SoundTools XLR Sniffer/Sender Microphone Cable Tester Kit

Just a very useful XLR cable tester. Great for testing cables that are in an installation. For when you can't get both ends of the cable together for a test. This is a 2 piece tester one for each end giving you 3 LED's for good.

I have been working in show production for over 20 years. I have seen gadgets and tools come and go that are supposed to make the live of an audio technician or engineer "easier" or to attempt to make a stagehand's job better. Most of these fall totally flat, designed by people who don't get what we do for a living. NOT this one. To fill people in who may not know: Rat Sound is a production company founded by the legendary Dave Rat who knew that audio technicians and engineers have the difficult task of making technology work for artists with zero time and even less resources. The company not only provides audio and FOH (front of house) solutions for some of the word's biggest shows, but also the crew to run them. He gets what stage hands, technicians and engineers need. The Rat Sniffer is perhaps the most clever tool I have ever owned since the Gerber 600 multi tool (Yes, I am a "Gerber" and not a "Leatherman" kind of person). It does one thing: Tests if XLR cables are good, and what is wrong with them when they go bad. It has 4 lights. One on the back to let you know when one end of the device is providing 48V DC power (aka "Phantom Power"). The other end has 3 LED's that change from green to red depending on the state of the connection. The handy guide (which is now the perfect size to tape right on the device) tells you what the combination of red and green lights mean. This shows you which pins are active, and which are not. It may not seem like a big deal, but knowing what electricity is flowing through each pin on an XLR cable can mean the difference between payday and ticket refunds. And, this can do it. All. Day. Long. The concept is simple: Plug one end into the terminus (End point) of the cable. Then, either turn on Phantom power on your console, or if you are manually checking connections, plug the other end with the single LED in. Twist the bottom, and you have the answer on WHAT is wrong with a cable instantly! No meter probes. No guessing if there is power. And, if you have a large analog snake to check (aka a large wire loom with multiple XLR channels), you can pop this on or off with Phantom on the console and diagnose an entire 16 channel snake in less than a minute. No symbols to decipher. No wondering what the screen says in super bright or pitch black backstage areas. And, the beauty that it does this instantly. It is built out of all metal components, and the batteries are somewhat easy to find (although not as common as AA). Yet, you do not even need the other end if you have phantom power on the console you are using to check. It is one of those tools that is so simple it is genius, but yet it is executed nearly flawlessly. AND, it is the size of a thick Sharpie pen, which EVERY stagehand has (or should). Get it. Use it. Love it. It will pay for itself on the first gig. Seriously. This is where it is at.

La mejor herramienta si haces Stage

Used one of these for years. Gave mine to a buddy and bought another one. Makes simple work of diagnosing an XLR which has been wrongly terminated. May have to work on an end a second time, but never a third.

Recommended by a friend in the industry, these things can be a life save if a XLR fails or just double checking that received inventory for deployment is actually working.

Helpful for any kind of xlr cable testing, comms, lighting and mic.