Audio Technica BPHS1 (XLR to PC) cable question,

hellokyle

Honorable
Jul 18, 2012
2
0
10,510
Hello, I've been looking for a headset with outstanding mic quality and I seem to have settled on the Audio Technica BPHS1 headset.
I'm looking to use this headset for LIVE STREAM broadcasting.

My problem is that the headset does not connect to the PC.
The cable connection is 3.3 m (10.8') long cable terminating in two output connectors, one each for the microphone and headphone: the microphone output is a 3-pin XLRM-type connector; the headphone output is a 3-conductor ¼" connector.

Would I be able to use a XLR-to-3.5mm microphone jack adapter and a 1/4" to 3.5mm audio jack adapter to hook the headset up to my computer?
What would be the best way to set this up?


I'm a complete noob when it comes to audio cables and such. I only have experience with USB headsets.
Any help is appreciated. Thank you.
 

Dr_M0rph3us

Distinguished
Apr 11, 2008
30
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18,590
In a word, yes.

You can use adapters to connect your headset to the computer, but you'll have two issues:
1. the line levels between professional and consumer equipment is different
2. no interference filtering from balanced microphone input.

Let me explain in detail:
1. For professional audio, such as your headset, the nominal level is +4 dBu (1.2V rms). The consumer audio uses -10 dBV (0.3 Vrms). That is a big difference, and may result in some issues, for instance, you computer may not have sufficient output level to power the headset, and the headset microphone may be too loud for the computer input (this can be easily dealt with). You can use a preamplifier and/or a mixer in between to solve this issue.
2. The specification for the headset mention that the headphone 1/4" connector is wired for stereo operation, so a simple adapter from 1/4" to 3.5mm TRS jack will do the job. The XLRM to 3.5mm adapter would work as well, but the computer has a stereo mic input, not a balanced input, so it won't filter the interferences from the mic line. If you have EMI issues in the environment you're using this equipment in, you'll need to use a specialized audio interface (such as M-Audio's FirePro series).

Source(s):
http://www.bradleybroadcast.com/BPHS1_Lit_Sheet.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_level