RCA Pre-Outs at 5v

I have a JVC LHX-550 and it says it has 5v out on the RCAs. What I would like to know is that a direct 5v as soon as the deck is turned on or does the voltage of the RCA increase when the volume is turned up? If the voltage goes up when volume is turned then how to you know where to turn you deck to to get full 5v.

Thanks

It should be preamp 5v?

that is what it says. So that means that it is 5v at turn on right?

Walkercustoms wrote:

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I have a JVC LHX-550 and it says it has 5v out on the RCAs. What I would like to know is that a direct 5v as soon as the deck is turned on or does the voltage of the RCA increase when the volume is turned up? If the voltage goes up when volume is turned then how to you know where to turn you deck to to get full 5v.

Thanks

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It works the same way as a regular volume control - as the volume increases, so does the voltage. No voltage, no volume. Also, when a manufacturer specifies 5v output, this is usually at a specific frequency (usually 1kHz), and is an RMS value. Also, there is a good chance you may NEVER output an actual 5 volts. It will be COMPLETELY dependent upon the recording. If it was not recorded "loud" enough, you will never actually output 5 volts. However, if it was recorded too "loudly", your deck may try to put out well OVER 5 volts RMS, leading to a severely clipped and/or distorted signal. The times I have actually seen a complete specification for an RCA output, it looked something like this:

Line output: 5V RMS, CD source, 1kHz frequency, CD recorded at -6dB, .5% THD.

Without all of the above, SPECIFYING the CONDITIONS of the "5 volt output", You will never know where the clipping point is on your deck, without actually examining the output waveform on an oscilloscope. I guess my answer to your question is: No the voltage increases from zero to full, as the volume control is turned up.

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

So, what good is it between a 3v and a 5v? I guess I don't quite get it is there that big of a difference between RCA preamp outs?

thanks

RCA is the same as pre out. Pre-out includes ALL of the low-level interfaces, Zapco's, Alpine's (older ones), Pioneer's (older ones), balanced or not. RCA is the TYPE of connector. Still, low level...

The difference between 3 volt and 5 volt is this: Using the SAME amplifier, your gain can be set PROPORTIONALLY lower with the 5V HU, allowing for better S/N ratio. Also, the desired signal from a 5V unit can be THAT much higher (66% higher, actually) than a 3V unit, this will add an additional benefit of being considerably higher than any background noise that might be present on the RCA (signal) cable.

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

Cool, that makes sense. Now, I also have a Visonik Line Driver with 7v Out. What does a line driver do? I guess what I am trying to get to is readjusting my levels in my car since the HU switch.

Thanks

Well, (and I am not the only person to feel this way here) a line driver is nothing more than an unnecessary gain stage in the signal path. Personally, I would never use one. ANY gain stage adds noise and distortion. Plug directly into the amp, and adjust your gains accordingly. 5v SHOULD be enough to drive most any amplifier today to full output levels. Don't add any unneeded gain stages. An active crossover and/or an EQ, are also additional gain stages, but they serve more function than simply boosting the line level, but is is PARAMOUNT that (if you INSIST on having one) you find such a device that does ONLY what you need it do, while adding as little as possible to the signal path. ANYTIME you have fewer gain stages, (that, and less stuff to futz with the signal) you will end up with a better sounding (overall) system.

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."