TRS to RCA?
I have been looking to buy the AudioFire 2 soundcard recently, but I have just one question… how to you connect a 1/4" TRS to a amp that connects via RCA? All the converter cables that I have seen have been for the 1/8" TRS to RCA. Would that work if I just put a 1/4" to 1/8" jack like the ones for headphones, or would that kill the quality? Help please because I do want a FireWire connection.
I doubt you’d notice any difference and if your worried making your own cables is dead easy.
You should be able to pick these up at any good electrical store.
Amazing cables for the price. Or you can get an adapter but you’re better off with the cables.
That’s not what he needs, that’s mono not TRS. It would have a 1/4" TRS connector with two RCAs.
Two mono 1/4 jack to RCA.
TRS (Tip Ring Sleeve) can be Mono or Stereo. TS TRS or TRRS.
I’m quite familiar with connectors, thank you, however you are wrong.
[QUOTE]Hardware Features*
It says two balanced inputs and outputs meaning he does need TRS>RCA and not mono connectors.
Look at the pictures you posted, they are two separate inputs and outputs line 1 and line 2, they are not mono connections.
If that wasn’t clear enough:
Fair do’s.
This says you can plug an unbalanced cable into a balanced port. It just acts like an unbalanced signal. I trust Harmony Central a LOT.
I’ve also never run into any issues whatsoever running an unbalanced cable bought from radio shack in the style Karlos has posted into a balanced port. ever.
I am aware of this, they are unclear in the description and by ‘balanced’ they really mean two channel 1/4" TRS use. It is a 4 channel in 6 out soundcard, so each line input is two channels and requires a TRS for the purpose of making that possible, it has nothing to do with a balanced or unbalanced signal.
It just seems to make very little sense in their description.
Because it supports it does that mean that it is the only option? I mean, if I plug a mono cable into a TRS output, won’t it just produce the signal in mono, as long as the software is telling it to? Obviously, if I tell the hardware/software to send a stereo signal through a mono cable there could be issues.
Their description is poor, agreed, however they are definitely stereo inputs, there is no doubt about it.
Well why would you be sending a mono signal into a stereo input, that doesn’t seem to make much sense? You would definitely have problems trying to send a stereo signal through a mono cable, only one channel would go through it.
a TRS can be a mono cable 
1 TRS (3 cables insides) = 1 mono signal balanced or 1 stereo signal unbalanced (or a lot of other things)
in this case, well, it depend if you mix intern or externally…
in the first case, you should use 1 TRS > 2 RCA to go to the amp… like this you send an unbalanced stereo signal…
anyway, if the ins of the amp are RCA, they’re unbalanced…
Similar to what minimalmintek is saying - you can’t have balanced RCA connections as it is an inherently unbalanced connector. The general rule of thumb you can use is that you need three lines (i.e. TRS or XLR) in order to have a balanced signal for one channel. This translates as two lines for the signal and one for the ground. TS and RCA only have two lines (tip and sleeve for TS and tip and shielding for RCA) and thus cannot be balanced.
I’m not sure exactly how this soundcard works in terms of its output channels, but as minimal said, you’re not going to get a balanced signal to the mixer if it only has RCA inputs (having an unbalanced connection at either end of a cable makes it an unbalanced cable). If you did want to get a balanced signal out of this card, you would need TRS on one side of the cable, and TRS or XLR on the other. RCA won’t work for a balanced signal. That being said, it probably won’t make a huge difference on such a short cable run (from your card to the mixer).
Question on the connectors.
Hello there,
I just purchase the Audiofire2 and I thought that I was gonna get STEREO sound from each connection in the back 1 & 2, although it seams to only play on the left channel speaker no matter what.
I’m Using 1/4" to 1/8" adapter and did had it working. Tested with different
speakers and even plug the headphones back there to make sure.
Now I was thinking that I’m gonna have to get two TRS to RCA. Is that how it works???
I did not think of that before i buy it but i mix internally so far so good, if any one there would know how to set it up better. Please feel free to share.
Thank you.
Comparing this soundcard to the Audio 2 is would seem that you do indeed need 2 of these for external mixing.
Xone is right about the stereo shizzle and everyone is right that the info that comes with this Soundcard is rubbish.
Shame on Audiofire for not supplying these cables with the card (like NI do teehee)
K
Yep you need to buy the cable above.
I have labored endlessly in this matter.
And really what this comes down to in the end is VOLUME.
BALANCED = PROFESSIONAL = MORE VOLUME
I mix internally and route the “Sound” options within AudioFire Sound Console accordingly. So im not using a time code senario.
BUT
I noticed that if I use a “Unbalanced” 1/4 (out from AudioFire) to RCA cable (into whatever)…the AudioFire runs really really HOT (actualy feels super hot to the touch). And the sound quality is POOR with not nearly enough volume (Headroom) to be even be slightly concidered “Professional”
While using a “Balanced” 1/4 (out from AudioFire) to RCA cable (into whatever)…The AudioFire DOESNT run HOT and sounds slightly better. Although STILL, the sound volume (Headroom) output is not loud enough to be concidered “Professional”
The sound output levels of most soundcards are lacking. And even though the audiofire sound console give you the option to have it set to a “professional” sound output level…its still not loud enough.
In the end I purchused a little box made by “ROLLS” called the MB15b. Its a balanced signal converter and has all the options your would need in any senario to get a Professionl volume signal going to your equiptment from your AudioFire.
So basically I can always have a Balanced cable & signal come out from my AudioFire and even though I might be going into equiptment that only has an RCA input…I still get a Professionl volume signal that sounds much cleaner and louder and allows me to have tons of head room.
No he doesn’t. In fact it would be very wrong to do that.
The specs are really clear to me: 2 balanced TRS outputs. So that clearly means that each output is MONO.
With that cable he would end up with the same signal inverted in each RCA and that would cause a LOT of phase problems because of destructive interferences.
He needs two cables from TRS to RCA. From balanced to unbalanced. One cable for each output.
Of course as Thictool said it’s better to have all your system balanced. But imo at home it’s ok be unbalanced. On big systems that is a completely different matter.
Could it be that when they advertise 6 outputs, they are referring to 3 signals that are stereo being headphones, line outs, and s/pdif? Totaling 4 analog and 2 digital?
-headphones on the front 1/8" stereo
-2 line outs on the back 1/4" mono
-s/pdif (via custom midi-s/pdif cable)on the back RCA/Coax stereo
Im a big fan of spdif myself, I’ve used a Sony DAT with a Digi002R, works great.