Most connectors on DJ gear carry one of three things: balanced audio (XLR and 1/4-inch TRS), unbalanced audio (RCA, 1/4-inch TS and 3.5 mm jacks) or data (USB, LAN, MIDI and DMX), while speakON carries amplifier power to passive speakers only. The shape of a plug doesn't settle what it carries, so read the label beside the socket: an XLR-shaped DMX output sends lighting data, and an RCA phono input expects a turntable, not a line-level player.
This page is the reference for what each connector is. For the cables a particular setup needs, and how to stop hum, see which cables your DJ setup needs.
Connectors at a glance
| Connector | What it carries | Where it appears on DJ gear |
|---|---|---|
| XLR, 3-pin | Balanced audio or a microphone; DMX lighting data on a socket marked DMX | Master outputs, mic inputs, powered speaker inputs |
| 1/4-inch TRS | Balanced mono audio, or stereo headphones | Booth outputs, studio monitor inputs, headphone outputs |
| 1/4-inch TS | Unbalanced mono audio, or amplifier power to a passive speaker | Passive PA speakers, instrument gear |
| 3.5 mm TRS | Unbalanced stereo | Headphone outputs, aux inputs |
| RCA | Unbalanced stereo at line or phono level | Smaller controllers' master outputs, mixer channel inputs, turntables and players |
| speakON | Amplifier power to a passive speaker | Power amplifiers and passive PA speakers |
| USB | Audio, control data and power; music from storage | Controllers, mixers, all-in-ones and players |
| LAN | PRO DJ LINK network data | Pioneer DJ players and mixers |
| Coaxial digital | Digital audio (S/PDIF) | Digital outputs on players such as the CDJ-3000 |
| 5-pin DIN | MIDI messages, never audio | MIDI ports |
Balanced and unbalanced
A balanced line uses three conductors: two carry the signal, as a positive and a negative copy, and the third is a shield. Rane's Sound System Interconnection note says balanced interconnects are the only way to guarantee hum-free results. Unbalanced connections, the RCA and 1/4-inch TS plugs found on consumer gear, have no such protection, and Rane says any unbalanced cable must be kept under ten feet (three metres).
The two "are truly not compatible", in Rane's words. A cable with an XLR on one end and an RCA on the other connects them, but the connection is unbalanced, and noise can get in. Pioneer DJ's DDJ-FLX10 manual warns that running the XLR Master 1 output into an RCA input through a converter cable may lower sound quality or add noise, and says to use the RCA Master 2 output instead. Where a balanced and an unbalanced unit must meet, Rane recommends isolating the connection with a transformer, which is what a DI box does.
XLR
A round, latching plug with three pins. On a line or mic cable, pin 1 carries the shield, per Rane. The output socket on a mixer or controller is male and the speaker's input is female, so a standard male-to-female XLR cable fits both.
XLR is the balanced master output on the DDJ-FLX10, XDJ-RX3, OPUS-QUAD, DJM-450 and DJM-S11, among others, and the input on powered speakers such as the Mackie Thump GO and JBL 305P MkII. Mic inputs are often combo sockets that take an XLR or a 1/4-inch jack. Pioneer DJ's manuals say never to connect the XLR master output to a device that can supply phantom power. The best XLR cables guide lists the gear with balanced outputs and the cables to buy.
1/4-inch jacks: TRS and TS
A TS plug has two contacts, tip and sleeve, and carries an unbalanced signal or a speaker connection, per Mackie's C300z manual. A TRS plug adds a ring, a third contact, and carries either a balanced mono signal or unbalanced stereo, as on a headphone output. Because the ring sits between the tip and the sleeve, a TRS plug shows two insulating bands where a TS plug shows one.
Booth outputs on the FLX10, XDJ-RX3, DJM-S11 and Rane SEVENTY are balanced 1/4-inch TRS. The FLX10 manual says to use them as balanced outputs, and warns that a TS cable or a TRS-to-RCA adapter into an unbalanced input may add noise. Studio monitors such as the Yamaha HS5 take a balanced 1/4-inch jack as well as XLR.
A 1/4-inch TS speaker cable and a TS instrument cable look the same and are not interchangeable. Mackie warns against using a coaxial cable like a guitar cord for speaker connections, because it isn't built for the current a power amplifier produces and can overheat. Hosa labels its speaker cables for high-current use only, not line-level signals.
