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Stereo headphone connections

I came to this looking for this info but could not find it:

For a stereo pair, the common wire/connector colours are Red for Right and White for Left. Stereo plugs are TRS, tip is the left channel and the ring is the right channel. Also commonly mentioned are blue/green for the Left.

Possible Merge

The problem with merging this with anything called "jack plugs" is that:

1. Jacks aren't Plugs

2. Plugs aren't Jacks

3. Guitarists and the like will be familiar with the term "TRS," and there's considerable material about balanced (differential) signaling for TRS connectors which isn't relevant to a page about "jack plugs"

-- SRS

I will make it easy for you: in English, multiple nouns can be strung together to make a noun phrase. The nouns in the tail of the noun phase serve as adjectives which modify the head. So the noun phrase "jack plug" denotes a kind of plug, not a kind of jack. What kind of a plug is it? It's a jack type: a plug that fills a jack. The English, who use this terminology, do know what they are doing; they came up with this language, after all. 192.139.122.42 (talk) 23:44, 7 June 2011 (UTC)

TRS Connectors?

The whole point of calling these TRS connectors, rather than just stereo jack plugs, is that they are not used purely for stereo. Rather, the ring is used for other things besides right channel... input of a patch point, polarizing voltage, inverting input. Andrewa 19:30, 11 Nov 2003 (UTC)

With some misgivings I've removed the following recently added sentence:

"Specialist mono plugs often omit the inner ring."

Have a look at jack plug and I think you'll see why. The TRS is a type of jack plug. The jack plug came first, and the mono jack plug is probably still the more common. It certainly has a greater variety of uses. So I question whether the mono version is a "specialist" plug at all, although that may be the impression gained by someone who sees it mainly in connection with domestic stereo gear.

Article even a good idea?

While here I'll raise another issue... should this article exist at all? The term TRS is I suspect promoted by one particular chain of retail electronics outlets, based in North America. But it doesn't even seem to have AWL recognition. So a case could be made for merging this article into the "Jack plug" article. I've resisted this so far, as I recognise that the term TRS is widely used. Personally I'd like to see it more widely used, as I find "stereo jack plug" is confusing to some in applications where there's only one channel, maybe that's not a good NPOV argument. But the current setup is probably a bit confusing to some, and both articles are describing the same connector really.

If they are to be merged it should be as "Jack plug" not "Tip ring sleeve", as TRS is a description only properly applied to three-conductor connectors.

Just as an aside, the three-conductor plug started quite early in the piece, long before stereo sound was common. See the photo of old plugs in the jack plug article. Interesting? Andrewa 14:38, 12 Nov 2003 (UTC)

I think they should be merged, but I'm not doing it. - Omegatron 01:02, Aug 12, 2004 (UTC)
I'd like to see the content here merged to the other article and this article then converted to a discussion of the telephony aspects, where tip, ring, and sleeve refer to the two or three wires that make up a typical subscriber loop circuit. Right now, that discussion seems scattered among several separate Wiki articles.
Atlant 17:14, 20 July 2005 (UTC)
That's a good idea. You're probably the only person who knows about it, though. - Omegatron 20:34, July 20, 2005 (UTC)


A Welcome Edit

I've edited a (very welcome) contribution by an anon, rephrasing a little and removing some speculation. Affected text:

In some, the concept is extended by using specially designed TRS jacks that will accept a mono jack plug partly inserted ("to the first click") and will then semi-reliably connect the tip to the signal path without breaking it.

Some mixing desk manufacturers, notably Soundcraft (Midas too?????), standardized on the opposite configuration for patch points/inserts: output on the ring, input on the tip. Thus, "ring send, tip return." This allowed for the insert jack to be used as a line input that would bypass the mic preamp (and likely a resistive pad, as well as other circuitry, depending on the design), and thus potentially improve sound quality. During the early-to-mid 1990s, however, as Japanese and other brands became more popular in live audio and Soundcraft became somewhat less so in the mid-range market, the company switched to tip-send, which is now a generally accepted standard.

