External Line Connectors (XLR) are typically used with microphone cable and have between ___ contacts.

• A. 3-7
• B. 1-4
• C. 2-4
• D. 5-5

Answer: (A)

XLR connectors come in a family with different pin counts. For microphone cables, the standard is a 3-pin arrangement—ground on one pin and two balanced signal conductors on the other two pins. However, there are multi-pin versions that support extra signals or power, giving 4, 5, 6, or 7 pins in the same basic shell. Because of this range across the XLR family, you’d encounter connectors with anywhere from 3 up to 7 contacts. For everyday microphone use, the 3-pin version is the one you’ll see most often, while the higher-pin versions are used for other applications.