toslink to xlr??

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"MZ" wrote ...
> I've got an optical output on my USB sound card. I want
> to connect it to two Behringer DCX-2496 crossovers, that
> have "AES/EBU" inputs which have an XLR connection.
> So the problem is threefold:
>
> 1) I have to "convert" the optical output to a coaxial
> 2) I have to adapt the coaxial to an XLR connection
> 3) I have to split it to two pieces
>
> Are there any devices that do this for me? I need to keep
> the USB sound card because my application calls for the
> sound card being powered off the USB port.

If you want to make something yourself, you can go directly from
Toslink optical to AES/EBU. The info needed to do this is here...
http://www.epanorama.net/documents/audio/spdif.html
I'd guess that it would cost much less than $20

Dunno if you can buy something off the shelf to do this, but if you
can, I'd expect it to cost significantly more than your sound card.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

Richard Crowley wrote:
>
> Dunno if you can buy something off the shelf

Behringer SRC2000 or SRC2496

Sander

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"MZ" <zarellam@removetwcny.rr.comspam> wrote in message
news:gPadnX7_KdfqJxLfRVn-1Q@giganews.com...
> I've got an optical output on my USB sound card. I want
to connect it to
> two Behringer DCX-2496 crossovers, that have "AES/EBU"
inputs which have an
> XLR connection. So the problem is threefold:
>
> 1) I have to "convert" the optical output to a coaxial

http://www.impactacoustics.com/product.asp?cat_id=1007&...

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-...

etc.

> 2) I have to adapt the coaxial to an XLR connection

http://www.murraypro.com/spdif.htm

http://www.fullcompass.com/Products/pages/SKU--17818/

http://vantageaudio.com/info/spdif.htm

http://www.globalvideoconf.com/Digital%20Audio%20Cables...

Do it all in one step:

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/audio_toslink_adapte...

> 3) I have to split it to two pieces

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/audio_toslink_adapte...

> Are there any devices that do this for me? I need to keep
the USB sound
> card because my application calls for the sound card being
powered off the
> USB port.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

On Sat, 21 May 2005 18:46:48 -0400, "MZ"
<zarellam@removetwcny.rr.comspam> wrote:

>I've got an optical output on my USB sound card. I want to connect it to
>two Behringer DCX-2496 crossovers, that have "AES/EBU" inputs which have an
>XLR connection. So the problem is threefold:
>
>1) I have to "convert" the optical output to a coaxial
>2) I have to adapt the coaxial to an XLR connection
>3) I have to split it to two pieces
>
>Are there any devices that do this for me? I need to keep the USB sound
>card because my application calls for the sound card being powered off the
>USB port.

Behringer make format-conversion boxes. They need power though,
which maybe makes your requirement for a USB-powered audio interface
irrelevant?

Have you tried an analogue audio connection? Can you REALLY hear the
difference?

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

> Behringer make format-conversion boxes. They need power though,
> which maybe makes your requirement for a USB-powered audio interface
> irrelevant?
>
> Have you tried an analogue audio connection? Can you REALLY hear the
> difference?

I don't know. I'm guessing the difference would probably be negligible.
But I wanted to stick with the digital output because I'll basically have 4
pieces in the chain, and remaining digital through three of them will make
it more immune to noise and ground loops and whatever else in a noisy car.
It'll also allow me to skip an extra stage of D/A -> A/D conversion.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"MZ" <zarellam@removetwcny.rr.comspam> wrote in message
news:nomdnfwO855jmw_fRVn-iA@giganews.com...
> > Behringer make format-conversion boxes. They need power though,
> > which maybe makes your requirement for a USB-powered audio interface
> > irrelevant?
> >
> > Have you tried an analogue audio connection? Can you REALLY hear the
> > difference?
>
> I don't know. I'm guessing the difference would probably be negligible.
> But I wanted to stick with the digital output because I'll basically have
4
> pieces in the chain, and remaining digital through three of them will make
> it more immune to noise and ground loops and whatever else in a noisy car.
> It'll also allow me to skip an extra stage of D/A -> A/D conversion.

Seems to me that the "noisy car" (your words) will mask any effect
of using analog vs. digital in a vechicle installation.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

> > I don't know. I'm guessing the difference would probably be negligible.
> > But I wanted to stick with the digital output because I'll basically
have
> 4
> > pieces in the chain, and remaining digital through three of them will
make
> > it more immune to noise and ground loops and whatever else in a noisy
car.
> > It'll also allow me to skip an extra stage of D/A -> A/D conversion.
>
> Seems to me that the "noisy car" (your words) will mask any effect
> of using analog vs. digital in a vechicle installation.

Yeah. As I said, the difference is probably negligible. That is, until you
have to start competing with ground loops and the like between the different
devices, which by necessity are all powered and grounded at different spots.
I have, in fact, tested this notion by running the unbalanced analog output
directly from the sound blaster device (powered by the USB port) to the
amplifiers, and voila, alternator whine. With this setup, eliminating the
noise isn't trivial. So, sticking with the digital output, routing it to a
pair of crossovers (run off a power inverter) while staying digital until
the last moment - running balanced analog outputs to the amplifiers - gives
me no noise at all. Basically, all the pieces involved are capable of
digital in/out, so I figured the car would be the ideal place to make use of
the capability.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"MZ" <zarellam@removetwcny.rr.comspam> writes:

> > > I don't know. I'm guessing the difference would probably be negligible.
> > > But I wanted to stick with the digital output because I'll basically
> have
> > 4
> > > pieces in the chain, and remaining digital through three of them will
> make
> > > it more immune to noise and ground loops and whatever else in a noisy
> car.
> > > It'll also allow me to skip an extra stage of D/A -> A/D conversion.
> >
> > Seems to me that the "noisy car" (your words) will mask any effect
> > of using analog vs. digital in a vechicle installation.
>
> Yeah. As I said, the difference is probably negligible. That is, until you
> have to start competing with ground loops and the like between the different
> devices, which by necessity are all powered and grounded at different spots.
> I have, in fact, tested this notion by running the unbalanced analog output
> directly from the sound blaster device (powered by the USB port) to the
> amplifiers, and voila, alternator whine. With this setup, eliminating the
> noise isn't trivial.

How about putting some good quality audio signal isolation
transformers on the line... Those break the ground loop nicely.

Or using balanced interface.

> So, sticking with the digital output, routing it to a
> pair of crossovers (run off a power inverter) while staying digital until
> the last moment - running balanced analog outputs to the amplifiers - gives
> me no noise at all.

This is a good approach.

> Basically, all the pieces involved are capable of
> digital in/out, so I figured the car would be the ideal place to make use of
> the capability.
>
>

--
Tomi Engdahl (http://www.iki.fi/then/)
Take a look at my electronics web links and documents at
http://www.epanorama.net/