I've expanded the phrase semi-reliably. My experience with Yamaha desks in general and my 2403 in particular is that the 'first click' has been just as reliable as any other 1/4" jack connection, just like the manual says it is. But, I have also run across other desks (I won't give names, sorry) in which the same claim was made, and on inspection they were ordinary cheap jacks, and I certainly would not trust those connections! My experience with guitar amplifier patch points is that the trick works, but unreliably. You can bend the contacts so it will work reliably with your own special lead if it's your own amp, but that sort of defeats the whole purpose.

I've also removed the speculation about Midas mixers, and about the timing and reasons for Soundcraft changing. If any of this content can be verified, put it back in. Andrewa 04:13, 4 Jun 2004 (UTC)

An uploaded image

Hi - I just uploaded a detailed image of standard-size TRS-plugs on Commons - see image:Jack_plug.png -- Peo from danish Wikipedia

wow. - Omegatron 23:13, Apr 7, 2005 (UTC)

Jack plug?

I've been working with production audio in a lot of different venues for some time now and I've actually never heard of the term "jack plug" before. When I talk about an audio connector I have to be very specific about it to let somebody else know what exactly I need. Granted, it seems as if that's what it seems to be classified as here, I would much rather see "jack plug" as a page by itself that is a disambiguation page that classifies the different types of plugs because there are so many. Have a page that is a "history of" and then have individual page for each type of plug (two-contact, three-contact, mini, etc.). I'm also surprised that there isn't a page for a TS connecter (tip-sleeve), this "two conductor" thing people have made reference to. Better yet, rename the TRS page to "quarter inch plug" or something to that effect and then have two main sections, one for TRS connector type and the other for TS. Then have another page called "mini plug" that talks about the 1/8" (walkman headphone jack) and the 1/16" (cellphone/motorolla FRS headset jack) connectors. I think that will be much more streamlined and neat. By the way, I've seen TS and TRS in manuals all over the place and most professionals that know what they're talking about understand the concept but might call it something else. While in common speech TRS = "stereo" or "instrument cable" and TS = "mono" or "speaker cable" the two have very distinct uses beyond just "mono" and "stereo." -ICberg7 19:51, Jul 21, 2005 (UTC)

Instrument cable is TS. - Omegatron 20:19, July 21, 2005 (UTC)

Tip Ring Sleeve - Phone Plug / Jack

In all my years doing audio recording, sound reinforcement and broadcast engineering work I've never heard of a TRS connector being called a "Jack Plug". I don't know who uses that term but it has never been a part of the working technical vocabulary of anyone I know. Because of its history with telephone communication these connectors have long been known as a "Phone" plugs or jacks. They are also designated as mono "Phone" plugs (Tip and Sleeve only) and stereo "Phone" plugs (Tip, Ring and Sleeve).

The term "Plug" is always used with the connector of the "Male" gender. The term "Jack" is always used with the connector of the "Female" gender. The "Male" gendered connectors can be identified by the presence of pins. "Female" connectors have the hole for receiving the pins. "Male" connections are made to go inside "Female" connections. "Plugs" are typically found on the ends of cords. "Jacks" are typically found mounted on a chassis or panel, although they may be found on the end of a cable.

"Phone" plugs and jacks are not to be confused with "Phono" plugs and jacks. Phono connectors are also known as "RCA" connectors. They were used originally as a connection for the unbalanced coaxial (shielded) lead from a phonograph pickup to the equalizing phono preamplifier. They have since evolved into use in radio frequency applications as well as in consumer audio/video applications.

"Jack Plug"? Well, I can imagine a conversation that went something like this ...

"What kind of plug is this?" "Oh, I don't know its name but it plugs into this jack." "Cool, a 'Jack Plug'"

Jack Plug

The use of the name Jack Plug comes from the UK and NOT the US. In the UK this type of connector is known as a Jack Plug and has been for all my life time.

If the subject of merge is still being considered, i'd like to offer my input. I found a product I was considering buying and it listed having TRS jacks for inputs. Wikipedia explained to me what TRS plugs were and I bought the product, without the reference to TRS, I would have been clueless. If the merger of terms occurs, at the very least, maintain a soft-link between them so as not to lose this important information.

