Planet WavesD'Addario Accessories XLR Female to 1/4 Inch Female Balanced Adapter

I have a ton of audio adapters for a variety of different purposes. In fact, I probably have an adapter or two that does the same thing as this one (male XLR to female 1/4")... but since I have so many, I often misplace one, and leave one in a case somewhere I forget about it. Thus, I needed to buy a new one for a specific use.I used to just buy the cheapest all-metal adapters, and the ones I have still work fine, but I thought I'd try out this adapter--I like the more modern look, and I've had good luck with Planet Waves gear in the past.This adapter is very solid (no flex, no flimsiness), the plug fits firmly into XLR jacks, and 1/4" plugs stay firmly in the other end. There is no discernable audio signal difference, and any problems you'd have in the signal path are likely related to your equipment/setup, and not this adapter. It's slightly larger (volume-wise) than the cheap all-metal adapters, but it's not a problem in practical use.The rubberized coating feels great (very easy to grip), and I think this adapter will have a nice, long life in my kit (presuming I don't misplace it!).

This item is a simple technology and it works exactly as expected. It is durable and seems to built to last a long time. The solid casing is strong.

All the reviews you have already read about the quality of these adapters are true. These have proven to the extremely well made and sturdy. If you are trying to plug a guitar, electronic keyboard, or some other instrument into a stage snake, mixer or into some other device that has an XLR input, look no further.My band has used these adapters for a long time during many practice sessions and performances. They have not failed even once. We own similar adapter by other manufacturers but I like these because of the look and feel. They are contoured so that they are easy to grab and are made of very heavy medal. In my opinion, you can’t risk performing with a cheaper inferior product one defective adapter could kill your performance. Stop shopping and buy this one! You will not regret it.

So I'm still learning a lot of the ropes since I am fairly new to music still. I'm going to try my best to give a useful review with things I would've liked to know when deciding whether to purchase this. These are pretty big and sturdy which I do like, though the downside is that sometimes they can't fit in every mic port because they bump into each other. I bought these to go with my Macbook Pro and BEHRINGER MICROAMP HA400.Some people are saying that these don't offer stereo when connected to headphones, or that the headphones produce muffled sound. First things first, if you plug your headphones in all the way I have found that sound will come out of only one speaker, but if you pull your cord out slightly it works great! (Which is kinda lame that it doesn't work when plugged in fully.) So I have to keep my headphones slightly out of the ports, which is just a minor inconvenience at the moment.Secondly, different headphones WILL produce different sound, so don't become frustrated or mad if one pair of headphones sounds too soft, or the bass isn't coming in as well, etc. I've tried out 3 different headphones with different results, so just mess around with some for a bit.These are the first ones I've ever purchased so I will post updates if anything goes wrong. But for now things work fine, just have to make sure the cords are pulled out a little on the headphones to get stereo sound.In the picture you can see what I mean by having to keep the headphones pulled out a little, plus the size not allowing me to fit one in the second port. Anyways I hope this helps!

Bought these in late 2012, have used them extensively. I like them very much. I also have many other brands of the same device, and I can say that this is the most solid of them all. It feels good, as if it could survive major trauma and still keep working.Not much to say about gear like this. Either it works as advertised, lasts a long time, and is reasonably priced, or not. This meets all requirements for a 5 star rating.[Edit: 3/2015]Planet Waves products have leaped to first-place in my lineup of audio cable adapters. I've been buying and using adapters for over 40 years, and have amassed an extensive collection. Many of those have fallen apart, gotten lost, or are just permanently employed in some signal chain in my studio, so I've had to buy new ones. I've learned not to buy cheap adapters. Low-quality adapters come apart easily, make poor contact, reduce audio quality, and then not only do you have to buy new ones right away, but whatever you were working on has to wait until they arrive.Planet Waves adapters are not cheap, but they are built as if they plan to be doing their jobs for the next millennium. Gold plated, of course, they go beyond what we believe is "the way things are," and add new dimensions to connectivity. Example: a simple TRS plug has an 8 part "bulge" around the neck where individual sprung reinforcements make perfect contact with any socket you plug it into, both holding it steady, firmly, and providing certain connection. Likewise, the female version (like the one found in this adapter) has the same thing: 8 sprung reinforcements surrounding the shaft for positive contact. You will NEVER hear static from wobbly plugs.Lest you think that this added engineering will make it harder to slide the plug in or out, be reassured that it's the smoothest connection in the business.Lastly, there's the markings. When I buy adapters, I take a white paint marker and apply a code to every end of every component which tells me if it's a mono or stereo component, and if it's a breakout cable, which connection is it? Red, Ring, Right? Or Left, Tip, Black? With Planet Waves plugs you don't have to do that, because they do it for you. THAT's Class!Buy a high-quality adapter, and you'll only have to buy it once. Planet Waves cost a little more (but not a LOT more), and are worth double what they charge. I've resolved to check PW first, every time I need something like an adapter or cable. I will always buy their product before others, if it's available.