[BC] The XLR pinout debate

[Cowboy]

On Saturday 12 August 2006 06:23 pm, Peter Smerdon wrote:

> I'm recalling that before the standard, pin 2 hot was common in UK and 
> Europe, and pin 3 hot in US and Japan.
> Australia was importing pro audio gear in about equal measure from both 
> camps, so it was a right royal mess down here.

 Though it should not have been so.

 The equipment doesn't really care which is + and which is - since both
 are carrying an AC signal.
 An amplifier will amp an AC signal regardless !
 The only time it would matter, would be if different wiring were on the same
 cable, or in the case of some polarity dependant device, like the mod input
 on an AM transmitter.
 At no other time would it make a hill of beans, until people start thinking
 it does, and "fix" something that isn't broke !

 I know of no manufacturer that ever sold any broadcast grade gear that
 reversed the polarity between input and output, except the boxes
 very deliberately designed to do so, like a symetripeak <sp>.

 Oh, sure, we all know ( or we all should know ) that positive pressure on the
 microphone diaphragm is supposed to produce positive going voltage at the
 output pin labled + but how do we know what the polarity was on the
 record ( that's CD for you kids ) when it was recorded ? 

-- 
Cowboy