ERC-4, I have a mystery to solve.

[routlaw]

Lately I've been comparing different digital venues in my system while matching volume as close as possible. Using my ERC-4 with balanced outputs into the RMC-1L the volume is some 14-15 db lower than if I used the RMC built in DAC regardless of whether its USB, AES or Coax. Even more strange while comparing with my Oppo 203 the gain on that device is some 5-6 db more than the ERC-4 and that's using single ended RCA outputs. While I haven't been able to find the spec for the RMS voltage output on the Oppo 203 normally single ended output is around 2 volts RMS, while balanced is 4 volts RMS.  

So why then would the ERC-4 have an output so much lower than either the Oppo player or via the internal DAC within the RMC regardless of its input connection? Have others found this to also be the case? It is worth noting I have received the same results using 3 different balanced cables so I know its not the cable itself. In addition while using my Holo Spring DAC and its balanced outputs the volume is much closer to what the RMC provides using its internal DAC and certainly far higher than what the Oppo RCA outputs provide. 

Hopefully someone here can provide some insight into the difference. Thanks 

[Gary Cook]

Have you tried turning up the volume for the XLR/Balanced inputs on the RMC-1?


Cheers
Gary

[routlaw]

Dec 6, 2021 21:23:22 GMT -5 Gary Cook said:

Have you tried turning up the volume for the XLR/Balanced inputs on the RMC-1?


Cheers
Gary

Perhaps I didn’t explain my question very well but thanks for responding. Yes of course I have turned the volume up, but that does not address why a device with 4 vRMS output would have significantly less volume than another device (Oppo 203) using RCA outputs with 2 vRMS output. It also would not explain why the built in DAC of the RMC would have some 14 db more volume than the ERC-4 with balanced outputs into the RMC. It easy enough to change but the question is why there is such a large difference. Makes no sense to me.

It’s worth noting after doing some research my Holo DAC has balanced outputs of 5.8 vRMS, considerably higher than normal and this would explain why its capable of of higher volume via the RMC, it would also suggest my Oppo 203 single ended RCA outputs are nearly the same amount and that really doesn’t make any sense.

Thanks

[garbulky]

Dec 4, 2021 11:49:23 GMT -5 routlaw said:

Lately I've been comparing different digital venues in my system while matching volume as close as possible. Using my ERC-4 with balanced outputs into the RMC-1L the volume is some 14-15 db lower than if I used the RMC built in DAC regardless of whether its USB, AES or Coax. Even more strange while comparing with my Oppo 203 the gain on that device is some 5-6 db more than the ERC-4 and that's using single ended RCA outputs. While I haven't been able to find the spec for the RMS voltage output on the Oppo 203 normally single ended output is around 2 volts RMS, while balanced is 4 volts RMS.  

So why then would the ERC-4 have an output so much lower than either the Oppo player or via the internal DAC within the RMC regardless of its input connection? Have others found this to also be the case? It is worth noting I have received the same results using 3 different balanced cables so I know its not the cable itself. In addition while using my Holo Spring DAC and its balanced outputs the volume is much closer to what the RMC provides using its internal DAC and certainly far higher than what the Oppo RCA outputs provide. 

Hopefully someone here can provide some insight into the difference. Thanks 

So stupid question is this in direct mode? Because if it's not, the RMC-1 might be digitizing your analog audio.
Also... if you look at ASR's measurements of the RMC-1 and Lonnie's comments about Dolby, even in direct mode, there may be some digitization going on... (just a guess).

[routlaw]

Dec 7, 2021 9:11:23 GMT -5 garbulky said:

So stupid question is this in direct mode? Because if it's not, the RMC-1 might be digitizing your analog audio.
Also... if you look at ASR's measurements of the RMC-1 and Lonnie's comments about Dolby, even in direct mode, there may be some digitization going on... (just a guess).

Thanks for the suggestion and not a stupid question, but no for my music listening its always in Reference Stereo and have never even tried the other modes for that matter. I have the RMC programmed to automatically land on Reference Stereo when choosing either Balanced, Coax, USB or AES inputs. 

Let me add, its not that the ERC-4 sounds bad, its more the mystery of "why" its output is so low compared to all of the rest and most especially the Opposite 203 which really doesn't make any sense.