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Author Topic: UA5 monitor switch  (Read 4073 times)

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Offline blu666z

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UA5 monitor switch
« on: July 01, 2004, 05:59:56 PM »
Can someone explain to me why the monitor switch affects the RCA outputs? I was under the impression that only affected the headphone and what was being output on it.

-Kevin

Offline blu666z

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Re: UA5 monitor switch
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2004, 06:19:23 PM »
Never mind, found the pdf in the Archive...guess it does what I thought but afffects both the RCA outputs and the headphone jack.

-Kevin

Offline mirth

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Re: UA5 monitor switch
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2004, 08:44:42 PM »
Its kinda dumb to have two knobs that do the same thing tho...
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Offline blu666z

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Re: UA5 monitor switch
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2004, 10:21:35 PM »
I'm not talking about the knobs, I'm talking about the monitor switch.  And now going back and reading the PDF again I'm reconfused.  From the PDF:

Input monitor switch

This button selects whether the input signal from the input jacks 1 and 2, input jack 3 and 4, and the digital input connector will be sent without change from the headphone jack and the master output jack.  When this is on, the input signal will be output.  When this is off,  the input signal will not be output.  Turn this button off if the audio data is being "thru-ed" within your computer, or if a mixer is connected and the input signal is being output directly from the mixer for monitoring.


Confused by the without change.  Is that saying when its on, you are outputing exactly what is being input, bypassing the gain stage? 

-Kevin

Offline jkoch

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Re: UA5 monitor switch
« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2004, 03:53:12 PM »
to my knowledge there is no gain on the RCA inputs, the knob on the back is to attenuate only...maybe that's what they're talking about?
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Offline blu666z

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Re: UA5 monitor switch
« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2004, 04:11:01 PM »
Here's my situation.  Running a level meter off the RCA outputs.  Trying to figure out whether the switch should be on or off to have the output signal on the RCAs match what is being output on the digital output.

-Kevin

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Re: UA5 monitor switch
« Reply #6 on: July 02, 2004, 05:10:39 PM »
Kevin,

The way it sounds to me is that with the monitor switch off, your UA-5 is trying to work in full duplex... basically its sending the audio out thru USB & expecting it to come back before sending it out the RCA and headphone.
FWIW, I leave both switches on & knobs up all the way and haven't had a problem with my SVU-1 so far.

Although, I just re-read the passage & now I'm not too sure what the hell its trying to say.
Governor Jim McGreevey was equally disturbed about the upcoming population increase. "New Jersey cannot support all of these wookies," he said. "For starters, we don't have nearly enough kindbud. At best, we can muster up a Q.P. of some beasties, but we've not a dime-bag more."

Offline blu666z

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Re: UA5 monitor switch
« Reply #7 on: July 02, 2004, 05:13:15 PM »

Although, I just re-read the passage & now I'm not too sure what the hell its trying to say.

First time I read it, I thought I understand...now everytime I reread it I feel like I understand less and less.

-Kevin

Offline ChrisV

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Re: UA5 monitor switch
« Reply #8 on: July 02, 2004, 08:36:53 PM »
Ditto...that reads like a foreign language to me and I suck at those ;p

For what it is worth I digi-modded the unit myself and before I did the digimod sound would come through the headphone only with the Monitor SW switch ON(unless being fed through the USB of a computer with the playback feature enabled).  But after I did the digimod then sound would come through the headphones regardless...both when it was on and off.
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Offline dklein

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Re: UA5 monitor switch
« Reply #9 on: July 03, 2004, 01:01:36 AM »
I've been wondering about all the variations myself so this post prompted me to do a little testing and I'm glad I did - it has revealed some very important info for anyone who uses the UA-5 as an analog unit (like me) or gives out an analog patch.  Some implications for people who run meters on the analog outs as well.

Without the digimod, the instructions make sense:
monitor button on - UA-5 outputs (headphones/line outs) are monitoring the analog input signal (a>d---d>a)
monitor button off - UA-5 outputs (headphones/line outs) are monitoring the USB signal from the pc (which may end up being the UA-5 inputs but could have effects and other signals mixed in)

The digimod cuts the USB audio input path and connects the a>d output directly to the src/spdif chip.  So the monitor button doesn't affect your digital outputs.  I confirmed this by testing both optical and USB outputs.  At the same time, the digimod puts the UA-5 permanently into 'monitor' mode because the signal was jumped over to the src/spdif chip, where it runs into the signal path that would be followed by a USB source (normally heard with monitor off).  A trace cut could stop this but there's no reason.

What I hadn't considered is that the monitor button does still function, and from what I can tell, it is adding a second layer to the analog output - this is very bad!  Following the signal path, the monitor button 'cuts in' to the serial output of the main codec (a>d and d>a) and takes that digital signal, converts it to analog and runs it through all the analog outputs.  These observations confirm that:
1. monitor off sounds the same as the original source (I plugged my headphones from cd source to UA-5)
2. monitor off sounds the same as monitor on with the volume set at 0
3. turning up the monitor volume adds to the overall level but strips the high frequencies (likely from mixing a slightly delayed source)
4. the mono/stereo does have some effect when monitor is on

And through all of this, the 'output' pot also affects the overall signal.

So for me, who is sometimes using the UA-5 to feed into a separate a>d, I need to remember to keep that stupid monitor off and that the output pot acts as a kind of post-gain.  I could calibrate the output so the peak light matches up with the meters on the pc but metering has never been a strong point on the UA-5  ;)

For people running meters off the analog outputs, the sound quality doesn't matter so I suppose you can calibrate it to anything as long as all the settings stay the same.  Keep in mind you are always affected by the output pot, and if you have the monitor on, then your meters are also affected by the monitor volume and stereo/mono button.  If you keep the volume monitor down to 0, then it won't matter if you have the monitor on or not.  I'd probably calibrate to something easy like monitor off, output at full.

For anyone giving analog patches, although this seems backwards, if you have the digimod you actually want the monitor off and then give them levels by adjusting the output knob.
« Last Edit: July 03, 2004, 04:05:23 AM by dklein »
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Offline Brian Skalinder

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Re: UA5 monitor switch
« Reply #10 on: July 03, 2004, 09:35:44 AM »
Thanks, David - apprecite the time you took to sort through this and write it up for us.  +T  Into the UA-5 FAQ it goes...
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