Combination XLR 1/4" connectors.

[mexicola]

Yes they exist.

Combo I Series - Neutrik

There are connectors that fit it. They're called XLR and 1/4" connectors.
Why would you want to plug them simultaneously into the same jack? A TRS jack and an XLR jack are the same thing in a different skin (+, -, & ground). There is no "conversion" needed to change between the two, they are just different formats, if you will, for the same information.

I guess I don't really get what you're asking.

Now you could also have separate XLR and 1/4" TRS jacks wired in series. If the TRS jack is a switching jack and wired first in the series, you can "disconnect" the XLR jack when you plug a 1/4" connector into the TRS jack.
Or you could wire them in parallel and use them simultaneously.

All you're talking here is jacks, connectors, and wiring with no regard to the type of circuit they're connected to.

[Gandy]

Originally Posted by mexicola

Yes they exist.

Combo I Series - Neutrik

There are connectors that fit it. They're called XLR and 1/4" connectors.
Why would you want to plug them simultaneously into the same jack? A TRS jack and an XLR jack are the same thing in a different skin (+, -, & ground). There is no "conversion" needed to change between the two, they are just different formats, if you will, for the same information.

I guess I don't really get what you're asking.

Now you could also have separate XLR and 1/4" TRS jacks wired in series. If the TRS jack is a switching jack and wired first in the series, you can "disconnect" the XLR jack when you plug a 1/4" connector into the TRS jack.
Or you could wire them in parallel and use them simultaneously.

All you're talking here is jacks, connectors, and wiring with no regard to the type of circuit they're connected to.

I'm asking about a jack that would fit into the combination socket that converts it into a separate 1/4" and XLR connector, to eliminate the need for constant patching. On the sort of equipment that uses combination XLRs, the 1/4" is usually a line or instrument, and the XLR a mic, and it'd be nice to have both connected and have a switch to flip between the inputs without having to yank out one cable and insert another.

[mexicola]

Originally Posted by Gandy

I'm asking about a jack that would fit into the combination socket that converts it into a separate 1/4" and XLR connector, to eliminate the need for constant patching. On the sort of equipment that uses combination XLRs, the 1/4" is usually a line or instrument, and the XLR a mic, and it'd be nice to have both connected and have a switch to flip between the inputs without having to yank out one cable and insert another.

First, let's get our terminologies straight. The jack/socket is the part that is on the piece of gear. The plug is the part attached to the cable.

The only gear I've seen that uses combo jacks, uses the same signal routed to both the XLR and 1/4" to simply give you the convenience of using the cable of your choosing (for example, monitor inputs).
But given that the vast majority of professional equipment uses XLR jacks for both mic and line input, there's not really a market for a cable with a switch in it. Not to mention that most professional mic/line amps have either separate XLR jacks for each input, or have a switch if there is only one XLR jack.

In my opinion, using a combo jack with the XLR and 1/4" sections being used for different applications is just lazy circuit design, and a cheap cost cutting measure.

Just out of curiosity, what piece of gear are you referring to?

[nippoo]

IIRC equipment which uses combo connectors will detect (by means of an internal contact) when the jack is inserted, and switch to the jack input automatically.

Because the circuitry / software isn't designed to have both inserted simultaneously, there's no way to "force" the interface to use XLR when a jack is plugged in.

But yes, if you could do that, it’s theoretically possible. Then again, its no different to having a breakout box with separate connectors tbh.

And I suppose you could achieve roughly the same thing by splitting the XLR into two and using a balun on one leg (turn one XLR into a jack) but you'd have to be careful not to plug both in simultaneously- and it's a bit clunky!

[trumq]

Originally Posted by nippoo

IIRC equipment which uses combo connectors will detect (by means of an internal contact) when the jack is inserted, and switch to the jack input automatically.

Because the circuitry / software isn't designed to have both inserted simultaneously, there's no way to "force" the interface to use XLR when a jack is plugged in.

I'd bet that 99% of the equipment that uses the combo sockets for an input use the switching version that you describe, but they do make a non-switching combo socket.

[nippoo]

The socket itself doesn't do any switching, but the software behind does...

[Gandy]

I thought there'd likely be some mechanical switching behind it, and it's definitely a cost cutting measure. I'm not referring to any specific equipment, but I was contextualising low end preamps/interfaces like the Presonus Audioboxes and M Audio Fast Tracks. The combinations allow the inputs to fit into one unit, and it's not that much of a bother to unplug an XLR and stick a jack in, I just wondered if such plug would exist or be possible.

[PRH]

Well, cost cutting may not be the only criterion. What about space saving? Could be a consideration trying to get maximum I/O connectivity into a 1RU space. Neutrik seems to have no qualms about marketing combo sockets. Just a thought.

[Richard Crowley]

All the varieties of "combo-jacks" I have examined have separate 1/4 inch and XLR contact pins. It is up to the designer of the equipment how to route the signals from each of the pins. Some combo-jack inputs feature low-level, high-impedance "electric-guitar" input circuitry on the 1/4 inch contacts, while others design it as a medium-impedance, line-level input, etc.

Note that the inside radius of the XLR pins is co-incident with the outside-diameter of the 1/4 inch barrel. That means that unless you designed some really tricky 1/2-insulated XLR pins, they would all short to the 1/4 inch barrel (typically ground.)

It is theoretically possible to make a plug that would engage ALL the XLR and 1/4 inch pins of a combo-jack, but I suspect the market for such a thing is so small nobody has ever attempted it.