I second this. I'm a beginning musician who's been wondering what does it mean when a piece of equipment says it has "TRS inputs". This Wikipedia article gave me a straight answer. 24.62.190.231 14:14, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
Merging always includes soft links. The information will still be in the article, under a subheading like "TRS connector", and will still come up as one of the first links in a google search. ;-) — Omegatron 02:29, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

Proposed solution

This discussion has been going on for some time now with no resoltion. While at first I did not think that the TRS article should be merged with the Jack plug one, primarily because I thought that the term "jack plug" was a misnomer. Now I think that if we can rename the Jack plug article to something more suitable, this article can easily be merged with it. "headphone jack" and others already redirect there. I think that the jack plug article needs to be expanded, with the "mono" and "stereo" sections scrapped for "TS" (Tip-Sleeve) and "TRS" Tip-ring-sleeve, respectively. While "mono" and "stereo" are not strictly misnomers, they only mention one capability and use of these types of connectors. This web page is an extremely valuable reference for anyone interested: http://www.rane.com/digi-dic.html ICberg7 18:08, 27 February 2006 (UTC)

After reading through the other posts on this discussion page, I believe the best course of action would be to create a page called "Phone Connector (audio/visual)" (the audio/visual to indicate the distinction from the standard RJ-11 ends of a normal telephone cable and "connector" added to follow suit with other audio connector articles, such as XLR connector and RCA connector), and move the Jack Plug article there, and merge the TRS connector article into it. I have also added the merge template to the Jack plug article and added the move request to the talk page. ICberg7 01:32, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

I'm just a passer-by. But I do know database systems. Unlike dictionaries, that employ more or less strict definitions, database systems have a higher goal: you have to be able to find it. So I don't care where it's stored and what it precisely says, as long as I can find the data with both the keywords TRS and "jack".

That would be the point of Wikipedia redirects. I agree with a merge, with a clarification of the usage of the terms: TRS apparently in North America, jack plug in the UK (Union Jack Plug, anyone?), since they are apparently almost the same thing, with TRS being included in jack plugs. I like the suggested name of "Phone connector (audio/visual)", although if there were a less clumsy way of referring to them and still 1) maintain a mostly universal name and 2) avoid confusion with RJ, that'd be even better. 68.148.2.91 01:57, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
Why exactly does headphone jack redirect to TRS connector? Why would it not instead redirect to jack (connector)? I would imagine "headphone jack" is just a specific type of jack, i.e. socket, and having it redirect to "TRS connector" makes it sound like a "headphone jack" is actually a jack plug. Clockwork 17:47, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

Inserts

Suggest adding Insert to the table of TRS conductor assignments.

Tip send or tip return? We should show it somehow, but there are two configurations and both are in use. — Omegatron 14:30, 25 May 2006 (UTC)
Most of the equipment I've used and worked on use the tip as the "active" or signal-carrying conductor. The sleeve is the shield. In stereo phone plugs, the tip is one channel, ring is another channel, sleeve is return. - Stephanie Weil 03:04, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Another TRS

To me, TRS means "Thick Rubber Sheath" which is a type of Power Cable used for Theatre lighting. --JP Godfrey (Talk to me) 22:23, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

longframe B?

This article could use a section on the 1/4" Longframe B -style (BPO316) TRS connector, used in audio patchbays... jhawkinson 13:39, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

acronym expansion

TRS officially stands for "Tip/Ring/Sleeve." It's as simple as where the audio signal is. The positive signal is in the tip. The inverted (phase-flipped) signal is in the ring. The sleeve is the entirity of the cable plug. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nicholas6313 (talk • contribs) 05:07, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

"uses" section

This is completely pointless, since it basically is a list of every kind of audio equipment. Night Gyr (talk/Oy) 03:45, 18 June 2007 (UTC)


I'd beg to differ - fer example, I have a DVD player which uses TRRS for stereo-plus-video IO. And a phone with TRRS as stero out and mike in. In what combination, I'm not sure (but I'll add it later). I do agree that, as a list, ways in which TRS & variants are used is more useful. Thoglette 06:21, 1 October 2007 (UTC)
I also beg to differ. Being a professional audio technician I know that there is heaps of audio devices that don't use "TRS" (Jack) connectors. Also this section is common sense, thus should not be referenced. Mrtechguy (talk) 09:27, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

'igranic' jacks

The BBC used to distinguish between 1/4 inch jack profiles by calling one type (the modern one I think) 'igranic' as opposed to the 'post office' type.

