EN IEC 61938:2018

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-april-2019
Nadomešča:
SIST EN 61938:2013
Večpredstavnostni sistemi - Navodilo za priporočene karakteristike analognih
vmesnikov, ki omogočajo medobratovalnost
Multimedia systems - Guide to the recommended characteristics of analogue interfaces
to achieve interoperability (GMT)
Multimedia Systeme - Leitfaden für empfohlene Charakteristika analoger Schnittstellen
zur Erreichung von Kompatibilität
Systèmes multimédia - Guide des caractéristiques recommandées des interfaces
analogiques permettant d'obtenir l'interopérabilité
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN IEC 61938:2018
ICS:
33.160.60 Večpredstavni (multimedijski) Multimedia systems and
sistemi in oprema za teleconferencing equipment
telekonference
35.200 Vmesniška in povezovalna Interface and interconnection
oprema equipment
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD EN IEC 61938

NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
March 2018
ICS 33.160.01; 35.200 Supersedes EN 61938:2013
English Version
Multimedia systems - Guide to the recommended characteristics
of analogue interfaces to achieve interoperability
(IEC 61938:2018)
Systèmes multimédia - Guide des caractéristiques Multimedia Systeme - Leitfaden für empfohlene
recommandées des interfaces analogiques permettant Charakteristika analoger Schnittstellen zur Erreichung von
d'obtenir l'interopérabilité Kompatibilität
(IEC 61938:2018) (IEC 61938:2018)
This European Standard was approved by CENELEC on 2018-02-16. CENELEC members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC
Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.
Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre or to any CENELEC member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation
under the responsibility of a CENELEC member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the
same status as the official versions.
CENELEC members are the national electrotechnical committees of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
Europäisches Komitee für Elektrotechnische Normung
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2018 CENELEC All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC Members.
Ref. No. EN IEC 61938:2018 E
European foreword
The text of document 100/2879/CDV, future edition 3 of IEC 61938, prepared by IEC/TC 100 "Audio,
video and multimedia systems and equipment" was submitted to the IEC-CENELEC parallel vote and
approved by CENELEC as EN IEC 61938:2018.
The following dates are fixed:
(dop) 2018-11-16
• latest date by which the document has to be
implemented at national level by
publication of an identical national
standard or by endorsement
(dow) 2021-02-16
• latest date by which the national
standards conflicting with the
document have to be withdrawn
This document supersedes EN 61938:2013.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CENELEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

Endorsement notice
The text of the International Standard IEC 61938:2018 was approved by CENELEC as a European
Standard without any modification.
In the official version, for Bibliography, the following notes have to be added for the standards indicated:

IEC 60027 (series) NOTE Harmonized as EN 60027 (series).
IEC 60130-9 NOTE Harmonized as EN 60130-9.
IEC 61293:1994 NOTE Harmonized as EN 61293:1994 (not modified).
IEC 62368-1:2014 NOTE Harmonized as EN 62368-1:2014 (modified).
Annex ZA
(normative)
Normative references to international publications
with their corresponding European publications

