What Will Be The Best Audio Out?

[Bosbeetle]

I am planning to hook my pandora up to my stereo set. And I was wondering what would be the best, just use the phones out jack plug, or use the stereo plugs from the TV out?

 

[WizardStan]

if it's going to a stereo, I'd suspect the line out from the EXT port would be the best way to go, assuming that the line out actually uses line level signals. If it didn't, it wouldn't make sense to label it "line out" though, would it?

 

[mali]

I think it depends on which audio path is used. Is the line-out attached to the burr brown DAC or the companion chip? There was a post by MWeston a while back, but I don't remember it, as I'm not really interested in that audio stuff.

 

[urjaman]

The EXT port line out is driven by the PCM1773's line out which carries same audio as the headset port, IIRC at line level, w/o the headset amplifier, so that output is propably the highest quality audio out on the pandora.

 

[Bosbeetle]

Ah so I'll have to buy a TV-out cable then?

 

[WizardStan]

you won't have to, you can just the headphone jack and it'll probably be "good enough"

 

[Asmo]

Some of those EXT plugs would be handy for knocking together function specific or much shorter leads.

 

[rabidpoobear]

A lot of people just use headphone out's. Like when people run the speaker out from their computer to their receiver , I see that a lot. That's not a line-level signal, it's amped already (unless I'm crazy - possible.) Like for my ipod I have a line out adapter but I just use headphone out most of the time. But line out into a headphone amp does sound tons better, but only if I audition the two. If I'm jus using headphone out by itself I can't really tell 'cause I have no reference comparison. That being said, there's no way in heck I'm running the headphone out to my receiver when I have access to line-out on Pandora, since I'm going to use it for music-related stuff.

 

[nikkopt]

AFAIK the EXT gets the audio from the TWL and not the BB DAC, which is only for the headphone output

Source

 

[Tom`]

A lot of people just use headphone out's. Like when people run the speaker out from their computer to their receiver , I see that a lot. That's not a line-level signal, it's amped already (unless I'm crazy - possible.) Like for my ipod I have a line out adapter but I just use headphone out most of the time. But line out into a headphone amp does sound tons better, but only if I audition the two. If I'm jus using headphone out by itself I can't really tell 'cause I have no reference comparison. That being said, there's no way in heck I'm running the headphone out to my receiver when I have access to line-out on Pandora, since I'm going to use it for music-related stuff.

Most PCs (certainly if you have onboard sound, and even often with cheap sound cards) don't even have a real line-out.

 

[Bosbeetle]

ah then it seems headphone out is the way to go (I have a jack plug to 2 tulip connectors lying around so no need for an ext connector)

 

[peca]

From what I found on this forum I guess that audiopath is in this manner:

. Correct me if I'm wrong.
EDIT: Oh, sorry, I forgot that description is in Czech
Zesilovač = amplifier
Sluchátka = Headphones
linkový výstup = line-out
linkový vstup = line-in (look on missing ý in word vstup! it means opposing way)
vestavěný mikrofon = inbuilt microphone
sluchátkový mikrofone = headphone/headset microphone

 

[Asmo]

ah then it seems headphone out is the way to go (I have a jack plug to 2 tulip connectors lying around so no need for an ext connector)

The answer to your original question though, would be the line out on the EXT port would be best!

 

[rabidpoobear]

Most PCs (certainly if you have onboard sound, and even often with cheap sound cards) don't even have a real line-out.

Too true. It's really sad. But I don't have to worry about this, I have a dedicated soundcard (I do a lot of recording) so I've got 96khz 24bit D/A converters and line level output. unfortunately I don't have S/PDIF on my receiver or I could run that instead.

 

[nikkopt]

I am planning to hook my pandora up to my stereo set. And I was wondering what would be the best, just use the phones out jack plug, or use the stereo plugs from the TV out?

Use the line out on the EXT since it's not amplified (i guess) and let the stereo set amplify the signal.. Although the headphone out provides more quality.

And again: The EXT audio ins and outs are drived by DAC's and ADC's from the TWL, the BB DAC plays no role in this port, it's ONLY used in the headphone socket. It was added alongside with the headphone amp to be able to drive *expensive* headphones with great sound quality and a reasonable volume.

Note that by expensive i mean headphones with more than 100ohm(?)

About the built-in speakers, i think they are also drived by the TWL, which also has a class-D amp, but since nothing has been confirmed, everything i said is based only about past threads and my own logic

 

[Bosbeetle]

Does anyone know if there will be EXT cables with just stereo out? I dont need to output to my crappy tv

I get it now so the line-out has line out levels that I can input on my stereo so the amplification will be done by my excellent sansui B-55 :wub: amp. The headphone out has its own amp to amplify (and is connected to the volume wheel) and this is not ideal as input for a stereo. And it will drive my very nice grado's

I love having nice equipment to play noise

 

[rabidpoobear]

Use the line out on the EXT since it's not amplified (i guess) and let the stereo set amplify the signal.. Although the headphone out provides more quality.

What do you mean the headphone out provides more quality? It's the same signal as the line out on ext except it's preamped, isn't it? Loudness != quality (in this case it'd be the opposite of quality). Unless you're saying the headphone out has a separate higher-quality DAC as well as being an amp? That seems strange and unlikely...

 

[mali]

^There are two DACs on the PCB. One is integrated in the companion chip and the other one is the Burr Brown DAC. There was talk about audio paths a while back, but nobody provided the quotes, yet. I'll search for it this evening. Right now, I'd think that peca's sketch is likely right, cause he did research for his bachelor dissertation, afaik.

 

[rabidpoobear]

^There are two DACs on the PCB. One is integrated in the companion chip and the other one is the Burr Brown DAC. There was talk about audio paths a while back, but nobody provided the quotes, yet. I'll search for it this evening. Right now, I'd think that peca's sketch is likely right, cause he did research for his bachelor dissertation, afaik.

OK but the burr brown still runs into a headphone amp, no? or does it do DAC and amping n the same chip? either way, is the integrated dac so bad that an amped headphone out is going to sound better?

 

[mali]

^Yes, there is an external amp reducing the quality. I don't know how we could compare the companion DAC to the amplified Burr Brown, but the integrated DAC was bad enough to justify adding that Burr Brown in the first place. As I said, it's likely that the integrated DAC is just used for line-in. I'll search for info this evening, if nobody else does it in the meantime (the info might even be on the other boards). Nikkopt's quote from notaz is _very_ old.