Alpine PXA-H701 Questions - Page 4

JasonWW · 02-14-2006, 08:40 PM

Hey, I know the RUX is sort of a remote volume control for the H700, but has anyone heard of a way to add another remote voume control that uses buttons?

I'm thinking of either an AI-NET hack you can wire some buttons to to turn the volume up or down.

Or tapping some wires to the rotary circuit in the RUX to some buttons.

Or maybe even using a small gear reduction motor with a rubber wheel that presses against the volume knob that rotates it. Then wire the motor to some buttons.

In case yor wondering why I need buttons, It's because I've found that to get the proper high volume levels I need I have to set the RUX to about 33 or so and use the PC volume control, but the noise floor is just not low enough. The H700 was obviously designed to be used as a volume control as it can lower the volume at the DACs which lowers the noise floor as the volume level goes down.

Then again my sound card, the Chaintech AV-710, may not have a high enough SNR on the digital out. I know soundcard layouts can effect the SNR so that even 2 cards using the same chips can have different SNR's. Then again, it may be Kmixer in Windows that's raising the noisefloor.

Anyone have any advice?

JasonWW · 02-20-2006, 08:59 PM

Does anyone know if the Toslink out from the Sirius ALP1 can be inputted into the H700 brain? If so, do you have to go into the input select and switch it every time you want to listen to sat radio?

Or does the analog output looped back into the sound card still sound really good?

I saw this thread:
http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=67625

unixxx · 02-21-2006, 02:56 PM

JasonWW, from what I've heard others say, the PXA-H701 (almost the same as the H700 I believe) will automatically switch to the digital input from analog when it detects a signal is present. However, if you have more than one digital input of your H701 connected you'll have to switch between them via the RUX control unit.

cougarz · 02-21-2006, 07:57 PM

In europe, the PXA-H701 is identical to pxa-h700. If you have a AINET HU and you connect pxa in AINET mode (not stand alone mode), this is the behaviour:
SOURCE: CD ->pxa chose input through ainet cable N°1 or optical input N°1. If pxa feels optical 1 input, automatically switch from AINET analog signal to optical signal.
SOURCE: CHANGER (only if a AINET changer is connected) ->pxa chose input through ainet cable N°2 or optical input N°2. If pxa feels optical 2 input, automatically switch from AINET analog signal to optical signal.
SOURCE: TUNER ->pxa chose input through ainet cable N°1 or optical input N°3. If pxa feels optical 3 input, automatically switch from AINET analog signal to optical signal.
SOURCE: AUX (you need a HU with AUX mode option)->pxa chose analog input through RCA inputs.
Volume, balance, fader, subw level are all controlled by HU. After installation you can disconnect RUX and use only HU+PXA

IN STAND ALONE MODE instead you choose every input manually and Volume, balance, fader, subw level are all controlled by RUX

I tried with

JasonWW · 02-21-2006, 09:01 PM

OK, I guess I should have mentioned that I'm using a PC with toslink out only, no analog or HU involved. I'm wondering if I can switch sound cards for one with a Toslink input and run the Sirius SPDIF output into the sound cards SPDIF input. That's kind of like the way most people use the "line in" for their XM. I wonder what would be involved in getting it to work?
Do you think RoadRunner can be set to use the SPDIF input on the sound card as the Sat. radio source?

I don't know, maybe I'm over estimating the sound quality of the Sirius toslink out and I should just go with the cheaper XM analog out looped back to the soundcards "line in" jack?

RedGTiVR6 · 02-22-2006, 06:45 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by cougarz

In europe, the PXA-H701 is identical to pxa-h700.

that's because the 700 is the OLD model and the 701 is the NEW model...there are few differences...

the 701 is a bit quicker (not enough to make a difference in what you purchase though IMO)

few other little differences, but same in spec.

It's not just in Europe that they are the same

RedGTiVR6 · 02-22-2006, 06:47 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by JasonWW

I don't know, maybe I'm over estimating the sound quality of the Sirius toslink out and I should just go with the cheaper XM analog out looped back to the soundcards "line in" jack?

the 'sound quality' on both satelite units sucks....at best

so I wouldn't worry too much about it....

we canceled it in both of our vehicles over a year ago because we were so fed up with the **** poor SQ from it, many of our friends with stock systems have done the same....

so don't focus too much on trying to get good SQ out of satelite radio, it's a waste of time

JasonWW · 02-22-2006, 07:01 AM

I mainly like the Comedy channels. XM now has 4 of them! Plus the hardware is cheaper. I'll probably listen to music at some point and thought the Sirius digital out would sound better. It probably would be a pain to switch all the inputs on the Alpine.

unixxx · 02-24-2006, 05:56 AM

Despite the poor SQ in comparison to CD, Satellite radio SQ is much much better than FM and Satellite has no commercials / give-aways / random jackasses talking. I like it when I want to listen to something I don't already have on CD. Can't wait to finish my CarPC though; my entire CD library on a HDD will be nice. I was wondering the same thing about the digital as I was planning on interfacing with my stock Sirius box which only has L-R outputs.

