An uneducated question.

[Terry Wetzel]

I'm just curious. What difference, if any, does recording at -10dB make as opposed to +4dB other than Playback volume ? On all my equipment the recording levels are selectable but I detect no difference other than playback level. Any comments?

[zedhed]

The 11th post in this thread;
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/newbi...n-exactly.html

[nst7]

Generally speaking, most pro gear uses +4, and consumer stuff like cassette decks, CD players, etc., use -10.

[sw rec]

AND feeding a +4 signal into a -10 input overloads the input circuitry, and causes an impedance mismatch, since most +4 gear is 600 ohms, and most -10 gear is around 50k.
Other side of the coin...feeding +4 input stage with a -10 signal will typically not have enough gain to record outside of the inherent noise floor, so when you turn it up to make up for not enough signal, it's very noisy. (Think of trying to jump-start a Cadillac with a watch battery...)
What's important is that all the links in your signal chain have matching signal levels.
Addendum....the primary point of a +4 BALANCED line is to remove the ground from the signal path. So it's quieter by design. And the difference is HUGE.

[Terry Wetzel]

Thanks zedhed. Very informative link. Thanks also nst7 andsw rec. That clears it up for me.