Cascade Digital audio input level

Support
1

Hello,

This is a feature request or maybe I am missing something about how Cascade an be configured.

I would like to have a bypass option on the RCA digital audio input or be able to have the 100 level setting of the Cascade be “stuck” to the digital audio input without affecting the level setting on other inputs, like “Video” and “Bypass” do now.

The RCA digital input on the Cascade Director does not have a Passthrough setting, like the XLR analog inputs do. Is that correct?

Could this be added to Cascade?

As an alternative, can the level setting be “glued” to the RCA digital input? As is, I have to set the RCA digital input to 100 to make it, in effect, passthrough. This setting is just too high hit accidentally when chaning inputs.

I understand that with Cascade you never want to control level in the digital space… the extra processing in the digital space only corrupts the signal. It is much better to use as Cascade level control. However I have a special case.

I am using a Trinnov Altitude 16 as the AVP in my surround system. Right now I have it configured to output a digital audio signal for the left and right channels, which I feed into the RCA digital audio input of the Cascade (all the other channels are analog signals sent to amplifiers). The Trinnov controls the level digitally on the the left and right channels.

The Trinnov uses ESS DACs to convert the processed surround to analog. But, you can and I did, choose to send two channels of these DACs as left and right outputs to an external DAC. I understand, indirectly, that in other Trinnov setups the overall surround is improved by using almost any good external DAC to process the L and R channels.

The only thing I don’t like about this configuration is that I might, in error, change the input without first lowering the level.

Thanks,
Dan

2

Sadly Dan you dont have a special case, I asked for the same feature on the Toslink input. My use case is Spotify but the result is the same I want to have a different level for each input, but the default and the active volume should ideally be tied to the input, you can use the cascade to control from the default.

3

Hi Peter,

Well, at least I added another use case…

Dan

4

@Dan and a very good one, however architecturally I suspect what the 2 of us want is rather hard to implement.

5

I understand your use case, but I don’t think this is something I can add in a reasonable amount of time. I basically would have to add a home theater bypass mode option to each installed input and make sure it doesn’t ever have an issue. With the analog input, it’s fairly easy as it’s a totally different part of the DAC.

I’ll think about it, and maybe I make a special one-off code for you two.

1 Like
6

Hi Johnathan,

I’ve been working this issue and I think I have a work around for it. I’m going to be checking it out this week. So please don’t work on anything for me yet.

If my work around works I’ll pass it on to you, in case someone else runs into it. (I’m pretty sure it will)

BTW, running the Trinnov output through the system does improve the overall surround. Apparently using an external DAC for L an R is a something that Trinnov techs often recommend.

Thanks,
Dan

7

I am happy with a one off, the solution from my side might be called Aurender N50 :wink: but I need to have somebody test the digital volume aspects (Vince has volunteered)