Balanced to unbalanced.
 

Have a quite old M-Audio DAC feeding TV sound via Toslink to the Hi-Fi,
which works ok. But the actual audio level is a bit low compared to the
radio tuner, CD, etc. The output level from the TV is fixed.

The DAC has both XLR balanced and 1/4" jack unbalanced outputs. Thought
this odd 'till I looked inside - it uses discrete transistors to drive
both, and both can be used at the same time.

Levels are nominally +4dBu balanced, -10 dBu unbalanced.

To use the XLRs as unbalanced, you'd normally short cold and ground. But
I'm not sure this would be a good idea with its drivers - and don't want
to risk damaging it.

Any cheap solution to do what I want - ie about 6 dB or so of gain over
the unbalanced outputs?

--
*Most people have more than the average number of legs*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Balanced to unbalanced.
 

In article , Dave Plowman (News)
wrote:
Have a quite old M-Audio DAC feeding TV sound via Toslink to the Hi-Fi,
which works ok. But the actual audio level is a bit low compared to the
radio tuner, CD, etc. The output level from the TV is fixed.

The DAC has both XLR balanced and 1/4" jack unbalanced outputs. Thought
this odd 'till I looked inside - it uses discrete transistors to drive
both, and both can be used at the same time.

Levels are nominally +4dBu balanced, -10 dBu unbalanced.

To use the XLRs as unbalanced, you'd normally short cold and ground. But
I'm not sure this would be a good idea with its drivers - and don't want
to risk damaging it.

Any cheap solution to do what I want - ie about 6 dB or so of gain over
the unbalanced outputs?

If I read that correctly, just using the +ve balanced against ground should
give you -2 dBu. i.e. more than 6dB above the unbalanced output's -10dBu.
Leave the -ve unconnected. I'm assuming the output isn't floating isolated
balanced.

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
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Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

Balanced to unbalanced.
 

In article ,
Jim Lesurf wrote:
In article , Dave Plowman (News)
wrote:
Have a quite old M-Audio DAC feeding TV sound via Toslink to the Hi-Fi,
which works ok. But the actual audio level is a bit low compared to the
radio tuner, CD, etc. The output level from the TV is fixed.

The DAC has both XLR balanced and 1/4" jack unbalanced outputs. Thought
this odd 'till I looked inside - it uses discrete transistors to drive
both, and both can be used at the same time.

Levels are nominally +4dBu balanced, -10 dBu unbalanced.

To use the XLRs as unbalanced, you'd normally short cold and ground.
But I'm not sure this would be a good idea with its drivers - and
don't want to risk damaging it.

Any cheap solution to do what I want - ie about 6 dB or so of gain
over the unbalanced outputs?

If I read that correctly, just using the +ve balanced against ground
should give you -2 dBu. i.e. more than 6dB above the unbalanced output's
-10dBu. Leave the -ve unconnected. I'm assuming the output isn't
floating isolated balanced.

Thanks Jim - I'll give that a try.

--
*He's not dead - he's electroencephalographically challenged

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Balanced to unbalanced.
 

OT to the thread, but the PS in this DAC is unusual. Uses a 1 amp 9 volt
AC wallwart. Internal PS seems to be conventional, ie not SMPS, but there
are two 1 amp voltage regulators, plus and minus 15v, and the main
smoothing caps are marked as 35v.

How do they do this?

--
*I was once a millionaire but my mom gave away my baseball cards

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.