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I just pulled the trigger on some Behringer b2031a powered monitors. As far as I can tell, they only take balanced input. Is that going to be a problem, considering I'm basically using them from my DVD player/xbox/cable box? Can I buy a box that converts unbalanced to balanced moderately cheaply (say, $50, max) without destroying sound quality?
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Jun 14, 2007 05:48
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First, thanks for the answer, I appreciate the detail. The speakers have both XLR and TRS inputs. But really, I guess the question is this: If they can handle an unbalanced input, is there any benefit to buying a DI box and providing a balanced input? You say the difference in price is mainly down to number of features; does this mean a cheaper one won't affect my sound quality?
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Jun 14, 2007 21:18
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Well, considering my longest run is on the order of 6 feet, and I've never had a ground loop issue (outside of car audio), I think I have my answer. Thanks.
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Jun 14, 2007 23:51
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I'm so very tired of listening to noise from my computer while I listen to music. Right now, I'm using an envy24 internal card hooked to an external crossover (Behringer CX 3400), which is hooked to my amp (A500). The noise is directly linked to what I do on the computer. Every time I scroll down a web page, a little puff. Any time I do something taxing, random noise. God help me if I plug in my printer. At first, I assumed the crossover was the culprit, since a lot of Behringer stuff can be a bit dodgy. This didn't pan out, though; neither my mp3 player, nor dvd player, nor even my keyboard exhibits any audible noise when plugged in directly. If I keep the gain way down on my amp, and don't push the volume on the computer itself up much, the noise is either imperceptible, or at least not terribly annoying. But if I want any sort of volume, I get to deal with the noise. So, I'm looking for the cheapest DAC possible (or external audio interface, but I can only assume a straight DAC would be simpler). I know about the Bithead at around 160, Behringer makes one in the 130 range, there's EMU and m-audio in the same ballpark. I could even feasibly grab the flimsiest, cheapest POS HTIB receiver with digital input I could find. But there must be a better way. I'm even willing to do a little DIY, if it's feasible. Ideal price point would be about $50-80. Edit: Oh yeah. In addition to the noise itself, it seems that pushing the volume on the computer above ~60 (out of 100) leads to a weird sort of distortion. The sound is ... for a lack of a better way to describe it, staticy in a chunky way in the lows and mids. This happens regardless of the gain on the amp or crossover, so I'm thinking the sound card's output is just weak and overdriven, but maybe that's something. wtcurtis fucked around with this message at 01:10 on Aug 8, 2008 |
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Aug 8, 2008 01:06
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I didn't get a response to my previous question, but it doesn't really matter; I sprung for an M-Audio Fast Track USB interface, hoping it would solve my noise issue. This has failed utterly; my noise problem remains (that is, noise from the speakers that coincides with activities on the computer). As far as I can tell, the USB bus from my computer is noisy as hell. When I plug the m-audio into my laptop, there is no excess noise; when it's plugged into my desktop, terrible, mind-rending noise. If my logic is working right (which is not really a given here), I would think this is because the power from the USB bus is dirty as hell, since the interface itself is just getting a digital signal from the computer, and using its own internal DACs. The m-audio does not have an option for power other than from USB. Anyone have an idea how to fix this?
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Aug 20, 2008 02:13
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