Cassette Adapters

[teatime0315]

If i were to purchase one of these and hook it up to an mp3 player outputting 320kbps mp3s, would there be a loss in quality? I'm assuming yes, since the signal is transferring from digital to analog. If there is a loss in quality, is it significant? Thanks!

 

[s44]

That Sony is far, far better than other (and previous) cassette adapters. It's as good as you're going to get without a direct line input.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: teatime0315
If i were to purchase one of these and hook it up to an mp3 player outputting 320kbps mp3s, would there be a loss in quality? I'm assuming yes, since the signal is transferring from digital to analog. If there is a loss in quality, is it significant? Thanks!

your mp3 player is not outputting 320kbps mp3s. It's out putting 16 bit pcm. The loss from mag head to mag head is not too bad.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: teatime0315
If i were to purchase one of these and hook it up to an mp3 player outputting 320kbps mp3s, would there be a loss in quality? I'm assuming yes, since the signal is transferring from digital to analog. If there is a loss in quality, is it significant? Thanks!

your mp3 player is not outputting 320kbps mp3s. It's out putting 16 bit pcm. The loss from mag head to mag head is not too bad.

Actually it's not outputting either mp3 or PCM, it's outputting an analog waveform.

And to the OP, the casette adapter converts analog to analog which isn't that lossy, its definitely better than the typical result from a FM transmitter.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: teatime0315
If i were to purchase one of these and hook it up to an mp3 player outputting 320kbps mp3s, would there be a loss in quality? I'm assuming yes, since the signal is transferring from digital to analog. If there is a loss in quality, is it significant? Thanks!

your mp3 player is not outputting 320kbps mp3s. It's out putting 16 bit pcm. The loss from mag head to mag head is not too bad.

Actually it's not outputting either mp3 or PCM, it's outputting an analog waveform.

And to the OP, the casette adapter converts analog to analog which isn't that lossy, its definitely better than the typical result from a FM transmitter.

Doh... owned myself. That is what I meant, but I guess I skipped one step.

 

[teatime0315]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: teatime0315
If i were to purchase one of these and hook it up to an mp3 player outputting 320kbps mp3s, would there be a loss in quality? I'm assuming yes, since the signal is transferring from digital to analog. If there is a loss in quality, is it significant? Thanks!

your mp3 player is not outputting 320kbps mp3s. It's out putting 16 bit pcm. The loss from mag head to mag head is not too bad.

Actually it's not outputting either mp3 or PCM, it's outputting an analog waveform.

And to the OP, the casette adapter converts analog to analog which isn't that lossy, its definitely better than the typical result from a FM transmitter.

Doh... owned myself. That is waht I meant, but I guess I skipped one step.

oops.. haha. Its okay, I have a lot to learn regarding digital vs. analog. Thanks for everyone's responses . I'm glad to hear that the loss is minimal.

 

[Rubycon]

The main issue with these adapters is setting the volume too high on the PMP. If the amplitude of the signal being fed into the cassette deck's playback head is too "hot" it will saturate and distort quite badly. Instead of using the volume on the PMP use the head unit's master volume. At higher levels the noise floor of the playback preamp will be quite audible without any noise reduction. Since Dolby B and C depend on encoding/emphasis of the playback medium you do NOT want to engage these as it will dull the upper ranges of the sound noticeably.

Instead find a sweet spot with highest level possible on your PMP and then adjust the head unit's volume to a level of your liking.