Benchmark RCA to XLRM Adapter Cable
Video start button with photo of John Siau and some cables on a wood box. Text reads Are Cables Snake Oil?
Benchmark RCA to XLRM Adapter Cable
Video start button with photo of John Siau and some cables on a wood box. Text reads Are Cables Snake Oil?
Benchmark RCA to XLRM Adapter Cable
Video start button with photo of John Siau and some cables on a wood box. Text reads Are Cables Snake Oil?

Benchmark RCA to XLRM Adapter Cable for Analog Audio - pin 3 to RCA shield

$46.00 USD
$46.00 USD
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Hand assembled in the USA
Top-Quality Connectors
Star-Quad Construction
Size:

SKU: 500-06903-550

Benchmark RCA to XLRM Adapter Cable for Analog Audio - pin 3 to RCA shield

CABLES ARE SOLD INDIVIDUALLY. 
Price is for one cable, order 2 for a stereo pair.

Benchmark Studio&Stage™ Analog XLR Cables combine the best cable, connectors, and construction techniques in order to offer performance that meets the demands of world-class studios, while providing the strength and reliability required for stage applications. Our professional cables are also well suited for hi-fi applications because they meet or exceed the electrical performance of the best high-end hi-fi cables.

This special adapter cable connects unbalanced analog RCA outputs to balanced analog XLR inputs. Do not use this cable with digital signals.

Input end is RCA-Male, output end is XLR-Male

Features

Applications

This special adapter cable connects unbalanced analog RCA outputs to balanced analog XLR inputs.

Use this cable to connect unbalanced line-level RCA analog audio outputs to the balanced analog audio inputs on an AHB2, LA4, HPA4 or an ADC1. May also be used to connect the unbalanced outputs on a DAC1,DAC2 or DAC3 converter to the balanced inputs on an amplifier (if the balanced outputs on the DAC are already in use). This adapter cable will work with electronically-balanced XLR inputs or with transformer-coupled XLR inputs. Do not use this cable with digital signals.

Special Wiring to Reduce Hum and Interference

  • Back-referenced audio ground - for common-mode rejection
  • Star-quad conductors - for magnetic immunity
  • Dedicated shield connection - for immunity to ground loop problems
  • RCA center pin to star-quad + to XLR pin 2
  • RCA ring to star-quad - to XLR pin 3
  • RCA ring to shield braid to XLR pin 1

How it Works

This adapter cable extends balanced wiring to the RCA connector using star-quad wire to maximize the effectiveness of the balanced input:  One half of the star-quad ties Pin 3 of the XLR to the shield of the RCA connector.  The other half of the star-quad ties pin 2 of the XLR to the center pin on the RCA.  The braided shield ties pin 1 of the XLR to the shield of the RCA.

Using this special wiring, a ground-loop between the two audio devices will produce a current in the braided shield, but not in the audio signal lines. This keeps ground-loop currents out of the critical signal lines and greatly reduces the potential for interference. The separate connection from the RCA ground to pin 1 of the XLR provides a dedicated path for the audio ground reference. This wiring leverages the common-mode rejection of the balanced XLR input to reduce conducted interference.

To reduce magnetic interference, the audio signal is carried on two twisted pairs arranged in a star-quad configuration. This star-quad configuration provides immunity to hum-inducing magnetic fields produced by nearby electronic devices.

This cable provides the best method for directly interfacing an unbalanced output to a balanced input. Do not confuse this cable with similar-looking RCA to XLR cables and adapters!

Benchmark Adapter Cables

Benchmark Adapter Cables combine the best cable, connectors, and construction techniques in order to offer high performance and excellent durability. Canare StarQuad L-4E6S Microphone and Audio Line Cable is flexible, satin smooth to the touch, and extra strong. The cable offers excellent immunity to hum-inducing magnetic fields (due to 4-conductor StarQuad construction), excellent shielding from RF interference (due to high-density braided shield), very low handling noise (due to internal construction), excellent flexibility (due to 40-strand conductors and special super-flexible insulation), and extended frequency response (due to low capacitance). Benchmark Adapter Cables are handcrafted with true silver solder, using gold-contact Neutrik premium series connectors. These are the most reliable XLR connectors available - providing excellent contact quality, strain relief, pullout resistance, and durability. A Benchmark-branded sleeve is your assurance that you have purchased a genuine Benchmark Adapter Cable.

Designed, Assembled, and Tested in the USA

This Benchmark product was designed, assembled, and tested in the USA using USA and imported components.

California Proposition 65 Warning Warning: Click here for California safety warnings.

Additional Information

N/A

  • 21 AWG effective AWG of combined twin conductors
  • 24 AWG, 40-strand copper conductors, Qty. 4
  • Special cross-linked PE insulation
  • Flexible in extreme cold weather
  • High-density (> 95% ) TAC braided copper shield
  • Conductor DC Resistance: < 29.9 Ohms / 1000 ft.
  • Shield DC Resistance: < 9.1 Ohms / 1000 ft.
  • Capacitance between twin blue and white conductors: 46 pF / ft.
  • Capacitance between conductors and shield: 56 pF / ft.
  • Nominal Impedance: 44 Ohms
  • Hand assembled in the USA with true silver solder
  • Input end is RCA-Male, output end is XLR-Male

Overall rating: 5.0 / 5 from 13 reviews.

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Review highlights

Reviews

These are superb cables at

"These are superb cables at a reasonable price. Significantly improved the sound of my Magnum Dynalab tuner when used to connect its RCA outputs to XLR inputs of the fully balanced preamp. And customer service is also excellent."

— Vincent G. (5/5)

So good

"So good"

— Cheng-En C. (5/5)

Works great! Exactly what I

"Works great! Exactly what I needed to go from an analog tube preamp to my AHB2 amp."

— Gene S. (5/5)

It fixed all my problems

"So happy. All my hums / bzzzz problems fixed. I don't believe that cables sounds better or worse, but this one does what it promises: if fixes noise transmission problems when moving from a non balanced connection to a balanced one, controlling transmission induced noise. My exact application was to connect the RCA front channel pre-outputs of an Onkyo TX-RZ70 to a pair of Hypex Nilais 500 that only take XLR inputs: sounds beautiful, no noise, no signal attenuation! The cable quality is great. Totally recommended!!!"

— Ignacio (5/5)

Great cables

"Very high quality. They work much better than expected. No degradation in sound."

— Gary (5/5)

Worked as expected

"well-made cable. Provided high-quality audio"

— SteveE (5/5)

Excellent quality cables and a

"Excellent quality cables and a perfect match to my application: feeding dual mono amps (Nelson Pass ACS Amp Camp Amps) that require balanced XLR input from a preamp unbalanced RCA outputs (Wiim Pro Plus). Couldn't be more pleased!"

— Eric B. (5/5)

Very happy with the purchase.

"Very happy with the purchase. Sound is rich and warm. Did not think cables could make such a difference."

— Wayne M. (5/5)

Cables were shipped out promptly,

"Cables were shipped out promptly, appear well made, and sound fine. Thank you Benchmark!"

— Mark (5/5)

When I got the pair

"When I got the pair of XLR-RCA and the speaker cables(with the locking bananas on both ends) ,I was so excited that I replaced them simultaneously. So I cannot say which influence is greater and can only guess the speaker cables are, through their improved DF.In short, what I heard was clearer, more transparent and vivid sound than before.I am a bit scared to say this because changing cables had never brought such a change as far as I remember.Maybe I would never be annoyed by cables any more."

— Makoto.H. (5/5)

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