The loss is minor because of the high impedance of the audio input circuits on the camera.

BTW, Radio Shack specs that transformer for no more than 5Khz which made me go find another supplier.

I tested the lead again yesterday and I'm getting a very faint tapping signal coming through if I hit the top of the mic with my hand.

Although I'm considering cutting my losses and just purchasing either a Beachtek DXA-4 or XLR-PRO. Which one would you recommend?

I don't know much about Beachtek's. I purchased a Studio 1 for the local college since I have so much of their studio gear. It works very well.

I'd build my own. Cost is about $30 for parts for a monaural setup, and about $50 for Stereo.

A friend of mine has the plans for one he builds and sells. the plans are on his Web site for anyone to read.

If you want the URL (I don't have it to hand) I'll find and post it.

does studio 1 still produce the xlr pro??? i dont see it on the site
seems they only make the belt attached boxes now??????????????

They did drop it in favor of the belt boxes.

I don't know why they did this but they normally do things for good reasons. Perhaps cost. The under-the-camera-box had to be machined and quite sturdy, which did raise the cost somewhat.

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.

There's another alternative
 

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.

Make your own XLR adapter
 

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.

XLR Adaptor for the VX2000
 

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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

That's why there is the BBX VX2000 fix.

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?

There info here about it:

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

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.

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?

This is a really old, Sony built-in pre-amp issue. The VX2000 and PD150 do not have the best audio. Sony even offered secret audio fixes, for a price, and it didn't do much to improve the problem. However, this problem has been blown out of proportion, and re-hashed to death. If you keep the gain down, the audio is much better. If you couple that with a Beachtek, or other XLR adaptor (for the VX) and a good mic, the audio will be further improved. One step further would be the "BBC fix." It entails changing some wires around in the cam, adding a Glenbox XLR adaptor, and a good mic---such as the Sennheiser ME66.

XLR Adaptor for VX2000- cable option
 

Here's an item from my desktop wish list you might want to check out:

 XLRH8/DV cable Adapts XLR to stereo mini, bridges audio over Left and Right camcorder channels to eliminate noise. Blocks any stray voltage at camcorder input. Note: Some miniDV camcorders may not require voltage blocking. However, most Sony's work best with this cable. http://www.equipmentemporium.com/audiofor.htm USD$50

The story I heard was that Sony would fix the audio problem on the PD-150's for no cost, but either charged people or wouldn't fix it at all on the VX-2000 (I just don't remember which was the case). But as it was mentioned, manually lowering the mic gain makes everything work nicely (about 2-3 steps below the mid-level will keep you from red-lining in most situations).

I have both. First purchased the Beachtek. Had lots of noise, crackling, etc. when I used it. Finally purchased the XL Pro and love it! No more problems plus it has Ground 1 and Ground 2 so you can lose the noise most of the time!!

Remove the Beachtec top cover and scrape the black paint off of the covers inside lip and the top edge of the box. That problem was a simply someone doing too good a paint job. The box was not grounded to the cover due to the isulating qualities of the paint. Because of that small glitch the Beach was labelled crap by a whole herd of users. Had you called BeachTec they would have told you right away.

Yeah, that's what my friend did too---scraped the paint a bit. The Beachtek works like a charm (and so does his 2 VX2000s).

Does anyone use the Glenbox here?

Bryan: Well, indeed I spoke with BeachTek a couple years ago 3 times and no one ever mentioned this. I got tired of spending hours and money on long distance calls to Canada. They never solved the problem so I went with another company which I'm happy with. It's great that other people did receive help and were able to make use of the unit. I will try this and see if it works so I can use it as a back up. I've been meaning to sell it to someone who could troubleshoot it but haven't gotten around to it.

Wait, my Beachtek that I just recently purchased, mentioned scraping paint of the VX2000's Tripod mounting plate (where the screws mate with the plate), so I have to scrape the paint of the beachtek as well? Please clarify. I did exactly what the manual has stated and while using a AZDEN SGM-2X Shotgun Mic from the headphones I can hear a hiss, real quiet on the background but irritating enough. Is this the dreaded VX2K hiss or is this a grounding issue using the beachtek? Even with AGC on I get the hiss, manual it gets a littel better sinc eI can turn up the volume. The third possiblity is what Sony mentioned, do not give much regard to hisses from the headphones since it has something to do with the amplified circuits. I tried to monitor the playback and it was seemingly clean, and I get the same results from the VX9K through the headphones, but it seems to be clean when I play back using the RCA cables to the TV. I haven't tried to capture it digitally and check. Also the last possibility is that the Beachtek is crap. :)

Frank,

I've actually just got a glensound box for an unmodified VX2000. I didn't want my camera modified for warranty reason etc, I know on the glensound site it says there's no real point in using the glensound box with an unmodified VX2000 but I called them and they explained the web site is a bit out of date and there are good reasons to use the box with an unmodified camera. So basically with the glensound box you switch the camera to manual audio control, bring the level on the camera down a good bit then let the glensound box do the rest of the work. There are limiters in the box which means even when you're on manual audio level you get absolutely no distortion when the audio peaks. I've only had it a few days so am still playing around with it, but so far I'm very impressed with it. Even with the audio set to manual and getting a good volume shouting into the mic causes no clipping or distortion whatsoever. Once I've had a proper chance to play with it I'll post more thoughts.

John.

Is there anywhere to buy used xlr adapters for vx2k. Havent seen anything on ebay.

Garret
The new units should be ok. The hiss is most likely not caused by the Beach. Do you have your pots set for no attenuation (10)and the switch set to mic (not line)The camera audio input switch should be set for mic, the audio on manual and the gain set about 40%.

