1/4inch/mic inputs for the 002

The manual for the 002 says not to (or reccomends against it) use the XLR inputs for anything but microphones. so if your signal is going to the 002 via a another pre-amp you need to use the 1/4 balanced inputs. but for all of my pre-amps and compressors the 1/4 outputs are unbalanced. does this mean i have to buy a bunch of cables that are XLR to balanced 1/4 in order to keep my singal from my pre-amps to my system balanced? i have a ton of mic cables, and a ton of balanced 1/4 cables... i really don't want to buy 8 new cables to use the analog inputs of the 002. in otherwords, is it bad to go XLR out of say my avalon 737 into the XLR in of the 002? thanks!

No. essentyially youa re not putting mic level signal into the 1/4" connefctors, you are putting line level from your preamps. Keep the cable lenght under 15 feet, and your unbalanced 1/4" cabling will be fine.

Why compromise....it's just eight cables man!!! You can make them yourself and do it very cheaply too.

You want to go inot the 1/4" line input, your signal out of the pre is line level. Also, if the pre out is unbalanced, there is absolutely no adfantage of using balanced cabling, as one unbalanced connection will unbalance the entire chain.

That's true...but I read his post to mean that his pre's have xlr balanced line outs AND 1/4 inch unbalanced line outs. I recommend using the XLR balanced line outs and getting/making XLR to TRS cables.

Correct you are Chirs. Now, correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that in order to go line into inputs 1-4 you need to go !/4" on the 002r, otherwise you go through the mic pre's. If that is indeed the case, then indeed you do need to go from XLR to TRS. However you can either make them yourself or simply get/make some XLR-TRS adapters for your exicting cabling. Either option would cost about $10/cable with the highest quality components,

Where, we're in total agreement. I wasn't trying to imply he go into the mic ins...I should have been clearer in my first post. I was just saying I'd go balanced instead of unbalanced...the cost isn't that much, and I don't really see convenience as being so important as to possibly compromise the signal path with potential noise due to unbalanced connections.

Indeed we are Chris, I misread the original post. I also am uncertain about the line input connection for the dual connectors, but i seem to remember reading somewhere that you need to go TRS to access the 1-4 line inputs, but I cannto say for certain. Perhaps you can clarify this.

Thanks for that clarification. so, to answer the original posters question, yes, to correctly connect your mic pre outs to the 002, you need to go XLR to TRS, otherwise you go through double mic preamsp, and given the 002R's very hot, no pad pres, the line level of the outboard pre would probably be too hot for the XLR in's anyway, nevermind the incorrect impedance match.