Daniel,
Cory, would something like this help?
http://www.ebtechaudio.com/lls-2des.html
You can get an 8 channel solution for about $200.
Yes, that would be a viable option if needed. The other point of this thread though is to try to get my MX-80 working properly regardless of whether or not I use it as a converter, which I think I'm not going to after Rick's points.
Rick,
Using low capacitance wire with good connectors you'd have to go much longer than 30 feet for that to be an issue.
The issue is that this may possibly be the case at some point, and is precisely why I wanted a deck with +4 balanced I/O and n/r units that are also +4 balanced capable. So...
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetbeats
Because of the unnecessary gain and summing circuitry?
Yes.
Okay. That does make sense to me. Thank you.
Even though pointless, you can go into the 58 balanced and come out unbalanced with no problems. The info on the tape is the same either way. Neither your board or machine performs any better @ +4.
I realize that it would be silly/pointless to go in one type and out another, and even at that I'm not sure what I would have to do when calibrating the deck as Jimmy at Tascam said if you are going to use the balanced I/O, then calibrate it using those inputs and outputs, and then likewise if you are using the unbalanced I/O. Thinking (writing) out loud here...I'm sure the effect would be pretty minimal, but Jimmy was very clear on that point...I guess if somebody was using their deck that way (mixing their input and output circuits), you'd calibrate the deck to the input type you are using and then you'd have to just deal with the slight change in signal level you would see by using the outputs that weren't loaded during the calibration.
Phew!
Okay...This goes back to an age old question of mine though that I'm not sure I've really ever gotten an answer to...The manuals for my Tascam gear (whether it be the 58, 48, M520, PE-40, etc.) each talk about the benefits of the -10 unbalanced line level convention for recording and studio use. This is of course in direct conflict with the market standard today which is that if your I/O isn't +4 on TRS or XLR connectors it is sub-grade consumer level gear, an idea that I have bought into in the past in a big way and am slowly accepting as a falacy (do you agree?) The specs for my 58 and 48 even demonstrate that there is better performance in an area or two when using the unbalanced I/O as opposed to the balanced I/O. So here's my question:
I selected
dbx 150X noise reduction units so that I could maintain a balanced signal path if the need arose to do so when recording (due to long cable runs). The 150X's will accomodate balanced or unbalanced signals from -24 to +10 dBv, adjusted via trimmers on the front panel. If it turned out that I would never need to operate the 58 using the balanced I/O, might I get better performance out of Tascam DX-4D's (owing to the potentially cleaner, better-performing -10 unbalanced path, as well as the omission of a level-setting potentiometer)?