3.5 mm jacks
The small jack, also called 1/8-inch, usually carries unbalanced stereo. It is the only headphone output on the DDJ-FLX4, while larger gear like the FLX10 has both a 1/4-inch and a 3.5 mm headphone socket. The FLX4 manual notes that the controller can't run on USB bus power alone with a mono plug in the headphone output, or with headphones under 32 ohms. A 3.5 mm socket also appears as an aux input, as on the XDJ-RX3, and as a phone or laptop input on speakers like the Thump GO.
RCA, and phono versus line
RCA plugs come in pairs, one for each stereo channel, and are always unbalanced. They are the only master output on entry controllers such as the FLX4, Hercules DJControl Inpulse 300 MK2 and Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX, and the usual input on a DJ mixer's channels.
Two signal levels share the same plug. A turntable without a built-in preamp puts out a phono-level signal: the Audio-Technica AT-LP140XP is rated at 5.5 mV. A media player like the CDJ-3000 puts out a line-level signal, 2.0 Vrms per its manual. Each needs the matching input. The DJM-S11 manual says its PHONO inputs are for phono-level (MM cartridge) devices and not to feed them line-level signals. Some inputs switch between the two, like the LINE/PHONO channels on the FLX10 and DDJ-REV7 or the CD/phono inputs on the Rane SEVENTY.
Turntables add a ground wire, separate from the RCA plugs. It connects to the mixer's SIGNAL GND terminal, which the DJM-S11 manual says reduces unwanted noise. The Technics SL-1200MK7 comes with a detachable phono cable and a separate earth lead.
speakON
Neutrik's twist-lock connector, which Neutrik calls "the industry-standard for loudspeaker connections". It carries the amplified signal from a power amplifier to a passive speaker, one with no amplifier inside, and Neutrik says it must never be used as a mains power connector. The NL4 version has four poles. A full-range passive speaker uses two of them: the Mackie C300z wires pin 1+ as hot and 1− as cold, with pins 2+ and 2− unconnected, per its manual. Powered speakers don't use speakON; see the best speaker wire guide for what passive speakers need.
USB
USB connects controllers, mixers and all-in-ones to a computer or phone, carrying audio and control data, and often power. The FLX4 has two USB-C ports, one for the computer or phone and one for a power adapter or battery. Its manual says to use the supplied cable for a USB-C device, and for a USB-A port a certified cable three metres long or shorter, with a hub only if the computer's maker recommends it. Other gear still uses USB-B: the Reloop Mixon 8 Pro has a USB-B port and a second port that switches between USB-C and USB-B. Players and all-in-ones also take USB storage in USB-A ports, like the three on the OPUS-QUAD; see the best USB sticks for DJing.
LAN
Pioneer DJ players and mixers share tracks and player information over PRO DJ LINK, which runs on network cables. The CDJ-3000 manual calls for the supplied LAN cable or a shielded CAT5e (STP) cable, and a switching hub of 1 Gbps or more when the mixer doesn't have a LAN port for every player. Up to six players can join, or four if any were released before 2020. A LAN cable carries no audio, so each player still needs its audio cable to the mixer.
Coaxial digital
A single socket marked DIGITAL OUT sends digital audio. The CDJ-3000's coaxial output carries S/PDIF at up to 96 kHz and 24-bit, per its manual, which supplies a digital audio cable for it. It connects only to a mixer or interface with a digital input; the player's RCA outputs carry the analogue signal.
MIDI and DMX: data, not audio
MIDI sends messages, such as notes, program changes and expression control, and the original standard defined the 5-pin DIN connector to carry them, per the MIDI Association. How to use MIDI covers mapping it.
DMX controls lighting. The FLX10 has a DMX output that sends lighting data from rekordbox to compatible fixtures, and its manual specifies a DMX cable with 3-pin XLR plugs. It looks like an audio output and isn't one. For fixtures, see the best DJ lighting.
How this page is made
Each description comes from the maker's manual or note linked beside it, read on 13 October 2026: Pioneer DJ's manuals for the DDJ-FLX4, DDJ-FLX10, DJM-S11 and CDJ-3000, Rane's Sound System Interconnection note, Mackie's C300z manual, Neutrik, Hosa and the MIDI Association. The connections listed for each product come from the spec sheets behind its product page. We haven't tested any of this gear. The methodology explains how the site works.
