[slinkelist] System Configuration for MP3's and CD's

[Gary L. Hunt]

At 08:21 PM 3/15/2000 -0500, Simon Mason wrote:
>Which mixer did you use?  I was thinking of picking up a Radio Shack cheapie
>for this but I wondered if you had a recommendation?  Thanks.
>
>>I'm taking the low-fi approach by using an analog mixer to mix
>>MP3s (from computer sound card) with the output of a Sony 200
>>disk changer into a single input on my receiver.  I also use the
>>same scheme to mix my 3 older Pioneer CD changers together
>>into (a different) receiver input.


The mixer I'm using is the MX-28 by Rolls, which I bought online
from synthony.com for about $80.  It has 3 unbalanced stereo inputs,
with up to 20 dB of gain (or cut) for each one.  The main and head-
phone outputs are also unbalanced.  (The 'pro' audio gear with 
balanced inputs and outputs tends to involve a lot of level matching 
for use with consumer stereo equipment, which I would rather avoid.)  
All the inputs and outputs are 1/4" stereo phone jacks, but I just bought 
a lot of phono plug adapters at Radio Shack so I could use standard 
stereo cables rather than making custom cables.

I'm also using a Rolls RA62 headphone amplifier as a line driver to
drive amplifiers in various parts of my house.  (Didn't want to run high
impedance outputs too far--this has 600 ohm outputs.)  It has 5 input 
channels, some of which can be separated from the main mix and used 
as separate channels.  (Although I'd have to say that feature doesn't work 
as well as I hoped, because there is quite a bit of crosstalk between
channels.  This is not surprising for a mixer, where it doesn't matter 
too much--but it creeps into the 'separate' channels as well.)  Purely
as a source of multiple low impedance outputs for distributing a
single stereo audio channel, it works fairly well, although it cost
twice as much as the MX-28.

Gary Hunt <glh@srv.net>