I assume this came from the radio manufacturer Igranic.

Embedded vandalism?

In the tetrrminology section, the text and the captions to the image (in that section) don't match making it confusing for 99%[citation needed]({{fact}} template added for fun) of us people who are reading it. Sincerely, Sir intellegent - smartr tahn eaver!!!! 23:08, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

I tweaked it a bit. Seems to be a fossil of some old merge. Feel free to work on it. Dicklyon 18:01, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

Article title

"TRS connector" isn't really appropriate, considering the article is also about TS and TRRS connectors... — Omegatron 03:57, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

But the term TRS connector is relatively commonly, and the three-conductor type is relatively common, while the TS or 2-conductor type is a lot less common (check google books, for example), and the TRRS is extremely rare. Personally I'd be happier with "phone plug", but that would be too American, perhaps. Dicklyon 04:32, 3 July 2007 (UTC)
At least it would be accurate. I was mostly fine with "jack plug", but it is a pretty strange name. What do you call the thing it plugs into? A plug jack? How many jacks could a jack plug plug into if a jack plug could plug into jacks? — Omegatron 01:21, 4 July 2007 (UTC)
If you read the article, you'll know what it's called, along with a link to where you can read it yourself. Anyway, if want a move, make a proposal and see what reactions are. Dicklyon 02:16, 4 July 2007 (UTC)
It's already been proposed more than once, and stuck with "Jack plug" due to lack of consensus. I don't know how it became "TRS connector", but I don't think it was the result of a proposed move. I'd prefer "Phone plug" I think. — Omegatron 03:30, 11 July 2007 (UTC)
I'd prefer phone plug, too. I'd never heard of the other terms before, but apparently they are widely used in some communities. Dicklyon 03:39, 11 July 2007 (UTC)
  • "Jack plug" is apparently widely used in the UK, but is confusing since it is made up of generic words "jack" and "plug"
Confusing? Tell me about it. I've been misusing "jack" to mean plug for years and have only now realized my mistake. The OED has a hyphen, "jack-plug", and that might make it a little less confusing --- that it is a sort of plug. Should this become house-style? Omicron18 11:51, 15 August 2007 (UTC)
  • "Phone plug" is widely used in the US, but is confusing because it sounds like a connector for a telephone (though this is actually where it originated; just for switchboards instead of homes)
  • "TRS connector" is widely used in the US at least, but only applies to TRS connectors. We also cover TS and TRRS connectors in this article, so it's not as appropriate. — Omegatron 00:13, 13 July 2007 (UTC)
  • If you look at the article's hirtory, the article was merged without consensus (first the TRS article was moved to Jack plug, and then shortly thereafterward, the merge was inverted (Jack plug was moved to TRS. I agree with Omegatron that the current title of "TRS Connector" isn't appropriate, because the TRS style of phone connector (or jack plug, if you will) is only part of the article. I believe my previous recommendation of Phone Connector (audio/visual) will be the most unambiguous and allow us to avoid the jack plug connundrum (What is a jack? Something that goes into a plug).
  • I'm adding this page to WP:STAGE as well as WP:PSP to follow suit with XLR
  • Headphone jack also redirects to Jack (connector) now, when it should probably redirect here (or maybe a Headphone plug article should do that), considering that headphone connectors are some variant of this TRS connector.
Headphone jacks (male and female) aren't a varient, they're just straight-forward TRS connectors, better known as Audio Out plugs (as opposed to Audio In plugs which are usually TS and are for microphones/awe it's kin) Hanii (talk) 08:00, 8 December 2009 (UTC)

DI boxes and "switching" sockets

A paragraph referred to the use of "switching" audio sockets for power switching on DI boxes and guitar pedals. I know that on at least some guitar pedals, this switching uses a completely conventional three-conductor socket. Instead of a switch, the "long sleeve" of a two-conductor plug is used to connect the ring connector to the earth to enable the internal battery.

