Adapter

What is the RCA to ¼ TRS Adapter?

RCA connections are meant to carry unbalanced, mono signals. In audio, these are usually paired as left and right. In some cases, one piece of gear will use RCA left and right pairs while others use a single Tip Ring Sleeve (TRS) plug where the tip contact is meant for the left signal and the ring contact for the right. This is when you would use a dual RCA to ¼” TRS adapter like the Hosa GPR-484.

What is an RCA Cable?

RCA cables were designed in the 1930s and are commonly used for audio or video applications and utilize a phono connector type. They are inherently unbalanced, or mono, meaning a stereo transmission requires two cables carrying the left and right signals independently.

What is a ¼” TRS Cable?

¼” or “jack” cables are mostly commonly found in TS (unbalanced/mono) and TRS (balanced/stereo) configurations. TRS stands for “tip, ring, sleeve,” which is designed to carry two signals that can be split into left and right for stereo purposes. The design also cancels unwanted noise by carrying duplicate signals and reversing the phase in one of them.

Devices that are Compatible with RCA to TRS Adapters

RCA connections are still used in modern audio equipment, but many pieces of older audio equipment exclusively rely on them. A good example is an older record player with RCA outputs that you want to run into a mixer or preamp that takes ¼” TRS connections.

When to Use a RCA to TRS Adapter

Rather than buying a new cable, a simple RCA to TRS adapter would be a cost-effective solution to use the RCA cables you already have. If you travel with vintage equipment to different studios or stages, having these RCA to TRS adapters handy is vital. It does require additional space versus a single cable, so make sure you’re able to fit it alongside your other connections.