Analog interface for MX2424

[audiocraft]

Hello ,

Here is a question for any Tascam MX2424 users around here ......

Does anybody ever tried to use an AD/DA interface other than the IF-AN2424...????

Something that could plug directly on the Analog or Digital In multiway connector on the main board of the MX2424 .....

I know this may sound silly but I would like to try other converters - or maybe DIY one - without having to deal with AES/EBU , T-DIF or ADAT interfaces ....

BTW , does someone have a service manual or schematics of the MX2424 ....??? My Tascam distributor here is not very friendly regarding tech info ........

Regards :guinness:

Luis

 

[BR]

I honestly think that you'd be better off going thru the AES or TDIF cards for this... It would be alot of work to do otherwise...

 

[Svart]

hello Audiocraft! I use the MX2424, i use the installed analog audio boards. i've poked around inside of them and they are pretty good to begin with. good panasonic caps, BB opa2604s(i think) and AKM converters. I didn't see much room for improvement unless you want to go with Crystal converters, but that would be a chore. Apparently the MX2424's biggest benefit from modding is in the PSU.

 

[Rob Flinn]

I also use an MX2424 with stock convertors which I personally like the sound of.
Its easy to find places on the net where they give that quality a slating , but not everyone has the same taste or budget. Its also easy to compare the convertors to say the Apogee where you get 8 channels of i/o for twice the price of the 24 you get with the stock MX2424 anlogue boards.

I think the easiest way to use different convertors would definately be via lightpipe or TDIF

Svart I`m interested in this PSU mod if you have any details. Also were you aware of the new user forum for the MX2424 which is here

http://www.themx2424board.com/forums/index.php?s=2b17e32c628d6ed055ccd8919b38f416&showforum=1

 

[Svart]

hey, haven't done the PSU mod myself, my PSU seems ok for right now.. a lot of people get weird things happening like rebooting and freezing, turns out to usually be the hdd cables or the psu. most of the PSU modding is putting better caps on the outputs.

thanks for the link, I hadn't heard about that forum. going to check it out right now!

:thumb:

 

[JPrisus]

MX2424 analog cards sound fantastic and should be more than adequate for even the most discriminating tastes.

 

[Svart]

what bitrate/sampling are you running at? I recently switched from 16/44.1 to 24/44.1 when i got more hdds and I can tell a big difference. sounds real sweet now.

 

[Rob Flinn]

I`ve always run it 24bit 44.1KHz although it eats the dives up a bit. It would be nice to have a second MX2424 then I could run 24 tracks at 96 KHz !!!!! A friend who works for HP gave me 3 old 9Gb scsi drives which I hook up externally in an old PC case.

I`d like to get a larger drive because I mostly go elswhere to record as I don`t have a premises & it would be easier. My band plays in this old manor house/hotel, & the owner lets me use it to record when its quiet for customers. Lovely sound with all the oak panelling.

 

[Svart]

i bought a 50gb seagate drive from some company i found on www.pricewatch.com for 50$. it is slightly better than the minimum specs but it works great for the price since there is no real performance increase when using faster drives. I like the older drives because they were built better 5 years ago than they are now. i'll be buying another shortly.

 

[Rob Flinn]

Svart

You`re lucky being able to get those big scsi drives that cheap. The best I`ve seen in the UK is about £100 for a 36Gb.

I notice that you live in James Brown territory, Atlanta, Georgia. I love all that J.B`s stuff.

 

[Svart]

yeah these are older models, brand new. most people want the fastest/biggest drives today. that leaves the older stock sitting on shelves until companies just sell them for dirt cheap.

I met James Brown once a long time ago when he was kind of out of the spotlight for a while, nice guy, very out of his mind though.. :green:

 

[Rob Flinn]

I`m always a bit confused about SCSI specs. I know that the MX2424 is supposed to use LVD drives, which all the ones I`m using are. However, I notice that all the newer ones seem to be U160 or U320 (I think) & I`m not sure whether they should be compatable with the MX2424. Do you know anything about this ?

 

[Svart]

seems they have done away with scsi-1/2/3/lvd. now all scsi drives must be backwards compatable. LVD was just a different way of sending info like the variations of scsi-1/2/3, each of them being faster than the other.
SCSI-1=<3Mbytes/sec
SCSI-2=<20/40Mbytes/sec
SCSI-3=<40Mbytes/sec
LVD=low voltage differential. they have transfer rates up to 80 Mbytes/sec and is really just a tweaked scsi-3.
U160=LVD@160Mbytes/sec


so as long as the drive can sustain 80+Mbytes/sec it will work fine.

now the different connectors is another issue, however there are adapters readily availiable. i use one for my drive with no problems.

 

[Rob Flinn]

Thanks Svart, its good to get a clear concise answer to this.