis parts are normally
used for output (e.g. at the bottom of a microphone), whilst the input is
isually a female socket (e.g. on a studio mixer).
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- Ground (shield)
- Audio (+) (H) (hot)
- Audio (–) (L) (cold)
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Mono unbalanced audio
XLR 3
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If an unbalanced source (e.g. a microphone) is connected to a balanced input,
the shield (ground) should be connected to pins 1 and 3.
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- Ground (shield)
- Audio (+) (H) (hot)
- Connected to 1
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This is the most common wiring for a stage intercom, such as Clear-Com
and other Clear-Com compatibly wired intercoms.
In most cases the headset cable is fitted with an XLR-4/P connector.
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- MIC GND (shield)
- MIC signal (hot)
- Headphone (H)
- Headphone (L)
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Despite the commonly accepted standard shown above, some manufacturers,
in particular the largest one – Riedel – uses XLR-4/P connectors on its
equipment, in which case the headset cable has to be fitted with an
XLR-4/S connector. The pinout is identical however.
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- MIC GND (shield)
- MIC signal (hot)
- Headphone (H)
- Headphone (L)
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Stereo headset with microphone
XLR 5
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This is the most common wiring when a 5-pin XLR is used for intercom
applications, but note that the microphone is unbalanced. A standard DMX
extension cable can be used for the wiring.
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- MIC GND
- MIC signal
- Headphone common
- Headphone Left
- Headphone Right
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Stereo headset with balanced microphone
XLR 5
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This wiring scheme is used by Beyerdynamic, for example when its DT-290
headset is used with the K 190.41 cable. A 5-pin male connector is used
on the headset cable, and a female socket on the equipment.
This scheme should be used when the headset has a balanced microphone.
Note that a common ground (3) is used for microphone and speakers.
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- MIC-H
- MIC-L
- Headphone & MIC GND
- Headphone Left
- Headphone Right
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Stereo headset with balanced microphone
XLR 6
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- MIC-L
- MIC-H
- Headphone common
- Headphone Left
- Headphone Right
- MIC ground
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Stereo headset with balanced microphone
XLR 7
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- MIC GND
- MIC-H
- MIC-L
- Headphone Left (L)
- Headphone Left (H)
- Headphone Right (H)
- Headphone Right (L)
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- Signal Common
- Data 1 (–) (primary data link)
- Data 1 (+) (primary data link)
- Data 2 (–) (optional secondary data link)
- Data 2 (+) (optional secondary data link)
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This connector is not endorsed by the DMX512 standard, but is nevertheless
commonly used.
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- Signal Common
- Data 1 (–) (primary data link)
- Data 1 (+) (primary data link)
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Below are some wiring schemes for supplying low DC voltages (typically 12V DC)
to (professional) equipment. Although 3-pin XLR is often used as a low-cost
power connector, it is recommended to use 4-pin XLR instead, as its wiring
scheme is unambiguous. The receptable that
is fitted to the chassis of the device that must be powered, is always of
the plug-type (male), as shown here.
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- 0V (ground)
- not connected
- not connected
- +12V
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Although the wiring scheme below is often used with (professional) equipment,
it is by no means standard. The use of 3-pin XLR for power supply is therefore
strongly discouraged.
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- 0V (ground)
- not connected or +12V 1
- +12V
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When using this wiring scheme, it is recommended to connect
pin 2 to pin 3, so that they both carry 12V. This allows a
standard microphone cable to be used for supplying power to a
device, and avoids damage should it accidentally be plugged
into a microphone.
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Even worse than the above wiring scheme, is the British one
for using XLR3 for power supply, as the (+) and (-) terminals
are reversed. This might cause serious damage to equipment to
which it is connected. Unfortunately, this 'standard' has
meanwhile been adopted by manufacturers of cheap power supply
units, especially from China.
Avoid this wiring scheme whenever possible.
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© Crypto Museum. Created: Friday 02 April 2021. Last changed: Monday, 10 June 2024 - 07:00 CET.
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