I have a pair of KRK Rokit 8s, and i used to connect them bot via XLR to XLR, from my monitors to the XLR slots in my pioneer DJM 500 mixer. i’ve recently moved my set up about and now require longer cables, I had one 4metre female xlr to TRS cable, im using that for one monitor (male xlr from master (XLR outputs) output TWO of my mixer to TRS into my monitor)
and i brought a 6metre Van Damme Male XLR to TRS cable and use that for my other monitor (male XLR from monitor to the master (TRS outputs) output THREE of ym mixer, and this is the monitor that is only playing half as loud, it is >really< noticeable.
I brought a new male xlr to trs cable for the quiet monitor and tried it out tonight and no luck, still quiet. I have tried switching monitors about, switching the cables around etc, still the one that is going from the TRS mixer master outputs, is the quiet one.
Could this be a problem with the way i have connected one of my monitors up to my mixer?
Both my monitors are not being connected to the same ‘master output’ of my mixer, because i have a female AND a male XLR to TRS cable, would this cause this problem?
Should i send both male XLR cables back and get the same female XLR to TRS cable as the one used for my working monitor?
Both worked fine when I had XLR to XLR…
Attached image of mixer rear, so you can see the master outs.
@Klaxsis - No I have already tried that dude lol, I have the volume knobs at 12’oclock all the time, I even cranked up the volume on my mixer and turned the quiet monitor to the loudest and it was just so quiet…
@botstein - Hm, I have the >good< monitor coming out the ‘R’ of the master xlr outs, and the >bad< monitor coming out the ‘L’ of the TRS master outs. I have the volume nearly all the way up when doing tests on it. It’s just seeming to me that I need to have my QUIET monitor connected to my mixer the SAME way as my good monitor is, TRS from monitor to female xlr into mixer.
I’m going to buy another cable, the same as the one I’ve got for my good speaker, and try that. If not, then I feel I am doomed…?
It’s either an issue with the speaker, the cable, the mixer, whatever connection you have from the sound source, or the sound source. Go down the list and check each item.
My guess is that it is either the mixer or the speaker. The cable between them is the next most likely but its also the easiest to check; just switch the cables. If that doesn’t cause the other monitor to lose vloume and the “bad” one to get it back, switch just the mixer ends of the cables. If this causes a switch in which monitor is “good” it is the mixer that is at fault. After that, unless it is an issue on the input side of the mixer, it is an issue with the monitor.
If it still has volume but not much I would guess it to be the main cone that has lost power/been damaged. This would be the case if the sound you get out of it has very little low frequency presence and there is no air being moved by the big cone. If that is the case, a.) stop turning the volume up because the increased voltage will blow the tweeter and b.) you are going to evaluate how much you want to void your warranty, because the solution is going to require either troubleshooting the power supply/line or replacing the cone. It could be just a spade connector disconnecting, which happens, but that eventuality is a longer post.
hey sup yo
last time this happened to me in mac osx, i went to audio midi setup and realized for some weird reason the gain for one of the channel is lower than the other (which made no sense coz i never touched the settings) - but believe me or not this happens quite often (random occurence - i never knew why it would change by itself)
Right, I have actually already tried all of that, I posted it in the first post. The thing is, I’m using two different cables, 1 is male XLR to TRS and the other is female XLR to TRS.
It goes like this.
Monitor 1 (good) - Female XLR to TRS: TRS from Monitor INTO the Mixers ‘Right’ XLR ‘Master Output 2’ slots.
Monitor 2 (quiet) - Male XLR to TRS: XLR from monitor INTO the Mixers ‘Left’ TRS ‘Master Output 3’ slots.
I haave ended up with a male and female xlr cable, which means I can’t connected BOTH of my monitors to the XLR Master Outputs of my mixer because only 1 cable end will fit in.
Same with plugging both monitors into the TRS master outputs 3, because my monitors XLR input is female so can only plug a make xlr cable end into it.
I’ve used the cable which connects the GOOD monitor, to connect the bad monitor and the sound is fine! I’m sure I’ve used the suspicious cable on the good monitor and I’m sure it made the good monitor quiet too. I’m gojng to just double check I used the bad cable on the good monitor. When I get home form work I will update!
My suspicions are on the xlrtrs cable connecting the bad monitor to my mixer, either that or the TRS master outs of my mixer are broke, which isn’t a big deal because I can just use the XLR master output so that’s okay.
Thank you for your input I will update you tonight when ran a final test on the bad cable.
Sup man. Oh really? Hm, okay will give that a look over actually, because something tells me that this problem only occurs when I’m using Traktor, so it could may well be a Soundcard/audio and midi setting glitch.
Comes to think of it, I brought. Brand new van Damme cable. The monitor was quiet with it, so I brought another Adam hall cable, same style, still quiet,.. So I’m thinking it just might be the TRS master outputs of my mixer that are dodgey. Will do a check tonight! Hope for the best!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
