MX 2 RCA to 2 XLR Male Cable (1.5m)

MX 2 RCA to 2 XLR Male Cable (1.5m)

This MX cable carries a stereo pair from RCA outputs to XLR inputs in a single run: two RCA plugs at one end, two XLR male connectors at the other, over 1.5 metres of cable. It exists for one common wiring problem — a source that speaks RCA, such as a DJ controller, media player, CD player or mixer booth output, feeding equipment that takes its inputs on XLR, such as a mixing console, a power amplifier or a pair of powered speakers. Two separate adapter chains would do the same job untidily and with more connections to work loose; this cable does it with one lead per stereo pair.

Key features

• Two RCA plugs to two XLR male connectors, one stereo pair
• 1.5 metre length for rack, controller and desktop runs
• Connects RCA-output sources to XLR-input equipment directly
• Replaces stacked adapters with a single cable
• Suitable for mixer, amplifier and powered speaker inputs

Where it is used

The typical setups are a DJ controller’s RCA master output feeding a house mixer or powered speakers, a media or CD player feeding a console, and a home or studio source with RCA outputs feeding an amplifier with XLR inputs. At 1.5 metres the cable suits equipment that sits together — a controller on top of a rack, a player beside an amplifier, a source on the same desk as the speakers — keeping the run short and the wiring behind the equipment simple to trace when something needs changing.

What this cable does, and does not do

It is worth being precise about the signal. RCA outputs are unbalanced, and this cable carries that unbalanced stereo signal into XLR connectors; it does not convert the signal into a true balanced one, because balancing is done by electronics, not by a plug. In practice, over a short 1.5 metre run in a normal setup, that distinction rarely matters — the connection is the standard way of feeding line-level RCA sources into XLR inputs, and it is how a great deal of working DJ, live and installed equipment is wired every day. Keep the run away from mains cables where you can, and seat each connector fully: an XLR plug that is not pushed home until it latches is the most common cause of a channel that crackles or drops.

Working practice

Match the colours or channel markings at both ends so left stays left, power the system down or mute the inputs while connecting, and bring levels up gently the first time — an RCA source can be hotter than an XLR input expects, and the console’s input gain is the place to trim it. Coil the cable loosely for storage rather than winding it tightly around a hand, and it will stay supple and untwisted.

For anyone wiring an RCA source into XLR-input equipment, this MX stereo cable is the direct, single-lead answer at the length most racks and desktops need.