[miklorsmith]

But the RCA in/out operate in the analog realm, right?  This would involve additional ADC and DAC steps that I'm trying to avoid.

[warnerwh]

Just use the digital in and out in the optical or XLR inputs/outputs. This piece for the money is a great deal. As far as I'm concerned it's a necessity for any system. This is coming from someone with a dedicated and fully acoustically treated listening room.

[Skynyrd]

Well, you'll likely understand why I call myself "Skynyrd" with this post.  

I'm very intrigued by the Behringer gear, especially the Ultradrive Pro DCX2496 as an electronic crossover for use with my triamplified systems--sometimes Magnepan MMG's, sometimes VMPS RM40's.  I use an all analog electronic crossover I got from Madisound in 1998.  This non-audiophile approved crossover is the most utilized audio component I've ever had.  My system is all RCA-equipped stuff--mix of AVA, PSE, Adcom.

I just don't quite "get it" regarding hooking up one of these Behringer DCX2496 units into my system, much as I lust after the 48db per octave crossover slopes it contains.  With the purchase of nine XLR to RCA connectors at about ten bucks apiece plus shipping from Markertek--this adds almost $100 to the cost of the unit, the back of the Behringer would look prertty recognizable as an audio component I'm used to hooking up.  However,  I am unsure if the Behringer's XLR digital-in would accept an RCA (also called "coaxial digital", right?) digital signal through a XLR to RCA connector.  Does it?  If not, how do you feed this DCX2496 a digital signal?  I read claims from the posts here that there is an optical digital-in on the DCX2496.  I don't see this optical digital input from the photos of the unit on Behringer's website.  Remember this is the DCX2496 electronic crossover I'm wondering about.  Also, doesn't my home audio preamp lack the juice to drive the DCX2496 analog inputs?  

 
I'm under the impression that some of you are somehow using a DCX2496 in front of your preamp.  How do you do that when you tri-amp?  Do you have three identical stereo preamps wherewith to adjust the gain to your amplifiers?  

What I do understand is this: A DCX2496 crossover would be a direct drop-in replacement for my Madisound crossover and my preamplifier in one.    I'd buy those nine XLR to RCA connectors, and run the coaxial digital out  from my CD/DVD player into the DCX2496 (if this even works).  Then I'd take the three analog pairs of outputss from the DCX2496 and attach them to the inputs of the amplifiers.  This presumes that the DCX2496 provides easy to use level adjustments for each channel.  I'd be SOL for records, unless I wanted to run the phono preamp analog signal into the Behringer, which is not recommended due to poor sound.  Supposedly.

And the DCX2496 does not(supposedly)sound good if I used it as a direct replacement for the Madisound unit-- that is, using the DCX2496 between my preamp and amps.  Well,  good grief.  Why own one of these when 1.  you can't play records without them sounding like garbage; 2. You have to use an awkward (at best) method to adjust your volume--if you even can, and 3. Even if you did feed the DCX2496 an analog signal, your home audio gear wouldn't have enough juice to run the damn thing!!  And it sounds bad being fed analog in anyway.

So anybody have patience to explain how to use a DCX2496 in a home stereo?  Thanks in advance,

Supposedly Skynyrd

[Russell Dawkins]

Skynyrd and tdangelo
I think there is some confusion in the posts between the DCX2496 and the DEQ2496. The DCX does not have Toslink ins or outs, nor any digital outs - that doesn't fit with the antcipated use of this box. It specifically says in the specs that the XLR digital input will work with SPDIF or AES/EBU formats, so all you need is an adaptor like this:
http://mercenary.com/neditr.html
or make your own with these instructions from the ever helpful Rane Corp.:
http://www.rane.com/note149.html
(Googled "SPDIF to AES/EBU adaptor")
Further, I would imagine that consumer levels (-10dB) adapted to the +4dB XLR analog inputs would work just fine, might even be preferable, so you could use your preamp and have phono and all the other conveniences that preamps exist to offer (usually!)
The improved performance would most likely be worth the degradation of the Behringer A/D converters.
The DEQ2496 is the only one with wordclock in, plus toslink and AES ins and outs, the AES/EBU XLR presumably, I didn't check, works with SPDIF format, like the DCX2496.
Russell

[miklorsmith]

Thanks, Russell.  I had a knowledgable opinion that the 110-ohm-to-75-ohm connection might be a problem.

[Russell Dawkins]

apparently, if impedences are not matched, a reflection is created at the point of mis-match, making the signal bounce back and forth within the length of the cable, creating timing jitter. That $40 adapter from Mercenary audio involves impedence matching transformers.

[Skynyrd]

Thanks for the information about AES/BSu and the SPDIF.  So another $40 is all.  That makes the DCX2496 "experiment" costing about $450-$470 to just see if it even works with my system.  
No wonder people buy the uberexpensive Marchands, with the big knobs that say "treble-mids-bass".   Very simple and straight forward.  Spendy as heck though by the time you get good pots and numerous plug-in modules.  

Anyway, your information was very useful, Russell.
Thanks,
Skynyrd