I think the issue was as likely the TRS>XLR adaptor as anything else you mentioned.
Mac
Given what little I've said so far, I understand your comment. But what do you suspect was wrong with the adaptor?
It's been a long time but I'm sure I checked it for correct contact to pin connections.
i.e.:
tip -> pin 2
ring -> pin 3
sleeve -> pin 4
(Ha! gotcha! I meant pin 1)
Maybe there is something else that could have been wrong with the adaptor? [btw, in my personal drag around kit I carry TRS plug to XLR plug short cables as adaptors rather than those cheap one piece units.]
That said, I more than likely tried another adaptor as well. I know I tried different sends in the snake. I remember being surprised by the situation and spent some time trying to troubleshoot/understand it.
This is the only case that I can remember where I
think a resistor tied impedance balanced connection didn't work as well as a "full" solution. I only call it cheapskate because it is indeed a lot cheaper to implement. All that said, there are so few pieces of "Pro kit" that use this type of impedance balanced output topology that my sample size is probably too small to mean anything.
Bill is now active over at GroupDIY where I'm a mod. I could ask him for you, but I already know the answer.
In a balanced interface everything matters wrt the impedance balance.
JR
If the receiver has high common mode impedance then impedance imbalance issues at the source (or the wiring) become less significant. Bill's work showed that the reason transformers work so well compared to the typical active balanced input is because of this 'HCMI'. Then he worked up a brilliant way to mimic it with active circuitry. THAT signed a deal and released the in-genius chip. I think I have this story right. But if Bill is interested in commenting on this discussion I would love to learn a thing or two.