I have a Motu M4 that is connected to a JBL EON 710 with two 6.35mm instrument cables.
When I forget to switch off the JBL before anything else, I hear a loud bang. Not good. In a Thomann review I read that this is due to Motu’s capacitors being “loaded”, and one user wrote that using XLR cables solves this.
He suggested the Cordial CFM MV cables, which are 6.35mm to XLR … but they are stereo. https://www.cordial-cables.com/en/products/cfm-mv
I need two cables to connect the Motu to the JBL … meaning, they would be used as mono cables.
Is this a problem? Can I use stereo XLR cables or do I really need mono cables?
That’s not a stereo XLR cable. That’s a normal XLR cable to a balanced TRS jack. They just call it a stereo jack because TRS jacks are often also used for stereo output and that is one possible use here, but it will also work for a balanced mono out (which will accept TRS).
As an example, I am using balanced TRS->TRS for my monitors. That cable just replaces one end with a XLR.
Pretty sure your MOTU also uses balanced outs for monitors. This cable should work.
I was confused by this sentence in the Cordial specs: “The CFM MV is a balanced cable, for example, for connecting stereo signals to microphone inputs or for quick wiring of studio monitors.”