AES to SPDIF - the goes and no goes?

[Sammas]

Hey guys,

I was all geared up with credit card in hand to purchase a set of neutriks 110ohm to 75ohm AES to Spdif transformers to run from AES gear into Spdif (obviously)... when I saw on the mercenary website "AES to SPDIF" cables with no transformers involved. According to them, you can do cable runs of less than 6 feet with the need for transformers.

Can anyone confirm this? I only need to run about one foot. If I can butcher some of my spare AES cables it will save me a pretty penny!

[Milo]

PM me if you like. I have a lot of info on cables and specs, but I can't attach them: the message says "Can't attach the file extension .doc" ??

[Milo]

Better still, go to
www.rane.com/note149.html

[Sammas]

Excellent! Looks like it will work a treat with a few additional resistors.

Cheers John!

[gigpiglet]

I've just done a bunch of reading on this (and talking to rick)
my end result was "too hard basket" and too many variables.
and i wanted to run more like 10 meters (damn making this control room so large -its hurt me in so many ways!)
i bought the nuetrick adapter locally... (not really any cheaper than the mercenary one, but faster!)

[Sammas]

Hey Gareth, I suspect it is probably money well spent... They are the kind of thing that would be useful just hanging in the tech drawer.

Whereabouts did you get yours from, if I may ask?

[Alastair Reynolds]

Guys, before you go too far making or buying simple balanced to unbalanced converters for AES to S/PDIF be aware that they are different protocols with different headers and sync info ,just as SDIF (as per your Sony PCM-501) is a different protocol again.There are a few newer devices that cope better with mismatched protocols (perhaps the Rane ones in Ranes Article) but in our general experience this has not been the case.
It is not just a case of AES/EBU is 5V, 110 Ohm Balanced and S/PDIF is 0.5V 75 Ohm Unbalanced so stick in a Balun and a few resistors.
Whilst you will get sound out with this simple conversion it will have errors and will "glitch" randomly.
To accurately convert you must use an active protocol converter in order to have the correct headers for sync and "glitchless" conversion.
AES/EBU Balanced through a Balun is just AES/EBU Unbalanced.