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Re: extension cables

Subject: Re: extension cables
From: "Robb Nichols" robb_nichols
Date: Fri Jan 22, 2010 5:42 pm ((PST))

John Lundsten wrote:
> and found a pretty smooth response curve that began
> | to roll off at about 1K and extended to about -20dB @20KHz. The
> | low-impedance source and balanced line didn't maintain a particularly
> | compelling response with such a long cable, but it was substantially
> | better and quite useable in our application.
>
> As i say I don't know what your UPA-1 is (or the out Z of the mic you used) 
> but that seems a pretty dam poor performance to me.
>
>   
Yikes!  My little gizmo placed in the same sentence as "pretty dam poor 
performance" kind of stings a little.  Herein lies the problem of trying 
to interact with the group while having commercial interests.  I should 
have been either more or less vague, rather than mentioning a part 
number without detail.

As John mentions, the signal degradation is a function of cable 
capacitance and source impedance.  Input impedance of the preamp matters 
too.  Our preamp is driving a pretty unrealistic length of little 24 
gage cable in that test.  And while I admitted that it wasn't great 
response, my point was that the response curve that I did have was 
pretty smooth, so it could be compensated for to a large degree with EQ 
or post processing--probably not best practice for high-fidelity 
recording, but many applications are more about detection.

The UPA-1 is a little weather-resistant mono mic preamp (more detail at 
www.aqaud.com/product.php?productid=25).  It only draws about 10mA, and 
has screw terminals for power and output.  So with two resistors and two 
capacitors, it can be configured to work as a balanced line driver and 
powered by phantom power. Output impedance as wired is about 50 ohms.  
The mic is irrelevant in this test.






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