Cables are essentially just pieces of wire and come
in various configurations e.g. shielded, 2 core, 3 core etc..
The type of cable and the type of plug/connector on the end defines how they should
be used.
Line Level cables & Jack plugs
These are generally shielded single/double core
cables terminated in mono/stereo jack plugs. Typically used for guitars,
effect units etc.
Balanced Cables & XLRs
Balanced cables are shielded 3 core cables
terminated in XLR plugs/sockets. They are wired in a special way so that you
can use long cable lengths without signal loss. They are suitable for low
impedance equipment such as microphones or DI boxes. You can however use balance cables for stereo line
signals.
Speaker cables & Speaker Mount plugs
Speaker cables are heavier gauge 2 core cables
suitable for carrying the output of amplifiers. Traditionally they were
terminated with standard jack plugs but now Speak mount connectors are typically
used. The benefit of Speaker Mounts is that they cannot be accidentally pulled
out as they come with a locking mechanism.
Connecting Cables
Other types of cables are suitable for
connecting your CD Player/Mini Disc/Mp3 player/computer/laptop to your
PA or hi-fi system. They have a mini jack plug at one end and a regular
jack plug at the other, or a mini jack plug at one end and an RCA phono
plug at the other.
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