Kenwood MD deck question

[bluecrab]

*** The following question is actually answered in the unit's manual and the answer is that the Monitor function is indeed equivalent to pressing Record on Sony MD decks to use the deck as a DAC. I didn't see it at first because the information in the manual isn't located in the section about Monitor functionality - it's in a section that is more generally descriptive of the unit. ***

 

I actually found it not by reading the manual, but by googling, which pointed me to the Euro version of the manual on minidisc.org (although the info is also in the combined US/EUR version, too).

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A while back, I acquired a Kenwood MD deck, US model MD-2070 (EUR model = DMF-9020). The deck has a feature called "Monitor" that is available only on the Remote. The user manual describes the Monitor feature this way:

"Press to monitor the sound being input from the source while the unit is in stop mode." It seems to work just that way.

 

However, via a digital switch, I am sending the optical out from a Sony MXD-D400 deck to the optical in of the Kenwood MD deck, and then using Monitor to listen to the resulting output to an integrated amp, via the Kenwood's analog out. In other words, I'm trying to use the Kenwood MD deck as a DAC.

 

My question is whether the Monitor function does the same thing as when you press Record on some Sony MD decks when no MD is present. That enables using the Sony deck as a DAC. I just don't know if the Monitor function engages the Kenwood's DAC or if it is more of a "pass-through" condition and does not go through the DAC.

 

The Kenwood MD-2070 isn't common and I don't think I have ever seen it mentioned here, but maybe someone is familiar with the Monitor function in general and how it works?

 

As a side note, I will say the the Kenwood deck sounds very nice...similar, in fact, to my Sony MDS-JB930. The Kenwood may have a current pulse DAC ("1-bit, 24-bit type" is how K/w describes it), although its ATRAC is only 4.5. The S/N is pretty high @ 112dB.

 

Thanks for any opinions you might have!

Bruce