Analog-to-Digital (Optical) audio conversion problem

[TheRealOC]

Evening all!

Just hoping to get some guidance regarding a connectivity challenge I'm coming up against in my retro gaming setup. Brief overview below:

I was inspired by this setup, (I've condensed Dave's original diagram - see above) which uses all original video game consoles, hooked up to a surround sound setup. Broadly speaking, there are three categories of consoles:

1) Modern consoles (like the Xbox Series X) that have both digital video and audio (so using HDMI, and irrelevant as far as TOSLINK is concerned)
2) Consoles from the early to mid 2000s (like the original Xbox) that output analog video but also had the option to output TOSLINK optical audio.
3) Older consoles (like the original PlayStation) that output analog audio and video, which were mostly stereo mixes, but had some games that were Dolby Surround and Pro Logic 1.

The light blue lines in the diagram represent TOSLINK optical audio cable runs. Grey is HDMI. Light green is YPbPr RCA (i.e. component video). Red is RGB SCART video. And dark blue is "Analog audio".

So Category 1 is totally fine as the HDMI section of the setup is finished, and so is Category 2 (I managed to pick up a good TOSLINK SPDIF switch from tindie.com and a HDMI SPDIF embedder that will convert the output of that switch to HDMI). The problem is Category 3:

I wanted to convert the analog audio output from all those older consoles to digital before sending it on to the AVR to hopefully improve compatibility, signal preservation etc etc. However, I'm facing a challenge when it comes to the Analog-to-Digital converter - that's the Tascam UH-7000 in the diagram with the big red asterix beside it. It appears that connecting the analog audio output from a SCART switch to the ADC isn't straightforward, as it doesn't have any SCART inputs, and I haven't found any SCART-to-XLR adapters or converters. And to be honest, I'm unsure how such a connection would even work, given that SCART is primarily for analog AV signals and XLR connectors are typically used for balanced analog or digital audio (totally open to correction on that obviously, if anyone knows of any amazing SCART-to-XLR adapters or Composite/Component RCA-to-XLR adapters )

With all that said, I was hoping to get a bit of help with:

1. Do you have any insights or suggestions on how to connect the analog audio output from a SCART switch (or an RCA composite/component switch) to an Analog-to-Digital converter primarily designed with XLR inputs?
2. Are there any BNC-to-XLR converters available? This could be helpful if I decide to incorporate an Extron Crosspoint between the scart switch and the TASCAM.
3. As the TASCAM UH-7000 is out of production, and is only available on eBay, are you aware of any alternative devices that can handle Analog-to-Digital conversions?
4. Additionally, I'm seeking recommendations for good-quality SPDIF RCA cables; I'm pretty sure I need an XLR-to-RCA cable to connect the XLR digital audio output to the tindie SPDIF switch's RCA input.

Thanks very much for any insights or recommendations; I totally understand that retro gaming setups like this, and that involve older connectors like SCART, might not be everybody's cup of tea. But very grateful if anyone has any solutions for this connectivity dilemma Many thanks!

 

[Trebdp83]

There are a great many conversions going on there. It doesn't help that the best gaming TV doesn't include analog ports or even 3.5mm breakout ports for legacy consoles. I wouldn't bother with most of the conversions if the AVR can convert analog video to HDMI for output but older gaming units are notorious for analog signals that cannot be converted by AVRs for HDMI output. I would just connect the analog audio cables directly to the AVR. I'm assuming this is not the first edition of the Playstation Gen 1 as only that first run had composite and analog audio output ports.

 

[TheRealOC]

Hi @Trebdp83 thanks very much for the reply

There are a great many conversions going on there. It doesn't help that the best gaming TV doesn't include analog ports or even 3.5mm breakout ports for legacy consoles. I wouldn't bother with most of the conversions if the AVR can convert analog video to HDMI for output but older gaming units are notorious for analog signals that cannot be converted by AVRs for HDMI output.

