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Feeding FXI60 exciter with Optical SPDIF?

D

duckfan98

Guest
Has anyone ever fed an FXI60 exciter with an optical SPDIF cable?

If so, how did it work for you? I cant seem to get it to operate correctly. In case your wondering, the reason why I want to feed it via optical is that I am using Breakaway Broadcast Processor out of an M-Audio192 card....if I use digital, there is no need to calibrate the card.

Thanks!
 
Wow. That's an interesting concept. Let us know how it worked out for you. To me, that seems like a great way to go. With no chance of ground loops it seems like a great idea.
 
Just wanted to give an update.

Hooked up the optical SPIDF today to our BE FXi60 exciter. All I can say is WOW!

We are by far the best sounding station on the air in our area now. Using Barix boxes over an IP link and the Breakway Broadcast Processor feeding the exciter with 192khz is a true thing of beauty. Loud but CLEAN processing that jumps out of the dial, and never touches above 100% modulation. I have to say, I am impressed.

To be able to have an entire STL / Processing setup for under a grand is incredible... To have it sound the best in your market is priceless.
 
Cool concept. OK, just to be clear after looking at the devices, it appears to have phono connectors for SPID/IF. Is that what you're utilizing for your composite to the FXI60?
 
Using the Coax SPIDF output of the M-Audio192 Card into a cheap coax to optical 192khz converter. This then allows me to use a toslink optical cable to feed the fxi60....for under 30$!
 
Ahhh! Very good! So is that the converter from M-audio also? I just want to make sure if I do this I re-create the same exact solution that is known to work at your location, etc. :) I also wonder if going from a coaxial SPID/IF to an exciter with AES (with the resistor of course) might also work out similarly good.
 
So you are feeding the exciters's stereo generator via the toslink input? The only downside I see to this is the loss of the ability to do composite processing before the exciter which may or may not be important I your application.

Bob
 
This is where I'm confused... are you running 192kHz "composite" over the toslink? Or is it L/R going to the stereo generator?
 
Not a great option. Get a soundcard which allows AES/EBU out. M-Audio is more home musician oriented than towards broadcast needs.
 
OK. Here's the next question for you guys: I have exciters that don't have optical inputs, only composite and AES/EBU. The Breakaway page recommends the Marian Trace 8. Would the Trace PRO also work as well? I like the idea it also offers AES/EBU. I can't see that I need multiple channels...
 
Sorry, been out all morning.

I am using the stereo generator in the exciter, not Breakaway....althought I could - I just chose not to make that adjustment. I am NOT feeding composite audio via the toslink optical; however the optical allows (via the maudio) 192khz, so I could feed the stereo signal no problem if I chose to.
 
I don't think the exciter will accept a 192kHz input. Probably only 48kHz or maybe 96kHz tops. Been a couple of months since I've been near one. The optical inputs were only designed to feed the stereo generator in it.


It would be a neat way to get around ground loops and the like with composite over fiber... You could in theory run composite up a mountain as long as there is fiber in place.
 
Exactly, the exciter will not accept 192 Khz sampling rate. Most likely it can accept 48 Khz or maybe even 96 Khz, but it will still prefer being fed with AES/EBU for digital connections.
 
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