Topic: UA5 Optical Output Help!!!

[panic_fan_dan]

I have just purchased a UA5 and completed the diy digi mod. I tested out my work to find out that I can only record from mics to md through the coax out using rca>mini. I have toslink>mini optical cable that is accepted to the md recorder but I see no level activity on the recorder when using the optical connection. I checked to see if there was a signal coming out of the UA5 optical out and there is could someone help me out I know I must be doing something wrong here.

[Brian Skalinder]

Do the MD specs indicate it accepts optical inputs?  Maybe need to configure the MD for optical input, i.e. select a menu option telling the MD which signal is incoming:  analog, coax, or optical?

[panic_fan_dan]

I thought that as well but as soon as I put the optical cable into the line in the screen reads "digital recording" so I dont know where to go from here.

[panic_fan_dan]

I just answered my own question the optical input on the md recorder will not work for micrphone recording it only works for digital device recording i.e. cd players, dvd players. That really sucks. My next question is now that I can only use the UA-5 with analog rca>mini>md, will the sound improve using the UA-5 or will it be the same as using HOSA MIT-176>YMP-137>MD. Hopefully I will receive a better quality recording.

[NJFunk]

I just answered my own question the optical input on the md recorder will not work for micrphone recording it only works for digital device recording i.e. cd players, dvd players. That really sucks. My next question is now that I can only use the UA-5 with analog rca>mini>md, will the sound improve using the UA-5 or will it be the same as using HOSA MIT-176>YMP-137>MD. Hopefully I will receive a better quality recording.

OK, you have two issues here.  First, that first sentence doesn't make sense to me.  How would the optical input on the MD be able to tell whether there is a DVD player or UA-5 on the other end?  And the UA-5 IS a digital device.  I think you misread something there.  I don't know anything about MDs, though, so you're on your own trying to figure out what the problem is.

Second, I don't know what the HOSA MIT-176 or YMP-137 are, but if you use the UA-5 => MD via analog, you willl still use the UA-5 preamp stage, just not the A/D conversion.  If the UA-5 pre is better than the those other devices (and I suspect it probably is), then you can still improve your recording using the UA-5 analog.

[panic_fan_dan]

You make a good point there, and so after reading this I decided to break open the UA-5 and take a peak at the soldering job on the jumper and low and behold there was a poor connection off of the r35 solder point and as soon as I reconnected it, it works like a champ. I have optical output to md and I see level movement. Now if I could only figure out how to monitor the levels to ensure that I am getting a quality sound. I know I can use the headphone jack on the UA5 but is there an easier way to set the levels?

[fozzy]

look into a SVU-1 for better level monitoring.  If that is out of range for you, you can use the peak indicator on the UA5(a little flicker from time to time during the loudest parts should yield good results but may take some time to get comfortable with).