Lexikon Cinch specifications

Category : Lexicon

Name of a US plug manufacturer. The name is now used synonymously with a coaxial connector type, which has found wide distribution among Hi-Fi and video devices. It is also known in the English-speaking world as RCA plug or phono plug.

The signal transmission is asymmetrical, the inner contact of the RCA plug carries the signal, the outer contact is the ground contact. One point of criticism of the plug is the fact that the inner contact is connected before the ground contact when it is plugged in. This can lead to strong interference noise when plugged in. It is therefore advisable to plug only when the device is switched off. In addition, the plug type is not standardized in its dimensions, which can lead to inaccuracies in fitting. Such as plugs that are too loose or too tight. As a result, reliable contacting may not be guaranteed, which is why this type of connector is not used in a professional environment.

The connector type is used for various purposes. Often you can recognize the purpose by a color coding, but it is not always reliable. An overview of the purposes and the associated color coding is:

For older devices and cables from the 1970s and early 1980s, the white/ black and black / red variants can also be found instead of the white / red color coding.

Analog Audio usually works with consumer line level. In some cases, other levels also apply (e.g. for connections for turntable phono).

You can also often find the wrong spelling Cynch (for example, until the 1980s in user manuals of German hi-fi manufacturers and in catalogs of electronics shippers) and Chinch. The spelling Chinch can probably be explained by the fact that an incorrect pronunciation is generally used in Germany. The common pronunciation in Germany is [ˈtɪɪntɪ], which is actually written chinch. In the English language, however, Ci is spoken as a sharp S (such as in City, Cinema, etc.), so the correct pronunciation is [ˈsɪn(t)ʃ].