1 of my studio monitors is only playing half as loud as the other...

[tgcasals]

Yeah I mean bottom line is that as long as you can still get volume out of the speaker with some configuration you're in pretty good shape. Fixing output issues on the mixer is just a game of find the out of place component.

[makar1]

I would never expect two separate outputs to be the same volume. Either use 2x XLR outputs, or 2x TRS outputs.

[tgcasals]

I would never expect two separate outputs to be the same volume. Either use 2x XLR outputs, or 2x TRS outputs.

While this is sound advice he still shouldn't be pushing all of the voltage he has into the speaker and still have low output.

[makar1]

Having had a look at the manual for the DJM 500 it looks like the TRS Master Out has an identical level to the RCA output.
XLR = 1.23V, TRS/RCA = 1V

Connecting unbalanced outputs to balanced inputs may give you a reduction in volume also, but I can't tell from the specs whether the TRS output is balanced or unbalanced. Identical specs to the RCA would suggest the latter.

[Superfreak]

Right, just had a final test, the GOOD monitor cable makes the QUIET monitor play nice and loud, so, it has got to be what @makar1 has said, and is something to do with TRS being unbalanced.

So, as @makar1 said again, i should just stick with either 2 XLRs or 2 TRS, my choice being XLR because the volume issue.
I never knkew TRS was unbalanced, i thought it was just the RCA i/o that was unbalanced.

Thanks for your help, going to send off for a new cable, the right one this time... Ugh lol. Thanks guys!

[tgcasals]

Ummm.... no. TRS is balanced, and once again even if it wasn't you would not be seeing that kind of volume difference. If that was the case they wouldn't put an unbalanced jack on the monitors. It is probably still the cable, but it has nothing to do with it being balanced or unbalanced.

[makar1]

Do you have any proof that the TRS sockets of the DJM 500 are balanced? They could easily be unbalanced mono TS.

Especially since the TRS outputs are at the same voltage/impedance as the RCA outputs - if they were balanced they should be electrically identical to the XLR outs.

I wasn't suggesting that unbalanced and balanced signals are inherently different volume, just that connections between balanced and unbalanced inputs+outputs can cause a drop in gain, as balanced connections carry two signals whereas unbalanced carry one.

[tgcasals]

You're missing the point: he's not saying that speaker is a little bit quieter, he said he cranked it and it was still quieter than the other at half volume. I have a pair of 8s, that is not how they should be working and that is not how they sound on unbalanced output. The balancing is not the issue.

[makar1]

The quiet speaker is always the one connected to the TRS output of the mixer.

The TRS output has electrical specs of 1V/1kΩ, identical to the RCA outputs.
The XLR output has electrical specs of 1.23V/600Ω.

The TRS to XLR cable connects a (presumably) unbalanced source to a balanced input. Ideally an unbalanced signal should be connected to the RCA unbalanced input of the Rokits.

Connecting an unbalanced signal to a balanced input only gives it half the potential difference as there's no cold input so could easily explain the volume loss.

What exactly can be wrong with a cable that causes a decrease in volume?

[mdcdesign]

MASTER OUT 2 (XLR) ................. 4 dBm (1.23 V) / 600 W
MASTER OUT 3 (1/4"PHONE) ............. 0 dBV (1 V) / 1 kW

Derpmuch?

They're not balanced TRS's, they're unbalanced TS monos; you can even see the mono plugs visible in the wiring diagrams in the manual.

Practically half the impedence on the balanced XLRs == higher volume. Connecting one speaker to XLRs and the other to jacks is just plain stupid... it's not like you're connecting two pairs of speakers; why not just connect both speakers to either the XLRs or the Jacks? :-\

Also, for signal cabling, there's literally no difference between a £5 cable and a £500 one. If it's shielded and copper (which even the cheapest ones will be these days), it'll carry the same signal down it as one with a fancy brand name that's 10 times the price. It's a different story for speaker wire, but that's because they're load-bearing; for line-level interconnects, there's no difference.