I've removed the following paragraph:

" If it is desired to activate the switch contacts without actually inserting a plug in a 1/4 inch jack socket, a rod of the construction toy K'NEX can be used. However care should be taken to use a rod long enough that it can be pulled back out, and one that is nonmetallic and sturdy enough not to break off. "

, since this trick won't work on these pedals. I've also removed the mention of DI boxes, since I can't vouch for how those are usually wired: Someone who knows DI box wiring may like to put the reference back if it's appropriate to the new paragraph, or produce an alternative paragraph for DI boxes if it isn't. ErkDemon 22:52, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

More Uses

I may in time add these myself if no one else does it, but there are a number of other uses for the 1/8" and 3/32" TRS connectors the article doesn't mention. Not only is it a power connector on some AC adapters, but is also used for USB power on some devices, such as the Radtech BT500 Bluetooth mouse for USB charging, Cell phone charging on the Energizer Energi to Go Instant Cell Phone Charger, it's the standard connector for infrared sensors and emitters on AV equipment such as TiVos and infrared extenders, serial ports on TiVos, and I have an old portable TV that has it as an antenna input which can be converted with an adapter. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 4.254.114.89 (talk) 01:47, August 20, 2007 (UTC)


A couple of comments

I've been a tech for four decades and have never, until encountering this article, seen these referred to as "TRS" connecters. Usually "phone" or "quarter inch" is sufficient. Also, under "uses", it says "Modular synthesizers commonly use monophonic cables for creating patches." -- the word "modular" can be omitted here, the ARP 2600 being a prime example of one that isn't a modular but which uses patch cables as mentioned. --Rtellason (talk) 18:35, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

x2 Digital Wireless Systems -- An Unusual TRS Arrangement

I just purchased an X2 Digital Wireless Systems Digital UHF Wireless System model XDS95. The system provides a mono audio channel intended for use by stage or studio musicians who do not or should not be tethered. It is normally used to transmit instrument or voice sound from the musician to the amplification or recording equipment, although I imagine that it could also be used in a reverse direction (a wireless monitor) if desired.

The transmitter unit, model XDT1 Digital UHF Transmitter, includes an 1/8" (presumably more correctly a 3.5 mm) TRS jack with two features not covered in the main article at present.

  • The jack "locks" with a mating TRS plug to prevent accidental disconnection. The is accomplished by a twist connector external to the TRS electrical connections.
  • + is on sleeve, - is on ring, tip is open

The problem with this arrangement is that a monophonic microphone with a 3.5mm connector will typically use a TS plug (e.g., the Radio Shack 33-3003 ultraminiature tie-clip microphone). When fully seated in the XDT1 jack, the microphone's tip will be connected to an open circuit, and the XDT1's ring and sleeve will be shorted. It should be possible to achieve the desired electrical connectivity by inserting the TS plug partway into the XDT1's TRS jack, but this would provide insufficient mechanical support for the intended application of a freely-moving musician.

There are commercial adaptors that can solve some of the problems of mating TS/TRS jacks and plugs (e.g., Radio Shack catalog #274-378). The main article should mention these adaptors. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.105.141.218 (talk) 09:18, 14 January 2008 (UTC)

Reference: Digital UHF Wireless System Model XDS95 Users Guide, X2 Digital Wireless Systems, 2006

21:54, 13 January 2008 (PDT)

Some observations for consideration

I would just like to make a few observations, based on my late grandfather having been one of the supervising engineers at Western Electric's West Street Laboratory (463 West Street) in lower Manhattan, New York City, which was ultimately moved to Holmdel, New Jersey, and subsequently redesignated Bell Laboratories. When Gramp's passed away I came into possession of the minutes of many technical discussions with interested parties. I have been trying to locate the specific document that discusses the WE3xx series "switchboard connectors". (I did manage to stumble across the document where AT&T and the broadcast networks agree on the details of the *new* "VU meter" standard, if anybody is interested).

