About XLR Microphone Cables:
XLR audio cables have many applications in today's pro audio systems. The most obvious use for XLR cables is for microphones. There are two types of XLR microphone cables, the first being the 3 Pin XLR to 3 Pin XLR cable that are referred to as Low Impedance Microphone Cables or Low Z Cables. The advantages of this type of XLR cable is that you can run microphone cables up to 100' in length without much loss of signal and audio quality. The second type of XLR microphone cable is referred to as a High Impedeance Microphone Cable of Hi Z microphone cable. This cable usually has a 3 Pin XLR female connector on one end and a mono 1/4" plug on the other. You will normally find these cables attached to less expensive microphones and are usually limited to 25' in length before audio quality and signal strength suffer.
3 Pin XLR cables are also referred to as Balanced Microphone Cables are also used in wiring professional audio systems where shorter length XLR cables connect singnal processing components and amplifiers together with very little signal loss.
Professional audio snakes are constructed of multiples of XLR microphone audio cables all wrapped in a thick multicable with an XLR stage box on one end and an XLR whip on the other end. Audio Snakes can range from as short as 3' and up to 350'. XLR snakes also can audio signal from an audio mixer down the cable and normally is connected to an amplider rack or power speaker system on the end.
Lastly there are 4 pin and 5 pin XLR cables. 4 Pin XLR cables are most widely used as power cables to connect audio mixers and their power supplies together and int he professional lighting world they are used to connect color scroller power supplies to the color scrollers themselves. 5 Pin cables are normally used to carry lighting control signal called DMX
