Design
XLR connectors are available in male and female versions in both cable and chassis mounting designs, a total of four styles. This is slightly unusual as many other connector designs omit one of the styles (typically a chassis mounting male connector).
The female XLR connectors are designed to first connect pin 1 (the earth pin), before the other pins make contact, when a male XLR connector is inserted. With the ground connection established before the signal lines are connected, the insertion (and removal) of XLR connectors in live equipment is possible without picking up external signals (as it usually happens with, for example, RCA connectors).
The number of pins varies from three to seven. XLR connectors from different manufacturers will intermate, with the exception of Switchcraft 6 pin models, which use a non-standard arrangement for the pins.
Read more about this topic: XLR Connector
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