EDACs can be a pain to terminate, agreed - you need plenty of light, a magnifier, a
removal tool and a clear head. Also, there should be some sort of lid to stop dust and
grit getting into the exposed connectors. XLRs are big and clumsy, but tough. I suppose
you could use D-types, given adequate protection, but a lot of this is about how often the
connection is going to be exercised, and by whom - neither EDAC nor D is particularly
robust. There are connectors suitable for tanks available, but they are expensive.