Very true about the conversions Luckily David has tested the signal chain for reliability and low-latency so I purchased MOSTLY the same equipment. The main differences are:

I upgraded the TV to an LG OLED C1 (which is a unicorn TV in the sense that it handles both 4k120 and 4:3 content very well), and
I picked an Atmos AVR that could also decode Pro Logic 2, so I get a broad age range of consoles and surround sound technologies covered off.

The gaming TV in my setup is indeed connected via HDMI, as depicted in the diagram. All older consoles undergo video upscaling to HDMI (that's the OSSC box) before being routed through the HDMI switch and the AVR. The OSSC is a specialty device that can upscale most retro consoles.

I would just connect the analog audio cables directly to the AVR. I'm assuming this is not the first edition of the Playstation Gen 1 as only that first run had composite and analog audio output ports.

Regarding connecting the analog audio cables directly to the AVR, I apologize for any confusion. One of the main challenges I'm facing lies in finding SCART to XLR cables, as the SCART switch outputs analog audio via SCART connections (the dark blue line near the top of the diagram). I think there would still be a similar problem even if I connected the analog audio cables directly to the AVR, as the AVR doesn't have SCART inputs either?

Side note: You're spot on about the Gen 1 PS1 by the way, to get SCART on most PS1 models, you need a special cable with Sony's proprietary connector on the console's side.

 

[Trebdp83]

You can get multi to composite/component cable for the PS1 for connection to receivers and TVs that support either with a set of analog audio cables. I think I still have one somewhere that I bought years ago for the original PS3(FAT) to use with my old receiver.

 

[j_garcia]

You can get multi to composite/component cable for the PS1 for connection to receivers and TVs that support either with a set of analog audio cables. I think I still have one somewhere that I bought years ago for the original PS3(FAT) to use with my old receiver.
View attachment 62247

Most TVs don't have analog inputs anymore, but you can send that to an AVR. That's what I did. For a newer TV, you would need the analog to digital adapter that these TVs usually come with to connect to that cable and I believe that would work. It is basically the same cable doing the opposite of what is shown there. I used my PS2 and PS3 with modern TVs until the PS4 came out too.

 

[TheRealOC]

You can get multi to composite/component cable for the PS1 for connection to receivers and TVs that support either with a set of analog audio cables. I think I still have one somewhere that I bought years ago for the original PS3(FAT) to use with my old receiver.

Thanks for the suggestion about using multi-to-composite/component cables for the PS1 and analog audio cables. For me though, I've definitely hitched my cart to RGB SCART for a bunch of consoles in my setup, mainly due to the superior video quality compared to composite/component.

So the tricky part is finding a solution that keeps the benefit of RGB SCART while effectively integrating the audio part. So far, I haven't found any specialized SCART to XLR converters or adapters designed for audio though, so it's tricky...

I guess I could use some type of SCART-to-RCA converter (or RGB SCART to component transcoder) if I was going directly from the analog sources straight to the AVR...?

 

[TheRealOC]

Most TVs don't have analog inputs anymore, but you can send that to an AVR. That's what I did. For a newer TV, you would need the analog to digital adapter that these TVs usually come with to connect to that cable and I believe that would work. It is basically the same cable doing the opposite of what is shown there. I used my PS2 and PS3 with modern TVs until the PS4 came out too.

Yes, in the OP diagram, all the analog video sources are upscaled to HDMI well before they get to the TV. Analog inputs on flatscreens were never great for retro gaming due to added input lag. Having a good dedicated upscaler running HDMI to the TV is the better option.

 

[Trebdp83]

I get it. Once you go down one road far enough, you kinda’ want to keep going. Did you look into the multi to HDMI adapter for the PS1? Just another option out there. Really wish my C1 had analog or at least breakout ports. I’d like to connect my Pioneer Laser active system to my TV and receiver at some point. I guess I’ll be looking for my own converter here soon.