TRS connector

A TRS adapter (tip, ring, sleeve) is a accepted ancestors of adapter about acclimated for analog signals including audio. It is annular in shape, about with three contacts, although sometimes with two (a TS connector) or four (a TRRS connector). It is additionally alleged an audio jack, buzz jack, buzz plug, and jack plug. Specific models are accepted as stereo plug, mini-jack, mini-stereo, headphone jack, tiny blast adapter and Bantam plug.

The TRS adapter was invented for use in blast switchboards in the 20th aeon and is still broadly used, both in its aboriginal 1⁄4 in (exactly 6.35 mm) admeasurement and in miniaturized versions: 3.5 mm (approx. 1⁄8 in) and 2.5 mm (approx. 3⁄32 in). The connector's name is an abridgement acquired from the names of three administering genitalia of the plug: Tip, Ring, and Sleeve1 – hence, TRS.

In the UK, the agreement jack bung and jack atrium are frequently acclimated for the appropriately macho and changeable TRS connectors.2

In the US, a anchored (more fixed) adapter is alleged a jack.34 The agreement buzz bung and buzz jack are sometimes acclimated to accredit to TRS connectors,5 but are additionally sometimes acclimated colloquially to accredit to RJ11 and earlier blast plugs and the agnate jacks that affix active telephones to bank outlets (the agnate agreement phono bung and phono jack accredit to RCA connectors admitting both bung types are acclimated in bike back a computer or MP3 amateur connects to a stereo). In conversation, the bore is generally added to specify which size: quarter-inch buzz bung or 3.5 mm buzz jack for the asymmetric two-channel three-contact version, and counterbalanced TRS jack or TRS buzz bung for the counterbalanced one-channel three-contact version.

Combined TRS and optical connectors

A miniature optical adapter acclimated on carriageable and miniaturised accessories for TOSLINK in abode of the beyond accepted aboveboard adapter is the aforementioned admeasurement as a 3.5 mm TRS socket. There are sockets that amalgamate a automated 3.5 mm TRS atrium with a miniature TOSLINK affiliation (only one can be acclimated at at time

Mono and stereo compatibility

In the aboriginal appliance in chiral blast exchanges, abounding altered configurations of 1⁄4 in jack bung were used, some all-around bristles or added conductors, with several tip profiles. Of these abounding varieties, alone the two-conductor adaptation with a angled tip contour was accordant amid altered manufacturers, and this was the architecture that was at aboriginal adopted for use with microphones, electric guitars, headphones, loudspeakers, and abounding added items of audio equipment.

When a three-conductor adaptation of the 1⁄4 in jack was alien for use with stereo headphones, it was accustomed a bluff tip contour in adjustment to accomplish it accessible to accomplish jacks (sockets) that would acquire alone stereo plugs, to abstain short-circuiting the appropriate approach amplifier. This attack has continued been abandoned, and now the accustomed assemblage is that all plugs fit all sockets of the aforementioned size, behindhand of whether they are counterbalanced mono, asymmetric address or stereo. Best 1⁄4 in plugs, address or stereo, now accept the contour of the aboriginal stereo plug, although a few angled address plugs are additionally still produced. The profiles of stereo miniature and subminiature plugs accept consistently been identical to the address plugs of the aforementioned size.

The after-effects of this concrete affinity are:

If a two-conductor bung of the aforementioned admeasurement is affiliated to a three-conductor socket, the aftereffect is that the arena (right channel) of the atrium is grounded. This acreage is advisedly acclimated in several applications, see "tip arena sleeve", below. However, accomplishments one approach may additionally be alarming to the accessories if the aftereffect is to abbreviate ambit the achievement of the appropriate approach amplifier. In any case, any arresting from the appropriate approach is artlessly lost.

If a three-conductor bung is affiliated to a two-conductor socket, commonly the aftereffect is to leave the arena of the bung alone (open circuit). In the canicule of exhaustion tubes this was additionally potentially alarming to accessories but best solid accompaniment accessories abide this action well. A 3-conductor atrium could be active as an asymmetric address atrium to arena the arena in this situation, but the added accepted base is to leave the arena unconnected, absolutely assuming a address socket