The Power Of Adapters

This article was written several years ago by Michael our operations manager but was not posted at the time and I am posting it now with just a few minor formatting changes to make it easy to read.

The Power of Adapters

I remember, as a kid, one time when I wanted to listen to a phonograph (probably Frampton Comes Alive) on my record player and I discovered my mondo-huge earphones were not functioning on the right side anymore. I looked to my Walkman (cassette format in those days folks) headphones and knew I was stuck; big headphones = 1/4” plug and Walkman phones = 1/8” plug. I had 90% of the technology but in the end I had to listen to “Do you feel like we do” at about 25% of the volume I had desired to because mom was watching 60 minutes and preparing Sunday dinner. Little did I know then the power of adapters.

Many times we buy a cable for an application and then somewhere down the road we need another one that is almost identical but not quite. Cables can be messy and carrying an abundance of different types can lead to tangled messes in your suitcase, gig bag, briefcase, or purse. This is where an adapter can be your friend. Here is some simple advice that is especially helpful to travelers with mobile electronic devices, but pretty useful at home as well.

• Purchase the CABLE that suits the use most important to you.
• Buy adapters that can piggy-back on that cable for applications less frequently visited.Purchase a small organizer that you can organize the adapters
• in and then label the adapter or case-slot with the name or application of the adapter.
• With some adapters you can lose function, so choose wisely and do not be afraid to ask customer service for input as to which adapter will best suit your purposes.
• Most adapters will add what I call “rigid mass” to your cable in/output. Make sure they are out of the way of foot/hand traffic, bumping them can damage your input and output jacks as well as the adapter itself.
• If a right angle fits into the equation, remember you can make a straight connector into a right angle with an adapter, but they do not make a right angle to straight adapter! (think about it)

Pretty basic stuff, but it’s not always common knowledge that the right adapters can save you time, space, and a host of headaches if you put a little thought into your adapter arsenal.

Just Last week I used a ¼ female to ⅛ male adapter to plug my “good” headphones into my pc and listen to AND watch “FCA 35”, a concert in which Peter Frampton plays all of Frampton Comes Alive in the same song order as the album, it’s nice to hear he still has verve and intensity. ..and it’s certainly nice to have the right adapter to listen to it in it’s full sonic glory… bloody good, bloody great!