Author Topic: Q-sound, amped or line level?  (Read 1519 times)

Offline Artemio

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Q-sound, amped or line level?
« on: July 11, 2009, 02:21:56 am »
I just finished building a SuperGUN and added a speaker level to line level adapter (an impedance high/low converter, or however you like to name it). I know this is necessary for the Jamma audio out, and it works perfectly fine with that. But if I use a q-sound RCA out from a CPS-2 board and pass it through the adapter I get very low volume. This inclines me to think it is line level already, but have found very different opinions on the net. Is there a way I can definitively verify if it is line level or not?

Thanks for your help.


Offline l_oliveira

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Re: Q-sound, amped or line level?
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2009, 03:21:01 am »
It's because the RCA jacks are line level.
Perfect for hooking on your favorite audiophile-grade amplifier ;)

On Capcom Q-Sound cabinets a "Q-Sound certified" (and sold by Capcom) amplifier board is used on the RCA connectors and JAMMA pins are left loose.

Don't worry about that, it's a generic amplifier with nothing special about it. Just send the outputs to your Stereo and have a blast. :D

Offline RGB32E

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Re: Q-sound, amped or line level?
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2009, 03:28:10 am »
I added a high level to low level adapter on my Super Nova years ago for the JAMMA speaker output (what Radio shack was selling about a decade ago). 

When connecting CPS2/3 games, I connect directly from the RCA outputs to the RCA inputs of my stereo preamp.  I set the volume on the CPS2/3 to max to get the right level output.  I have had NO problems with this configuration.

Perhaps some people on the internets debate the audio output on those boards since there is volume control, making it not a "true" line level output???

While the outputs from CPS2/3 are not "fixed" line level outputs, there should be absolutely no problem using them as such.  I certainly wouldn't use the high to low/line level converter when playing CPS2/3 boards. 

The Neo Geo MVS boards with headphone output present the same situation.  However, I use the headphone output on my one slot for line level audio (setting the corresponding volume slider to max).  Same deal, no problems.

Hope that helps.

Offline Artemio

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Re: Q-sound, amped or line level?
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2009, 03:49:20 am »
Thanks a lot, that's what I needed to know. I'll use it directly then.