The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments)
applies.
NOTE 1  Where an International Publication has been modified by common modifications, indicated by (mod), the relevant
EN/HD applies.
NOTE 2  Up-to-date information on the latest versions of the European Standards listed in this annex is available here:
www.cenelec.eu.
Publication Year Title EN/HD Year
IEC 60038 -  IEC standard voltages EN 60038 -
IEC 60094-2 -  Magnetic tape sound recording and EN 60094-2 -
reproducing systems - Part 2: Calibration
tapes
IEC 60268-1 -  Sound system equipment - Part 1: General HD 483.1 S2 -
IEC 60268-3 -  Sound system equipment - Part 3: EN 60268-3 -
Amplifiers
IEC 60268-5 -  Sound system equipment - Part 5: EN 60268-5 -
Loudspeakers
IEC 60268-7 2010 Sound system equipment - Part 7: EN 60268-7 2011
Headphones and earphones
IEC 60268-11 1987 Sound system equipment - Part 11: HD 483.11 S1 1990
Application of connectors for the
interconnection of sound system
components
+ A1 1989  HD 483.11 S2 1991
+ A2 1991  HD 483.11 S3 1993
IEC 60268-12 -  Sound system equipment - Part 12: EN 60268-12 -
Application of connectors for broadcast
and similar use
IEC 60603-11 1992 Connectors for frequencies below 3 MHz - -
for use with printed boards - Part 11: Detail
specification for concentric connectors
(dimensions for free connectors and fixed
connectors)
IEC 60958 series Digital audio interface EN 60958 series
ITU-R BT.1700 2005 Characteristics of composite video signals - -
for conventional analogue television
systems
IEC 61938 ®
Edition 3.0 2018-01
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Multimedia systems –
Guide to the recommended characteristics of analogue interfaces to achieve

interoperability
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 33.160.01, 35.200 ISBN 978-2-8322-5056-3

– 2 – IEC 61938:2018 © IEC 2018
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 5
INTRODUCTION . 7
1 Scope . 8
2 Normative references . 10
3 Terms and definitions . 10
4 General conditions . 13
5 Power supply . 13
5.1 Alternating current (AC) power supply voltages and frequencies . 13
5.2 Direct current (DC) power supply voltages . 14
5.3 Power supply feed for microphones . 14
6 Interconnections . 14
6.1 Connections . 14
6.1.1 General . 14
6.1.2 Characteristics of cables . 14
6.2 Connectors . 16
7 Marking and symbols for marking . 16
7.1 Marking . 16
7.2 Symbols for marking . 16
8 Electrical recommended values . 16
8.1 General purpose output/input . 16
8.2 General purpose audio output/input . 16
8.2.1 Audio-only interfaces for consumer equipment . 16
8.2.2 Interfaces for professional equipment and consumer equipment where
audio and video signals are present on the same connector or cable . 17
8.3 General purpose video input/output . 19
9 Interoperability of microphones and amplifiers . 19
9.1 Microphones (excluding piezoelectric types) . 19
9.2 Power supply feed for electret microphones fed over a signal conductor
(“plug-in power”) . 20
9.3 Power supply feed for electret microphones fed by a separate conductor
("soundcard power" or "PC power") . 21
9.4 Phantom supply system . 21
9.4.1 General . 21
9.4.2 Supply voltage polarity . 21
9.4.3 Circuit diagram . 22
9.4.4 Value of the supply voltage . 22
9.4.5 Supply current . 22
9.4.6 Marking . 22
9.5 A-B supply system . 23
9.5.1 General . 23
9.5.2 Output impedance of the microphone . 23
9.5.3 Circuit diagram . 23
9.5.4 Connection of the power supply to earth . 23
9.5.5 Marking . 23
9.6 Polarity of the audio frequency voltage . 23
10 Interoperability of record-playing units (pick-ups) and amplifiers . 25

IEC 61938:2018 © IEC 2018 – 3 –
11 Interoperability of loudspeakers and amplifiers . 26
11.1 Single unit loudspeakers . 26
11.2 Loudspeaker systems . 26
11.2.1 Loudspeakers with built-in amplifier . 26
11.2.2 Impedance-defined loudspeaker systems . 26
11.2.3 Constant voltage loudspeaker systems . 27
11.3 Voltage (or power) interoperability of amplifiers and loudspeakers . 27
11.3.1 Overview . 27
11.3.2 Interoperability requirements . 27
11.4 Polarity of the sound pressure . 28
12 Interoperability of headphones and amplifiers . 28
12.1 General . 28
12.2 Interoperability of headphones with stationary amplifiers . 28
12.3 Interoperability of portable audio headphones/earphones and portable audio
equipment . 29
12.3.1 General . 29
12.3.2 Portable audio head
...