Lavalier connector sound quality - XLR vs 3.5?

[Loxley-StoryConnective]

Hi there filmmakers,
Is there any difference in sound quality between an XLR & 3.5mm connected lavalier microphone?
Is there any difference in sound quality between unbalanced low voltage plug-in power lavs & balanced phantom power lavs?
Which connector-to-recorder setup yields optimal quality audio?
Thanks in advance
-filmmakin' n00b

 

[Paul F]

Hi there filmmakers,
Is there any difference in sound quality between an XLR & 3.5mm connected lavalier microphone?

No. There's pros and cons for both depending on application, but sound quality is not affected by connector type. 3.5mm connectors are commonly used in professional lavaliere microphone setups; especially wireless.

Is there any difference in sound quality between unbalanced low voltage plug-in power lavs & balanced phantom power lavs?

It depends. As a general statement, balanced phantom power products are likely to be superior in performance to unbalanced plug-in power devices.

Which connector-to-recorder setup yields optimal quality audio?

Balanced is considered superior to unbalanced for its noise immunity properties.

 

[Rick R]

With practically all lavs that require 'Phantom Powered', the 48v is just transformed down to bias voltage (usually around 5 volts) with an XLR power supply/adapter. The mic itself is unbalanced but the final output is balanced from the transformer's XLR downstream. So for long cable runs, the balanced output would be better. Some power supplies can be powered by a battery as well, like Tram's TR-79.

 

[Loxley-StoryConnective]

So basically, it depends on several factors.
But generally speaking, a balanced connection will offer some shielding from ambient electronic interference.
The more I think about this, the more I think I should have worded the original question like this:
Given short cables & no ambient electronic interference, is there any discernible difference in signal quality between a balanced connection & an unbalanced connection?

 

[Rick R]

"Is there any discernible difference in signal quality between a balanced connection & unbalanced connection? ?"
- Not with a short cable run (short= 10 feet or so). The mic element to transformer/XLR adapter (or transmitter) would be unbalanced regardless of the connector type.