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Topic: Solderless XLR connectors: alternatives to discontinued Amphenol IDC (Read 5355 times) previous topic - next topic
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Solderless XLR connectors: alternatives to discontinued Amphenol IDC

Does anyone know of a currently-available solderless XLR connector? I'm commissioning a new media cabinet, and need a fair number of XLR connectors for the snake between the prepro and DSP, as  well as for the shorter connections between the DSP and the power amps. The DSP uses Phoenix connectors, so those just screw in. My current snake will be too short. I prefer balanced lines over RCA, because balanced lines lock in place and don't require a bridge wire between shield and ground on the DSP's Phoenix connectors.

For a long time I used Amphenol "IDC" connectors. I liked them because they were so quick to install and never failed in home audio use. The downside is that they are disposable. If you take them apart the cutting blades usually bend. So I can't reuse the ones from my old snake. But Amphenol has discontinued these connectors, and only the male ones seem to be currently available through eBay. I dislike soldering generally, and also with a toddler in our house do not want a hot soldering iron sitting in our living room while I wire up the cabinet.

Re: Solderless XLR connectors: alternatives to discontinued Amphenol IDC

Reply #1 –
I Googled crimp type XLR connector and I got some hits.    I don't know what kind of crimp tool is needed but most crimp terminals work best with the correct manufacturer's tool which is usually expensive.

Re: Solderless XLR connectors: alternatives to discontinued Amphenol IDC

Reply #2 –
Quote from: jbhaider on
Does anyone know of a currently-available solderless XLR connector? I'm commissioning a new media cabinet, and need a fair number of XLR connectors for the snake between the prepro and DSP, as  well as for the shorter connections between the DSP and the power amps. The DSP uses Phoenix connectors, so those just screw in. My current snake will be too short. I prefer balanced lines over RCA, because balanced lines lock in place and don't require a bridge wire between shield and ground on the DSP's Phoenix connectors.

For a long time I used Amphenol "IDC" connectors. I liked them because they were so quick to install and never failed in home audio use. The downside is that they are disposable. If you take them apart the cutting blades usually bend. So I can't reuse the ones from my old snake. But Amphenol has discontinued these connectors, and only the male ones seem to be currently available through eBay. I dislike soldering generally, and also with a toddler in our house do not want a hot soldering iron sitting in our living room while I wire up the cabinet.

Quantities of the original Amphenol IDC part appear to be available for reasonable prices as NOS (new old stock) on eBay.

I'm familiar with the Amphenol part and while like you I've had good luck with it on occasion, there are common working environments (moisture, vibration, stress)  where it can be expected to fail quite unexpectedly and prematurely, That is probably why it is out of production.

In short, caveat emptor! 

Please let me suggest that you learn how to solder, which is a far more reliable means for connector termination in the field than  old fashioned IDC connectors, screw terminals, or casually crimped connections.  For example modern IDC connectors typically bathe the joint in silicon grease to avoid corrosion. Screw terminals in high reliability gear have the wire terminated with a metal terminal (spade or loop lug), and crimped connections are made using precision dies clamped with a lot of force.


Re: Solderless XLR connectors: alternatives to discontinued Amphenol IDC

Reply #3 –
Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
Quantities of the original Amphenol IDC part appear to be available for reasonable prices as NOS (new old stock) on eBay.

Only the male ones. There's only one female on on eBay right now, and that seller doesn't have larger quantities.

Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
I'm familiar with the Amphenol part and while like you I've had good luck with it on occasion, there are common working environments (moisture, vibration, stress)  where it can be expected to fail quite unexpectedly and prematurely, That is probably why it is out of production.

I don't doubt that's true. That's why I use prefab XLR cables for my outdoor speaker testing rig. But for basically set-and-forget home audio they've been very reliable for me. The ones I made six years ago still test fine. And you can't beat strip, bend, screw, done.


Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
Please let me suggest that you learn how to solder, which is a far more reliable means for connector termination in the field than  old fashioned IDC connectors, screw terminals, or casually crimped connections.

I get what you're saying, and it's not so much knowing how to solder (I do) but wanting to literally assemble the snakes in my living room behind the gear when the cabinet comes in, and being terrified of what could happen if my 2 year-old gets near a soldering iron. The IDCs are perfect for that. I see Neutrik has some "XX-HA" series crimp ones, but their die looks different from a standard "B" crimp and I'm not sure if a standard Chinese crimper will work with them. They are also fussier than the IDC ones.

Re: Solderless XLR connectors: alternatives to discontinued Amphenol IDC

Reply #4 –
Quote from: jbhaider on
Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
Quantities of the original Amphenol IDC part appear to be...

I get what you're saying, and it's not so much knowing how to solder (I do) but wanting to literally assemble the snakes in my living room behind the gear when the cabinet comes in, and being terrified of what could happen if my 2 year-old gets near a soldering iron.

My wife and I discussed this and she agrees that you can't trust a two year old to not touch a soldering iron, especially if it is unattended. Her suggestion was to do the work when the child is sleeping or otherwise engaged someplace else.

I found out through happy experience that the modern temperature controlled soldering irons that they sell on eBay for about $8-15 (including slow shipping) heat up and cool off pretty fast, and can be used to do this kind of work quite effectively.  They are also sold at Radio Shack for several times the price. which is still pretty cheap.

Re: Solderless XLR connectors: alternatives to discontinued Amphenol IDC

Reply #5 –
To close the loop on this thread, I realized the obvious answer to my issue: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=8765

The whole 10' 4-channel snake costs about as much as one cable's worth of Neutrik connectors. Ten feet is more than enough for both the run from pre-pro to DSP and DSP to amps.