Caelric · 03-09-2006, 04:34 PM

Ok, here's a question:

I would like to have two inputs operating at the same time. A digital input from my Audigy NX (TOSLINK) and a RCA input from my headunit. I don't want to have to manually switch between them, in fact, I don't want to switch at all. What I want is for the sound to be mixed together and outputted as front/rear/sub (4.1)

So, I am driving along listening to the radio (or CD, or whatever) from my head unit, and my voice navigation is on, and it tells me to turn left here, or something like that. And that navi voice is overlayed/mixed in with the music.

In other words, it is taking two inputs (one a 5.1 TOSLINK from my sound card, the other, front/rear RCA combo) and outputing a front/rear/sub (4.1, basically). Is there any way to get the PXA-701/RUX-C701 combo to do this, or is there another solution someone can think of?

If need be, I can go with analog outputs from my soundcard, as well.

Dave

unixxx · 03-09-2006, 05:44 PM

The PXA-H701 has a navigation signal wire that mixes the discrete navigation input on the PXA with the front speaker. The level of mixing can be adjusted with the RUX-C701. Check out the PXA manual, there's lots of stuff on configuring it for voice navigation in there: http://www.alpine-usa.com/images/pro...XA-H701_om.pdf

RedGTiVR6 · 03-09-2006, 06:55 PM

hrmm - so I'm guessing it's possible then?

did not know that....makes this piece even more of a bad ***!

turbocad6 · 03-09-2006, 09:46 PM

it can also do this for a phone input I think..... unless I used that too through the navi input.... don't remember for sure...

Caelric · 03-09-2006, 10:13 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by unixxx

The PXA-H701 has a navigation signal wire that mixes the discrete navigation input on the PXA with the front speaker. The level of mixing can be adjusted with the RUX-C701. Check out the PXA manual, there's lots of stuff on configuring it for voice navigation in there: http://www.alpine-usa.com/images/pro...XA-H701_om.pdf

Not quite what I am looking for; my car PC (which has the Navi, and DVD movies, and some mp3's) has the digital output from the sound card; my head unit has regular RCA output. I want to be able to hear both at the same time and not have to manually switch. I've read the manual before, and I looked through it again, and it appears that you can only listen to one input at a time.

Anyone able to confirm this, and if so, any ideas on some type of mixer/DSP that I can use?

Dave

turbocad6 · 03-09-2006, 10:26 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Caelric

Ok, here's a question:

I would like to have two inputs operating at the same time. A digital input from my Audigy NX (TOSLINK) and a RCA input from my headunit. I don't want to have to manually switch between them, in fact, I don't want to switch at all. What I want is for the sound to be mixed together and outputted as front/rear/sub (4.1)

So, I am driving along listening to the radio (or CD, or whatever) from my head unit, and my voice navigation is on, and it tells me to turn left here, or something like that. And that navi voice is overlayed/mixed in with the music.

In other words, it is taking two inputs (one a 5.1 TOSLINK from my sound card, the other, front/rear RCA combo) and outputing a front/rear/sub (4.1, basically). Is there any way to get the PXA-701/RUX-C701 combo to do this, or is there another solution someone can think of?

If need be, I can go with analog outputs from my soundcard, as well.

Dave

when the lights go on on the optical input the alpine automatically switches to that input... it can't mix both at the same time... one way to do what you want would be to feed the audio into the soundcard from the headunit... then play the headunit through the pc.... if the pc is off the 700 will default to the analog or ai-net input, so you'll always have audio, even when the pc is off....

another possible way to do this would be to use a y adaptor at the front left input to your amp, after the 700..... problem there is the volume levels will be independant of each other, this can be cool, or anoying, depending on your install...

the problem with using the navi input on the 700 is whenever you ground the control wire to monitor the navi input, it mutes the audio partially.... this gets real anoying quick.... to me anyway....

the input needs to be grounded whenever it intercepts audio from what I remember.... it's made to work with the alpine navigation, which has this output.... I just don't remember for sure if it gounds continuously or just when outputting audio...., but I think just when outputting audio, which would be a problem using it with anything but the alpine nav...

another decent solution, & what I'm considering to ultimatley do myself, is to just add a seperate dedicated speaker for just the nav (& phone in my case).... with it's own seperate volume control... total control that way....

sometimes I want the navi audio up front & commanding, & then other times it's cool as just a background reminder, & then still other times I'd rather just display nav without audio, so a seperate knob may be the best solution... I'll have a tiny dial on the windsheild pillar to crank the phone or nav upo or down...