XLR

XLR is a locking, three-pin connector that carries a balanced audio signal, meaning the cable uses two conductors carrying an inverted copy of the signal plus a ground. That balancing cancels out electrical interference picked up along the cable run, which is why XLR is the standard for microphones, mixers, patch bays and studio monitors.

For a podcaster, choosing XLR means choosing a microphone that has no built-in sound card, so it must plug into an interface or mixer that supplies phantom power if needed and converts the analog signal to digital audio for the computer. This adds a step and a cost compared to USB, but it also means the mic can be upgraded independently of the interface.

XLR cables and connectors are also easy to test and swap, since a bad cable is a common cause of crackling, dropouts or hum, and replacing it is cheap. Longer XLR runs generally hold up better than USB runs of the same length, which matters in a multi-person studio where mics sit several feet from the recording computer.