Andrewa suggests the TRS moniker was "promoted by one particular chain of retail electronics outlets, based in North America". Within the Bell System (as the conglomerate of companies was then known) they were always called "switchboard connectors". However, I believe that around the time of World War I (or shortly thereafter) the individual contacts were referred to as T, R, and S, respectively. As outside parties began to produce so-called switchboard connectors for other uses, and as the industry was well aware of Western Electric's litigious nature (due to the various patent battles fought by the Westrex division over theater sound equipment) third-party manufacturers sought a more generic term to describe the now ubiquitous "phone plug", and so started calling them by their contact initials, TRS.

While the article mentions the standard .25" WE310, it fails to mention the slightly smaller (.206") WE309 used on military switchboard equipment. Below is a listing of the common sizes and exact dimensions of both U.S. and Asian produced versions. I had originally created this listing for a post I made to the PCmag discussion forum in June of 2004, but hereby surrender any rights per the GFDL. 

• Original (WE310) = .25" or 1/4" (6.35MM), Asian = .248" (6.3MM).
  Note: Standard "guitar cord" size.

• Telco/Military Switchboard (WE309) = .206" (5.23MM).
  Note: No Asian substitute.

• Bantam, also known as TT (Tini-Telephone), = .175" (4.45MM),
  Asian = .173" (4.39MM).
  Note: This is what most modern recording studio patch bays use.

• Miniature = .141 or 9/64" (3.57MM), Asian = 3.5MM.
  Note: This is the standard "Walkman" portable headphone size.
  Often (incorrectly) referred to as an 1/8" or .125" (3.18MM) phone jack/plug.

• Sub-miniature = .094" or 3/32" (2.39MM), Asian = .097"
  (2.46MM -- rounded in most catalogs to 2.5MM).
  Note: This is one of the few instances where the Asian version is slightly larger.
  As there is no longer any non-Asian manufacturer of this size, most U.S., British,
  and European vendors import and list the Asian version in their catalogs.

• Note that Asian plug versions always fit loose in proper (so-called "regulation")
  U.S./European jacks, with the exception of the sub-miniature.  This sometimes
  creates noise problems due to excess "jiggle".

As I'm not comfortable with editing the primary article, should someone see fit, I leave it to those so inclined to integrate whatever seems appropriate from the above material.

KathectedBob (talk) 16:52, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

Possible redirect page?

I'm not sure, but should I make a redirect page named 3.5mm for this? I spent hell a lot of time searching for information about a 3.5 headphone jack(I didn't know that it's called a TRS connector) --KelvinHOWiknerd(talk) 14:04, 26 January 2008 (UTC)

Wiring Colours

Hi, I just replaced a moulded TRS plug with a self-wired one. The cable belonged to a sennheiser pair of headphones (HD 215). I chopped off the old plug and found 3 wire ends - red, blue and black. Based on phono ends I'd seen, I assumed red and black must be right and left respectively, leaving blue as the remaining option - sleeve, earth. Turns out blue was left and black was earth, so I had to rewire. Is this colouring standard, and if so, could it be mentioned on the page somewhere to help others avoid making the same mistake?

MM

141.241.56.73 (talk) 17:05, 25 April 2008 (UTC)


There is no wiring color standard. Sorry. Binksternet (talk) 17:19, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

One should never 'assume' when wiring unfamiliar equipment. A quick check on the moulded TRS plug (that you chopped off?) with a multimeter/continuity bleep would have told you exactly how to wire the new one Godmanchester (talk) 07:15, 22 September 2008 (UTC)

Specifications?

I've been trying to determine the controlling specifications, in order to better understand what the plug body dimensions are supposed to be, and if the recessed iPhone headphone jack is within the specification, but have been unable to find any clear specification.