If you've got the gain cranked up you will get the dreaded hiss. If anything I have to attenuate to cut down and i don't get hiss.

Bryan, thanks, but actually I scrape off the paint and dang it had like a thick tar-like black substance that was kind of hard to get rid off. It did sound much better, I compared the on board vs. the SGM2x both at Manual and AGC and at high gains, yes I noticed that I get the hiss, but the hiss from the headphones was present regardless whether or not it is on the external and the built-in. Only was to rid off it was to turn down the monitoring volume , but almost to a point where I can't hear the audio. Any suggestions?

Thanks, John Steele, for your Glenbox feedback. Any further info would be appreciated.

Please Help: VX2000 and Azden SGM-X2: just an xlr to 1/8 cable OK?
 

Greetings,

I need to connect a VX2000 to an Azden SGM-2X. Do I absolutely need a XLR BP Pro or a Beachtek? Will it be OK if I use a custom made XLR to 1/8 cable?

No you don't have to have an adapter. A straight cable may work well. If you get a humm in the sound, you may need to put a blocking capacitor in series with the signal lead to block the 3 VDC that the camera places on the line to power electret microphones.

Dear Mike,

Once again, thank you very much.

I use this same setup and I haven't detected any kind of hum or other interference. Just use the shortest cable you can to eliminate any impedance matching problems.

Strictly speaking, the cable length has nothing to do with impedence matching until you get soooo long that cable capacitance starts to make a contribution.

Impedance matching was much more important when the input impedance of the system was way down compared to the output impedance of the microphone.

Today, with the high imput impedance of the camcorder inputs, the issue is not too important. I'll still match impedances if I can but in real-world industrial/wedding video, it doesn't matter much.

Which XLR Adaptor is Best with VX2100?
 

I hope that some audio experts read this and comment on my questions near the end of this posting.

So far, the Beachtek and the Sign Video XLR to mini-jack mike adaptors are the only ones I've checked. Which is best and are there any others to use with a VX2100?

How do these things manage to work without added power? I'd think that the weak mike signals wouldn't be enough to run passive adaptor boxes like these.

I already have my XLR mikes connected with XLR female plugs at the mike ends and 3-wire cords, with special connections into 1/8th-inch mini-plugs. I have combined the return (negative) and balance wires inside the shielded 1/8th-inch mini-plug housings. So, there is no exposure of a two-wire mike connector outside my camcorders. I did this wiring exactly as I was instructed over the phone by the chief design engineer of the company that made my mikes. He said this was the best configuration to get the most out of XLR mikes, when used with mini-plug camcorders. They had once produced an alternate version of this model of mike, equipped with a mini-plug. It was connected with a 3-wire cord, the same way I assembled my connectors.

Since the XLR adaptor units use an unbalanced and exposed two-wire cord, 10 or 13 inches long, to connect their mini mike plugs to camcorders, what is the advantage of my using such an adaptor? I'm not considering the benefits of the dual volume knobs and other control features in asking this. Is all the extra shielding value of the 3rd wire in my cords lost by not having an XLR-equipped camcorder into which to connect them, even though this wire is dead-ended properly to the return wire inside the mini-plug? Would I in fact, get a better mike signal into a VX2100 with an adaptor unit, than by just using the connectors I already have for my XLR mikes?

Steve McDonald

Re: Which XLR Adaptor is Best with VX2100?
 

<<<-- Originally posted by Steve McDonald : I hope that some audio experts read this and comment on my questions near the end of this posting.

So far, the Beachtek and the Sign Video XLR to mini-jack mike adaptors are the only ones I've checked. Which is best and are there any others to use with a VX2100?
--------------------
I have experience with the Sign Video adapters. They work very well.
---------------------
How do these things manage to work without added power? I'd think that the weak mike signals wouldn't be enough to run passive adaptor boxes like these.
--------------------------
Not really. As long as you don't have any attenuation cut in, they only lose signal across the transformer and that isn't very much
----------------------
I already have my XLR mikes connected with XLR female plugs at the mike ends and 3-wire cords, with special connections into 1/8th-inch mini-plugs. I have combined the return (negative) and balance wires inside the shielded 1/8th-inch mini-plug housings. So, there is no exposure of a two-wire mike connector outside my camcorders. I did this wiring exactly as I was instructed over the phone by the chief design engineer of the company that made my mikes. He said this was the best configuration to get the most out of XLR mikes, when used with mini-plug camcorders. They had once produced an alternate version of this model of mike, equipped with a mini-plug. It was connected with a 3-wire cord, the same way I assembled my connectors.
------------------------
The problem is that your entire system is then unbalanced and very susceptable to RFI.
---------------------------
Since the XLR adaptor units use an unbalanced and exposed two-wire cord, 10 or 13 inches long, to connect their mini mike plugs to camcorders, what is the advantage of my using such an adaptor? I'm not considering the benefits of the dual volume knobs and other control features in asking this. Is all the extra shielding value of the 3rd wire in my cords lost by not having an XLR-equipped camcorder into which to connect them, even though this wire is dead-ended properly to the return wire inside the mini-plug? Would I in fact, get a better mike signal into a VX2100 with an adaptor unit, than by just using the connectors I already have for my XLR mikes?
------------------------
The XLR adapter allows a balanced run all the way into the adapter. Only the short lead from the adapter to the camera is unbalanced.

Length of the unbalanced lead(s) are the issue here. The longer the lead, the more of an antenna it becomes. You would have to be in a very strong RFI field before the 1 foot lead would give you much of a problem.
-------------------------
Steve McDonald -->>>