What is SPDIF?

  • Thread starter Thread starter JonathanRay
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"digi (the non-tdm stuff) etc is all coaxial as well"- Mikedaul Not true, Mikedaul- Digi stuff, such as 002 and 002r will transmit or receive optical S/PDIF or ADAT from the same optical I/O's. I use my 002 routinely both to send and receive optical S/PDIF to and from Roland VS1824CD and from the Joemeek twinQ.

Yo JonathonRay- Basically, you ask, what is S/PDIF good for? There are several answers:
1. It allows you to simply take advantage of more I/O's, which can often mean more channels.
2. It can allow you to bypass the cruddy A-D conversion and often, the preamps, of otherwise very good pieces of gear. For instance, I often send the signal from my Digi002 to a Roland VS1824CD, bypassing the Roland's cruddy preamps, and then taking advantage of the Roland's rather good editing and mixing capabilities. Then I send the signal back to the 002 by S/PDIF, so the Roland's A-D conversion and preamps never affect the signal.
3. By using optical S/PDIF, you can completely avoid electromagnetic interference from radio signals, power cables, computer monitors, etc.-Richie
 
with 1/4 cables theres like steps of quality...a 30$ mogami is better than a 10$ hosa...would this be true for S/PDIF cables since it's digital?
 
richard - didn't know that about the digi stuff. was just going by my experience, and the digi site only mentions coaxial:

http://www.digidesign.com/products/le/basics/hardware.cfm

As for is a $10 digital cable better than a $100 one, that's a whole other debate. I say use the cheapest cable that will get the job done. Audiophiles will happily spend lots of $$ for digital cables. I'm sure there's a happy balance somewhere in between.
 
spend your money wisely...or foolishly..its your money

there is an engineering aspect to everything.
so yes even the material used to make the coaxial, the insulation...gold plugs!
with Fiber Optic is generally the purity of the glass that would degrade the signal internally. but unless you have a High Dollar Test machine..you won't be able to see it with your eyes.

can a human hear the difference? I buy my speaker cable at Home Depot.
I can change it out whenever I like...cheaply.
I tried the Monster Cable "blindfold test"..... i couldn't justify the $$.

However, in a pro $$$ customer ready studio and especially in Live applications you would want better built stuff to withstand the physical wear and tear, the cable plugs, soldering, gold plated, gauge, radio interference.

but if something costs 10x the $$$$$$ I sure as hell better "see and hear" a difference!!
 
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I think that's one of the cool aspects of digital. Your 1s and 0s either get to their destination, or they don't. There's not a higher quality of 1 or 0. So a cable that gets them to their destination is all you need. Anything better isn't necessary. Of course you want cables that can take a little abuse without breaking, but you don't need to spend a gazillion dollars a foot to accomplish that.

My LXP-1 and LXP-5 don't seem to like Monster Cable patch cords. Somehow the size or shape of the plug doesn't mate with the jacks properly and can never get a solid connection. When I first ran into this, I thought I had busted my LXPs, until I went to unplug the audio cables and heard the pops/clicks getting through.
 
SPDIF- RCA Coax & Fiber Optic

hey richie-
as you mentioned,
i hooked up my SPDIF(rca type) from the M300 to the 2488 SPDIF IN (rca type)...

simple. fun test.
elimainted the A/D conversion on the SIAB/2488...but..

?????????????
i did notice the pre-amp(in volume knob)
on the M300 is active even with bypass?
So did I add a A/D conversion by adding the M300 in the loop?

that would make this test-goal null, in my case anyway.
 
I don't know the answer for sure, Coolcat. I think you added a capacitor. An RNC has makeup gain but it's not a preamp. The input level on the M300 is like the makeup gain on a compressor. I haven't found it to be a problem as long as you don't have the clip light coming on on the M300. The true techno-geeks here may have a more technically correct answer. I'm pretty sure the signal is going through that capacitor before conversion.-Richie
 
SPDIF- RCA Coax & Fiber Optic

yes, i believe your right as you make logical sense.
there is no mention of a preamp in the specs or marketing flyer, so it could be 99% assumed there is No Preamp.
Being a capacitor and at zero-gain should be even less of an issue.

this is good news. I can reduce a A/D conversion with this.

great unit...and now with the SPDIF ability...very slick!

JoeMeek VC1Q> M300/SPDIF> RECORDER:SIAB/2488.

oh also, I just used a thick RCA Video cable with gold plate, that was laying around...worked great.
 
The bottom line, Coolcat, is- if it works great, then don't try to fix it. I'm a hack, not an engineer. I did, however, record about half an album using the M300's A-D convertor, just because it allowed me to bypass the Roland's preamps. I'm glad it works for you.-Richie
 
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