I presume the SD7xx boxes and AD2K will take a higher input.
I mention this because:
- I'm curious if the V2 is the same in this regard. I'm guessing it is not the same, because a taper with many years experience came over to me last night and asked why I was running the V3 so cold and adding all the gain in the R4. When he ran his V2 > DAP1 he always ran the V2 hot... I explained to him about the V3 hot output and and the R4 was all the way down... he looked at me like I had 3 heads. The point is, I'm guessing his V2 and my V3 are not the same in this regard.
- It has a profound effect in the case of "can I get a digi patch and and analog patch out at the same time?"... YES you can do it, but if you have your digi bit bucket humming along at -6, your analog box is pegged, or if you reduce the gain on your V3 so as not to overdrive the analog box then you digi box is running low... it's a compromise.
- That's how it looks to me. If I'm missing something, please let me know.
regarding how "hot" the V3 output is relative to the V2 and what other devices can handle, here are a few thoughts...
yes, when the digital meters on the V3 read 0dBfs, the balanced analog outputs are at +25dBu. and, as with most devices, the unbalanced output is 6dB lower, which puts it at +19 dBu. While the V3 does not have a dedicated unbalanced analog output, it is easy enough to make a set of XLR > RCA cables.
the V2 analog outputs were actually a little
hotter than the V3's analog outputs. The V2's balanced analog output maxes out at +27dBu, and the unbalanced output on the V2 is +21dBu. and the V2 has both XLR and RCA analog outputs.
regarding what other devices can handle. The SD 7XX units, when running line in, can take a max signal of +26dBu. but that is running line-in at -6dB, the min gain. I think most people with SD units actually run line-in at 0dB (again, because it's better not to add gain to a signal just to attenuate it later). at 0dB line-in, the 722 can handle a signal of +20dBu. So if you are running analog and digital out of the V3, the V3's digital levels will be 5dB lower than the levels on the 7XX. not too bad. of course, you could also run the 7XX line-in at -5dB, and the digital levels on the V3 will match exactly the levels on the 7XX. There is more info on that in this thread:
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,80074.0.htmland based on that thread, there is this comparison of the V3's A/D vs the 722 A/D, levels matched exactly, both using the V3 pre-amp.
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,81297.0.htmlJoe also mentioned the DA-P1 and the AD2K. the AD2K has a sensitivity switch on the front, and at most, can handle a signal of +24dBu. because the V3's max output is +25dBu, and recording made directly from the digital output of the V3 will only be 1dB lower than the V3 > AD2K recording. I'm not familiar with the input of the DA-P1, so I can't comment on the V2 > DA-P1 combo that Joe mentions...