The closest I've come is EIAJ RC-6701A, which I believe is for the 1/4-inch jacks and plugs, but this is based on an image labeled on a Japanese site I can't read, and I see other references indicating this is the specification for the 3.5 mm plug. Also, I can not locate any repository that has this standard. [1] is the most obvious location, but it is not listed there.

Can anyone contribute references to the actual specifications for all three main sizes? Peter K. Sheerin, K6WEB (talk) 20:30, 2 July 2008 (UTC)


Computer sound

"Personal computer sound cards from Creative Labs, Sound Blaster or compatible to these use a 3.5 mm TRS as a mono microphone input, and deliver a 5 V polarising voltage on the ring to power electret microphones from the card manufacturer. " - which would be fine if Creative (or at least their European outfit, which is probably selling the full range of their products) actually sold microphones. Do we in fact mean a) electret microphones in general or b) Creative-made but no longer available electret microphones? Sources please. 92.0.244.36 (talk) 20:54, 6 July 2008 (UTC)

B type Jack

there seems to little of mention of the fundamental difference between a type and b type 1/4" jacks. As this is an important part of the dvelopment of these connectors (from GPO days) I would think it's worth pointing out, not least to those who might come accross b type jacks and wonder what they are. TheresaWilson (talk) 19:59, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

TRRS

does TRRS (4-wire) belong to here? It is widely used on mobile devices, like Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX 720, Dell Axim 51v, Nokia N95 etc.

Thebiggestmac (talk) 23:26, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Airline Jack

2 prong airline jack

I think the airline jack should be included for completeness, so if someone agrees please add it. I included a picture I took to make things easy. Since the jack will likely not be used in the future it is obviously historic in nature. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.52.130.121 (talk) 01:04, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

This is not a jack, but an adapter which incorporates a jack, and two plugs.192.139.122.42 (talk) 22:36, 17 June 2011 (UTC)

(Head)phone jack or just phone jack?

I took out every instance of the word 'head' inside parentheses which was intended to notify the reader that "phone jack" and "phone plug" are really short for "headphone jack" and "headphone plug". I don't agree with this interpretation... I learned that it was short for 'telephone'. At any rate, I took 'em out; if somebody wants them back in, I will insist on a reference. Binksternet (talk) 18:03, 16 March 2009 (UTC)

The common man in the United States does not refer to them as a "phone jack" at all. To such a person, a "phone jack" is an RJ-11 telephone plug. A "headphone jack" is a 1/4" or 1/8" audio TRS plug or jack in common US parlance. For example, there are 35,000,000 occurrences in Google of "3.5mm headphone jack", but less than a million of "3.5mm phone jack". 1/8" returns similar results.
-128.61.117.239 (talk) 00:41, 28 November 2009 (UTC)
The jack was named "phone" back before there was Google; back before 3.5mm was seen as anything but ridiculously too small, back before there were headphones that came with with jacks instead of spade lugs or bare wire ends. It was named when there were telephone switchboard jack fields operated by telephone operators who stuck phone jacks into sockets to connect callers. Until the 1960s, telephones in houses were wired to their wall plates with spade lug terminals, not modular jacks, and "phone jacks" were called just that. Binksternet (talk) 03:02, 28 November 2009 (UTC)
No, telephone operators stuck plugs into jacks - at least that's how they were referred to in the telecommunications field.

89.102.33.30 (talk) 12:28, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

3.5mm 4 ring jack used with new blackberrys?

could somebody diagram the 3.5mm 4 ring jack/plug used with blackberry headsets to accomodate the mic and a stereo output. which ring goes to which function? its becoming more commonly used and this article would be a great place for that reference information. --Pauljoffe (talk) 15:07, 17 March 2009 (UTC)

Four ring 3.5mm plugs have been used for many years now on a variety of different mobile devices, I first used one in 2006. The rings aren't necessarily tied to a select function, for example Nokia smartphones generally use the fourth ring for a video signal so that phones can output to a television set. Other manufacturers might use the rings for different purposes.--88.112.155.70 (talk) 04:26, 15 July 2009 (UTC)

