MphisChris
New Member
Hi everbody! Sorry for the super long first post, but I am having problems splitting audio line level connections to seperate amps to power floor speakers and subs on my home stereo.
Basically, I have a dj style stanton mixer/preamp and i am trying to split the signal to two different amps. There is an old '70s SS mcintosh amp with RCA inputs to power some B&W speakers, and a mid 2000 crown power amp with XLR inputs to power some random L7 15" car subs. My problem is no matter how I try and split the signal from the mixer, whenever I use both amps at the same time, the crown amp will work and the McIntosh amp play silence. I figured all line level inputs were the same, but here is the deep dive i guess. I am using a 1/4 inch to xlr cables that I have tried to connect to both the rca output and the 1/4 output from the mixer. It has both options listed as record and output level which is probably the same thing. I would like to split the rca output, but even if I have the crown on the 1/4 output and the McIntosh on the rca output, I still get no/inaudible signal from the mac, while the crown just bumps away.
I have tried to research this best I can to find two issues that could be possible. First guess, assuming some line level inputs work on high independence and some one low, and that even though nowdays everything can work together, maybe in the 70's the Mac doesnt like the combination of input independence? Second guess, is that the 1/4 to xlr cables are including the random other channel that makes the cable balanced, and that the inclusion of the inverse signal (term?) cancels out most everything given to the mac and makes everything inaudible? I know that both amps work when plugged in independently, but the only way I can get both to work together is to use the headphone output on the mixer to power the crown amp. I think it works because the headphone output on dj mixers have their own gain and input selection which would make it a whole other channel.
Obviously, the weak link in my system is the $60 dj mixer, so I am looking to upgrade that at some point. (I currently have a bottlehead mixer to use, but that is a whole another issue). When i upgrade to the bottlehead, I wont be able to use the headphone output, so I am hoping for some sort or solution to use both amps when attached to an rca splitter. I know that an rca splitter will lose some db, but it should still have some input on both sides.
Do any of you audio guru's know what I am doing wrong?
Basically, I have a dj style stanton mixer/preamp and i am trying to split the signal to two different amps. There is an old '70s SS mcintosh amp with RCA inputs to power some B&W speakers, and a mid 2000 crown power amp with XLR inputs to power some random L7 15" car subs. My problem is no matter how I try and split the signal from the mixer, whenever I use both amps at the same time, the crown amp will work and the McIntosh amp play silence. I figured all line level inputs were the same, but here is the deep dive i guess. I am using a 1/4 inch to xlr cables that I have tried to connect to both the rca output and the 1/4 output from the mixer. It has both options listed as record and output level which is probably the same thing. I would like to split the rca output, but even if I have the crown on the 1/4 output and the McIntosh on the rca output, I still get no/inaudible signal from the mac, while the crown just bumps away.
I have tried to research this best I can to find two issues that could be possible. First guess, assuming some line level inputs work on high independence and some one low, and that even though nowdays everything can work together, maybe in the 70's the Mac doesnt like the combination of input independence? Second guess, is that the 1/4 to xlr cables are including the random other channel that makes the cable balanced, and that the inclusion of the inverse signal (term?) cancels out most everything given to the mac and makes everything inaudible? I know that both amps work when plugged in independently, but the only way I can get both to work together is to use the headphone output on the mixer to power the crown amp. I think it works because the headphone output on dj mixers have their own gain and input selection which would make it a whole other channel.
Obviously, the weak link in my system is the $60 dj mixer, so I am looking to upgrade that at some point. (I currently have a bottlehead mixer to use, but that is a whole another issue). When i upgrade to the bottlehead, I wont be able to use the headphone output, so I am hoping for some sort or solution to use both amps when attached to an rca splitter. I know that an rca splitter will lose some db, but it should still have some input on both sides.
Do any of you audio guru's know what I am doing wrong?
