Why arent you supposed to use XLR for passive speakers?

[TubsAlwaysWins]

Title says it all. I was looking for options on moving a sound booth and got curious. Anyone know why exactly? I tried looking up why you cant and am unable to find much

[johnt]

21 minutes ago, TubsAlwaysWins said:

I tried looking up why you cant and am unable to find much

Ive never heard such a thing... you can use xlr for anything. In home use, I t's generally used for really long runs or high end systems.

 

The only downside is relative cost.

[anothertom]

You can. Before neutrik introduced NL (speakON) connectors most A systems used either XLR or 6.35mm Jack connectors. Just make sure you're using the correct cable for the application.

[Spuriae]

XLR is intended for low-level signals, and XLR cables are usually designed with that in mind. The 24AWG conductors commonly found in XLR microphone cables and 50V maximum voltage with poor safety due to exposed pins makes it a bad choice for high power applications.

 

Individual speakers also tend to be single channel, so the third pin isn't necessary.

[TubsAlwaysWins]

On 12/1/2018 at 12:00 PM, Nimrodor said:

XLR is intended for low-level signals, and XLR cables are usually designed with that in mind. The 24AWG conductors commonly found in XLR microphone cables and 50V maximum voltage with poor safety due to exposed pins makes it a bad choice for high power applications.

 

Individual speakers also tend to be single channel, so the third pin isn't necessary.

What about 1/4" though? I see that used to power passive speakers all the time

[anothertom]

6 hours ago, TubsAlwaysWins said:

What about 1/4" though? I see that used to power passive speakers all the time

Like I said, you can. Just make sure you're using the correct cable (speaker cable rather than mic cable).

[kasugatei]

9 hours ago, TubsAlwaysWins said:

What about 1/4" though? I see that used to power passive speakers all the time

As @anothertom said, you need to use proper cable for it. Eg. guitar amplifiers use 1/4" plugs for connecting amplifiers to speakers. Lots of guitar players use standard instrument cable (same wire gauge as microphone cables) which often results in catastrophic failures. 

 

I saw XLR connectors being used for connections between amplifiers and speakers, but bear in mind that that was system from a 70's or 80's. XLRs have 50V@16A rating per contact which is more then enough for home speakers if you use proper gauge cable of course.