Consistency in measurements

Might be worth going through this and standardising the jack measurements to either Imperial (of use only to US readers and some British Euro-sceptics) or Metric (of use to everybody else in the known universe). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 143.53.222.35 (talk) 13:56, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

It is more appropriate to always include both, since both are widely used and people often have to translate from the version unfamiliar to them. Dicklyon (talk) 00:02, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Rename

The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was Not moved
— V = I * R (talk) 23:52, 22 August 2009 (UTC)


TRS connector → Phone connector — Calling this article "TRS connector" is like writing an article on human flight and calling it "Helicopters". Please rename to something more general/appropriate. These were originally used in telephone switchboards, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few places where they still are.

Phone plug, phone jack, and phone connector are common terms in the US, but almost always apply to the 1/4-inch versions. The 1/8" are called mini plugs or mini or miniature phone plugs, and the smaller ones are like subminiature. But in Europe it's rather different. I don't think you'll find a consensus for this change. Dicklyon (talk) 15:41, 14 August 2009 (UTC)
Then please remove TS and TRRS connectors from this article, since this article is only about TRS connectors. You really don't think "miniature phone plug" is a type of phone plug?
  • Not in the least. The phone plug or phone jack is the 1/4-inch TRS or TRRS connector. The phono jack or phono plug is the RCA connector. The 2-conductor phono plug has no chance of being balanced or stereo within a single connector. Binksternet (talk) 08:07, 15 August 2009 (UTC)
This difference is illustrated at the disambig page Phone jack. Dicklyon (talk) 16:09, 15 August 2009 (UTC)
Oppose - other connectors are used for those applications (not least of which the implied meaning of a telephone, which uses RJ series connectors). I also don't understand the analogy. 81.110.104.91 (talk) 20:22, 15 August 2009 (UTC)
"Phone" referred to earphone and headphone more than telephone. Phone jack and Jack plug were both in common use long before the "TRS" thing was made up to try to unify them. Dicklyon (talk) 04:42, 16 August 2009 (UTC)
No. "TRS" was invented to specify a certain type of phone plug (the kind with three conductors) without tying it to a certain application by calling it "stereo" or "balanced" (different applications that both use the same three-conductor cables). TS and TRRS are other specific types of phone plugs, and should not be included in a page called "TRS connector". Renaming this article to "Phone connector" or some variant would encompass all the types that are covered in the article. Do we need to draw an Euler diagram of all the different names? (This is like calling an article "XLR3 connectors" and including XLR2 and XLR4. It should instead be named something common and all-encompassing, like XLR connector.)
I got a real kick out of the analogy, but I have to agree with 81.110.104.91 here. Regardless of what used to be, current terminology seems to have settled on the "TRS" acronym. WP:UCN outlines the guidance in preferring the most common, non-specialist terminology over more correct names.
— V = I * R (talk) 05:48, 16 August 2009 (UTC)
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Statement with false / misleading information

The statement

"Though unable to handle as much power as a 6.35 mm (0.25-inch) jack, and not as reliable,[8]..."

is not correct and misleading. The citation does not have anything to do with reliability or power handling. While a TT might be able to handle less power then a 1/4", etc. this does not impact sound. Also I have never heard or seen about reliability problems with TT, I would like to see some manner of evidence for this statement.

It is my recommendation to remove this misleading statement. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Uhrminator (talk • contribs) 18:42, 23 February 2010 (UTC) I agree with SineBot - sdmitch16 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.201.8.250 (talk) 09:54, 12 December 2010 (UTC)

Modern connectors picture

The top-most picture displays 4 connectors while only 3 are listed. --81.158.230.22 (talk) 18:26, 18 June 2010 (UTC)

Xbox Headset

The Xbox headset connector type is not listed on this page --81.158.230.22 (talk) 18:29, 18 June 2010 (UTC)

PL connector

I've always wondered what a PL connector was. I think it's a 1/4" TRS connector, but am not sure. Can anyone add info about the PL connector or some kind of reference here if there's always a relevant article I missed? Thanks, Ynhockey (Talk) 18:57, 18 October 2010 (UTC)

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