[Richard Crowley]

1/4 inch and XLR connectors do NOT make “quality”. There are examples of exactly the same internal circuit in a product sold for 100s of $$$ more as “professional grade” simply by virtue of having XLR connectors.

Are RCA connectors appropriate for serious professional use? You would probably be surprised at how many critical signal paths use RCAs buried down inside the racks. For something set-and-forget at home like monitor speakers, I wouldn’t have a problem using RCA connectors. But there are certainly snobs who would turn up their noses at it (but who also couldn’t actually HEAR any difference.)

Frankly, the speakers and the room acoustics will make 1000% more difference than any premium gold-plated connector of ANY kind. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Connectors are small stuff.

[Richard Crowley]

There are two different questions there:
1) Is a digital output from your Mac (actually ANY computer) higher quality than the default audio output? The answer is YES in virtually all cases.

2) Is the difference in quality worth the cost/effort/time for my application? That is a different question that depends on the particular application.

Note that it is easy to find inexpensive USB “dongles” with analog outputs and inputs (like Behringer UCA202). The default analog audio inputs/outputs in most computers is lousy enough that even these inexpensive USB devices are an improvement. Frequently in terms of signal to noise ratio. Because the interior of a computer is full of digital “noise” and poses a hostile environment to delicate analog audio.

But then you also have to ask what exactly you are doing? For example, if you are playing background music in a noisy location, the difference between the default audio output on ANY computer (or even an iPod, etc.) and a high-quality digital interface makes no discernible difference.

But if you are recording tracks for an important, high-quality production, certainly the default analog audio input/output in a typical computer is less than ideal.

[Richard Crowley]

Likely one company decided to do this and then others followed. Blue indicates that there is no input signal, but the presence of blue indicates that the projector is still on. Blue is a pleasant, darker color and seems like a good choice for a “default image”.

[Richard Crowley]

Mr. Leonard seems to have dropped off the face of the earth? American Samoa is still there when I look at Google Maps.

[Richard Crowley]

Many motherboards and sound cards have SPDIF (electrical = RCA, or optical = TOSLINK) OUT, but not IN.

Yes, it should be as simple as finding a device (plug-in board, or USB gadget, etc.) that has SPDIF/TOSLINK IN. I agree that since it is digital the “quality” of the sound interface will have no effect on the audio signal.

[Richard Crowley]

I am currently assembling an ultra-portable HD production unit (3-4 cameras, HD-SDI). My research has revealed that there is a limit of ~100M (~300 ft) for sending HD-SDI without active signal boosting. (Using RG-6 cable, 500ft with larger RG-11) I found this helpful…
https://www.petergray.org/hdsdi.html

[Richard Crowley]

IME, a video isolation transformer would be much more likely to reduce or eliminate that kind of noise. (Unless you are using low-quality coaxial cable without 100% shield coverage.) I always keep a couple of video iso transformers in the kit just for this kind of problem.

[Richard Crowley]

Electrically, it looks like a pretty simple repair. Mechanically, that is a different matter, perhaps you can glue it back together with epoxy or something. Remember that all those slots and openings are functional for the directional characteristics of the microphone, they are not merely decorative, so they should not be occluded by your repair.

The little black plastic rectangle is the input FET transistor. The center pin (the “gate”) has a little metal clip which should fit over the pin on the center of the mic capsule (in the other half of the microphone). Its not very clear, but it looks like the white and red wires to go the other two pins on the transistor.

It looks like the black wire is hanging loose and should connect to the ground tab at the side of the mic capsule. Looks like part of the clip is still attached to the tab on the side of the mic capsule. I would remove the clip from the capsule and solder the wire to the back-side of the remaining part of the clip. Try to avoid soldering directly to either mic capsule pin as it will probably ruin it.

Be careful handling the circuit, particularly the FET transistor because the gate (the pin with the clip on it) is particularly vulnerable to static electricity and a discharge so slight you can’t feel it will permanently ruin the transistor (greatly raise the noise level or outright kill it).

[Richard Crowley]

You can do this with virtually ANY mixer. Since your mixer is the source of the audio signal, you can use a simple Y-adapter cable that will feed the (presumably low impedance source) to two different high impedance loads (the camera audio inputs). The reason so few mixers have multiple outputs is because there are simple external solutions like this.

[Richard Crowley]

I cannot tell anything from the photos. They are too fuzzy right in the critical areas. But the background is nicely in focus.

If it is just a matter of re-soldering wires, then sure it should be relatively easy to fix. (Assuming you have suitable tools, etc.) But we will need much better photos showing the details.

If it is “in two pieces” it seems amazing to me that it picks up anything at all?