Balanced inputs and outputs

Seems to me that when wiring balanced connectors, the live end should contain a female socket and the receiving connector the male. This would tend to prevent human contact with electric output.

However, I don’t see any consistency in this. Perhaps low voltage analog signal is not considered worrisome.

Opinions sought.
 
low voltage analog signal is not considered worrisome
Indeed!
At low levels, the inputs are female to prevent buzzing & humming when touched accidentally. The outputs are protected with a resistor, most often between 10 - 1000 ohms.
At main amplifier levels, the voltages can rise up to 100V or more, so better protect them from being touched accidentally with a female socket. The loudspeaker, being passive at its own, has corresponding male plugs.
 
Nope.
The standard connection for balanced audio connections using XLRS is male for output and female for input.
See XLR_connector
"The standard signal flow for audio in XLR connectors is that the output is a male connector and the input is female. In other words, the pins on the plug point in the direction of signal flow"

and for completeness, the pinout is:
1714514291635.png


This is the configuration that you should use if you wish to be compatible with the AES standard. And all the commercial gear out there - home and professional.
 
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why do people want to change a long established standard?
i get the logic when we're talking AC power, but signal circuits?

if the danger is exposed pins than be "ultra" careful with standard RCA connectors....RCA jacks... come to think of it, there's a connector type that is a candidate for replacement!
 
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Seems to me that when wiring balanced connectors, the live end should contain a female socket and the receiving connector the male. This would tend to prevent human contact with electric output.

However, I don’t see any consistency in this. Perhaps low voltage analog signal is not considered worrisome.

Opinions sought.
The broadcast world used balanced line for analog and digital audio connections.
The refrain "audio goes in the direction of the pins" describes the sex of the
connector which is opposite of your description. We got some Sony BVW-7x
machines for the Japan market that had the reverse connectors installed. It
took the tech a fair amount of time to convert them to North American sex.

Nominal analog level is +4 dBm with some houses running +8 or 0 dBm as
the 0 reading on the meters. + 4 dBm is 1.224 V rms and nobody ever worried
about touching of shorting the signals. Digital signal levels are 1 V p-p.

I calibrated Henry Matchbox audio levels to +4dBm on the balanced side and
-8 dBu of the unbalanced side.

 
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