How to read the specs?

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webstop

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What is the actual meaning of Peak Analog Input and Output Signal numbers?

For example, INPUT:
Audiophile 2496-
+2dBV at Consumer setting
-4dBV at -10dBV setting.
Delta 66-
No Consumer setting.
+14dbu at +4dbu setting
0dBV at -10dBV.
Delta 1010-
No Consumer setting.
+20dBV at +4dBu setting
+2.1dBV at -10dbV.

What is the benefit of having higher numbers?
Also what is the difference between dBu and dBV?
 
I dont know all the physics behind it but Pro gear is usually set for +4 and usually uses a balanced TRS connection but not always.

Consumer gear usually uses -10 and is not balanced.

Pro gear +4 will have a slightly hotter signal and better S/N ratio. If the signal is balanced you can run a much longer cable without any signal loss or interference.

These are basic guidelines and I reserve the right to be completely wrong.

So essentially higher is better and all the gear will work with eachother. Its only an issue if want to calibrate all the gear at 0db and have mixed pro and consumer stuff. But even then it's not a big deal.
 
Just a note...the Delta44 has a consumer setting between +4 and -10, and the Delta66 should as well.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Slackmaster2K,
Actually you are right, Delta 66 does have a Consumer seeting. Now I know, why you are the Moderator here :)
As for the numbers I took them from online manuals, so they should be correct.
I can refrase my question: what do I gain by upgrading from Audiophile to Delta 66 or 1010?
 
More inputs. :)

Usually better sound transfer rate and recording bit level. I'm not sure about those ones, though.

Christopher
 
What are the sonic benefits?

I can't beleive that there is nobody at this board who can really make sense out of these numbers.
 
Last edited:
Its HEADROOM.

These are where the input will CLIP your card. Bad times, unacceptable.

The delta 1010 clearly can accept the hottest signal at each level.. per the SPECS (which may or may not have anything to do with reality)

also, if I remember correctly... dBu refers to 0.775 Volts; sometimes dBv is used instead of dBu (erroneously, I believe.), and dBV refers to 1 volt. A Volt is of course electrical pressure.

xoox
 
I certainly cannot work out these numbers and I see this stuff all the time. One small lead:

There's dBV and dBu levels (you've seen this before in the specs of some device, I bet). Both are relative to a certain voltage that equals a signal of 0 dB. 0 dBV = 1.0 volts and 0 dBu = 0.775 volts.

..from http://www.bluelifeaudio.com/article.php?sid=99

I don't have time to read this article now. It looks very confusing to me. There must be someone who can explain these secret messages fluently... someone from a secret society....

A side issue... Audiophile uses slightly better convertors to the delta 44 and 66. Also the latter two models don't house their convertors in their breakout boxes. They are still housed on the soundcard. Delta 10/10 uses the best convertors and they are housed in it's breakout box.

If these points of information are new to you webstop you may like to look up these articles:

http://www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/apr01/articles/soundcard.asp

http://www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/jan01/articles/maudio.asp

http://www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/jan00/articles/midiman1010.htm

The echo mia seems to have specs somewhere inbetween the 10/10 and the other deltas. And the Lynx one (old now) is supposed to be roughly on a par with the 10/10 sonically due to excellent circuitry for one thing even though its convertors are older according to this particular website.

Hope this is not old news or too irrelevant to your question...
 
More relevant to your oringinal question though is that soundcards strive to achieve a broad dynamic range and this is achieved through quality of convertors and circuitry components and design. This dynamic range is wasted if you cannot get a hot signal into the soundcard - audiophile with unbalanced, +2dB max input is not conducive to getting such a signal into the card.

I wish I knew what all those other numbers eg +20dB at +4dBu mean - one can only guess and dream if the books of codes are sealed to them!!!!! The 10/10 numbers sound great though - maybe you should buy one just so you can quote them!!!!!

I have the feeling I'm talking to someone who may know all of this and more. Anyway good luck with investigations...

Nige
 
dude.. its easy.

+4 and -10 and standard settings. -10 for home and +4 for pro equipment..(though "consumer" is ??) That means that the (max or average??) voltage level going into or out of that jack should be AROUND -10 or +4...

Than said.. you ask youself.."how close does it have to be?" That is where the headroom calculations come in handy.

Clearly.. on the quiet side, a jack can accept all the way down to -infinity without any problems. So we got that handled.

Now, on the loud side...(we'll deal with -10, since its the common spec to all these cards... though i use +4, and we'll omit units since a:they are very similar, and b: they seem to be used interchangeably here)

the AARDVARK starts to clip at -4. That is LOUDER than the -10 standard.. .but AROUND it. so your range is from -infinity to -4. That is some. (although, at the "consumer setting it is -inf to +2!!)

Now, the 66 clips at -0!! hich, happens to be 1.0 real volts of a signal. So if you send a 1VOLT signal into it.. it clips. So your DYNAMIC RANGE is.. -infinity to -0dbv. Though at the +4 setting you get -inf to +14!!! (though note that this seems to be +14dbU which = 10.85dbV?..., still more than +2)

NOW INDEED ! the 1010 clips at +2.1!!!!!!! So you, theoretically, can run a 2 VOLT SIGNAL into it, without clipping!!! Thus your range is -infinity to +2.1dbv!! though at the +4 setting you top out at +20dbv!!!!!!!! that is signifigantly higher than +10.85. Thus you can run a MUCH hotter signal in... and an equally low one. A hotter signal generally improves your signal:noise which means "good sound unless you suck" Hopefully you dont... or else it just doesnt matter.

understand?


xoox
xoxox
 
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