What Spec am I Looking For?

M

Merverus

New member
Hi Everyone,

My soundcard can output at -10 dBV or +4 dBU. It is outputting to, among other things, a Yamaha stereo receiver. I would like to know if the receiver can handle the +4dBU. What is the relevant specification that I should look for in the receiver's documentation that would explain whether it is capable of handling this extra voltage? I know that most consumer audio products are unbalanced and also that they look for -10 dBV. Basically, I wanna output at +4 dBU but would like to confirm that I will not damage the receiver's circuitry.

Thanks in advance,
pea[c]e
 
Consumer products will be in the middle somewhere. There is no particular reason to output to it at +4, you won't gain anything. You want to set things up such that you have a decent gain structure (e.g. you have some decent movement in the receiver's volume knob before distortion). Typically you'll have better luck at -10.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Hey SM

Probably because my understanding of the diff between -10dBV and +4dBu is still a bit tenuous (tho I've read many of the threads on the subject here), I'm not sure what you mean when you say I have nothing to gain by driving the stereo receiver at +4dBu. As I understand it, +4dBu will produce a greater voltage to carry the current than -10dBV. A voltage corresponding to +4dBu will therefore produce a louder sound than the voltage corresponding to -10dBV, provided that the volume knob on my receiver is held constant in both instances. I would like to hear my music louder through the receiver without damaging it.

Thanks Again...
 
>I would like to hear my music louder through the receiver without damaging it.

A noble cause no doubt!

But you don't want to overdrive the inputs on your stereo receiver. These generally have no adjustment for input sensitivity and are designed to accomodate the -10 signal strength. I doubt that using +4 will damage your receiver (perhaps your speakers if you aren't careful... :) )
but any overdriven stage will sound like shit if distortion is what you are trying to avoid.
 
Let your receiver do the amplifying. Increasing the line level above what the receiver expects is no way to amplify! As doc said, all you're going to do by increasing the input level is overdrive the receiver's inputs, thus causing distortion sooner, and most likely not allowing you to acheive as high a volume!

A perfect gain stage would have your level peak out (begin clipping) while playing most commercial recordings when the volume knob on your amplifer is at about 66-75%. Having it peak at a lower volume setting simply gives you less control and puts you at greater risk. Distortion at high volumes can be difficult to hear properly, and is a speaker killer.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Thanks A Lot Guys,

What you said makes sense (let the receiver amplify)... But, returning to the original question, how can I determine what the receiver's inputs' sensitivity is? (IE - can they only handle -10dBV, like most consumer products, or can they accept +4dBu) In other words, what heading under the Specs will tell me this? Is it Input Sensitivity/Impedance (my AUX inputs are rated as 150mV/47 k-ohms)?

Cheers!
 
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