Which XLR Adaptor is Best with VX2100?

[Chris Tsamados]

Thats odd that they stopped making the XLR Pro they do an XLR BP Pro, which is the same as the XLR pro but with a belt clip. I don't think i'll be getting one of those as I'd be forever tripping over the leads. Looks like its going to be the Beachtek (Even though its about £50 more expensive, in England, than the XLR Pro). Actually there is the Glensound GTSN-1 adaptor but I've not seen any reviews on this one.

You can buy XLR to minijack cables without any converters and they work great. No adapters, no mic boxes, just good, clean sound. It's left channel only, but you can duplicate that in post.

[Mike Rehmus]

Here is the URL to the web site of a friend of mine who makes these adapters for sale. He's posted the design for anyone to roll their own.

http://www.take2video.com/tek.html

Gerry mostly does commercial videos.

Good guy.

[Garret Ambrosio]

I searched the forums and I could n't find an exact answer, if anything I now have many more questions. :) From my search I was able to find two different models. 2 Questions:

1. From the two I found Beachtek DX4 and Studio 1 XLR-BP Pro. What are your opinions on these two products compared. Part two will be among the different variants of the beachtek, would any work or do I need to get the DX4 specifically?

2. Are there any other alternatives? Cheaper? Thanks.

[Mike Rehmus]

There are at least five other suppliers of adapters:

Markertek
Studio 1
Signvideo

Of the 3, I favor the Signvideo which used to be sold by Studio 1. Never heard of a complaint about it either. There were, in days past, complaints about the Beachtek products. I have no idea which models or if the designs have been reworked to address the issues.

In many cases, for a closely held XLR-connected microphone, a much less expensive adapter cable will work just as well.

For those who don't mind picking up a soldering iron, Jay Rose has a nice design for an adapter cable in one of his columns in DV magazine. Go to their web site and look through his column archives.

[Harry Settle]

I got the XLR-Pro for my VX's. I like it 2 xlr ports and 2 mini ports, plus a ground switch. Noise on one, switch to the other.

[Garret Ambrosio]

Gassers here in the city (SF) has the beachtek for $210 ($227.85 w/tax) Is this a good deal? Mike, can I pickup a prefabricated XLR adaptor at Radio Shack or Zakits in Vallejo? I'm not bad with an iron but would rather get one I can complain about if it doesn't work :) Also, if I'm trying to connect my mono mic to the VX2000 I will have problems, so if I use an adaptor will I still get problems especailly hiss from the voltage or phantom power? Wouldn't the beachtek or similar device filter out the voltage and hiss?

[Mike Rehmus]

Radio Shack has only adapter cables to my knowledge. Sometimes those work very well. Zakits does not have one as far as I know.

Any of the transformer-coupled XLR adapters will, by their very nature, block DC voltage.

The best way to connect a mono microphone to a stereo input is to replace the mono output connector with a stereo plug that matches the input socket of the camera. You can connect the signal to just one side or both sides of the input.

[Garret Ambrosio]

Mike, you ever deal with Snader RE and Assoc. in San Rafael? Would they be the best place to get my PD150? They quoted me a price of $3295.00.

[Mike Rehmus]

Yes, I've dealt with Snader before. I consider them to be among the reputable firms in Northern California. Unfortunately, all of them charge higher prices than do the reputable NY city firms.

I'll just mention that the camera is selling for a nickle under $3,000 from B&H in New York.

The camera kit with the Petrol case and rain jacket is going for $3,279.95 from them.

Of course you have to add shipping but that's only $20 or so. Just make certain you request that they insure the shipment.

Since ZGC sponsors this web site, I'd also give them a shot at your business. They have a good reputation. Unfortunately they don't say much about Sony on their Web site as they are Canon-centric.

After a search on this site, I'd say they are Canon only based on their posted comments. Some of the PD150 accessories they have sound very nice if expensive.

[Frank Granovski]

>Wouldn't the beachtek or similar device filter out the voltage and hiss?<

That's why there is the BBX VX2000 fix.

[Garret Ambrosio]

The BBC fix? What exactly is the BBC fix any how? I'm not talking about the notorious hiss that was found in the older or first batch of Vx2000's /PD150. Apparently, my particular camera doesn't have this problem, but the hiss I'm talking about is the hiss you get from voltage when you plug in a mic with voltage.

I'm curious about the BBC fix. What does this thing entail?

[Frank Granovski]

There info here about it:

http://www.global-dvc.org/

[Garret Ambrosio]

oops, my bad. I researched this problem on the net and it seems to be inherit to all VX2000's but for some odd reason I haven't heard it on mine, is there a test I can do to see if mine is affected?

I was referring to this snipet I found in equipment emporium's website: "The box features DC blocking and almost no internal loss of mic signal (unlike certain other brands). It is less expensive than the original XLR-PRO boxes."

I'm guessing that they are referring to the Beachtek.

[Garret Ambrosio]

Sony has this in their website regarding this hiss issue:

http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/service/dcrvx2000.shtml

"DCR-VX2000/E Audio Recording Information:

It has recently come to our attention that some purchasers of the Sony DCR-VX2000 camcorder have had questions about audio recording. We thought it might be helpful to clarify the use of the manual and automatic gain controls.

" The Sony DCR-VX2000/E camcorder features a newly developed AGC audio level control circuit, optimized to handle the large Dynamic Range of Digital Audio. Design emphasis was given to the task of achieving a significant improvement in Signal to Noise ratio, and to greatly enhance camera audio recording quality.

Manual Audio level adjustment does not utilize the new AGC circuit. Manual Audio control is primarily provided for extremely loud and limiting sound environments. The conventional Manual Audio Level is comparable to Signal to Noise ratio values commonly found in Sony's comparable consumer digital camcorders. A difference in Signal to Noise Ratio levels between Manual and AGC modes of operation is normal and expected in DCR-VX2000/E.

Evaluation of Audio Signal to Noise should not be performed using earphone / headphone output. The earphone / headphone amplifier circuit has been equalized to emphasize high frequencies and is intended to be of "monitoring" quality. Furthermore, the earphone / headphone audio may not accurately represent record level audio since the earphone / headphone level can be varied using the volume +/- buttons near the LCD screen. Audio Signal to Noise evaluation should more properly be performed by playing back recorded tapes on a studio VTR.' "

Is this Sony's way of giving us the runaround? Or is this all true that we should only use manual gain when it is in "very noisy" environments?