eddiec

There's a cable from "Radio Receiver" to "ML Amplifier". It is used to transfer Digital Sound Signal. Is it a coaxial cable? Anyone know

I want to connect an external DVD Player w/ coaxial output to ML Amplifier. I want to know whether it works or not

cmusic

It is not coax. It is optical with the end plugs being a Pioneer design (not Toslink).

tqlla3k

iTrader: (1)

It cant be optical.

I used the Digital Cable from the ML HU on my cousins car as the cable that interfaces the NAV to the NAV antenna. ( I just changed the plug on one end)

Plus on the Digital ports a metal prong comes out. No way that can facilitate light transmission.

I will take a pic of the Amplifier for you tonight.

tqlla3k

iTrader: (1)

Here are the pics as promised. Such a shame that the nicest looking piece of the ML system is hidden away in the trunk. THis unit is from a 2006 GS. bought off ebay, before I got rid of the first non-ML IS.

tqlla3k

iTrader: (1)

Here is a pic of the connection on the amp

tqlla3k

iTrader: (1)

The ML head unit has the same connector. I dont know if it will work with regular Coax digital. It could be proprietary.

I do not have plans to install it in my cousins car. THe connectors are different, and I am too lazy. I would have done the install if DVD sound didnt work.

The funny thing about ML is... In my IS, with OEM ML system... if you disconnect the Digital Audio, the DVD Sound will no longer work

However, in my cousins car, the NAV knows that the ML amp is not there. So it will play through 2 Channel, and the DVD audio works despite the lack of ML Amp.

cmusic

In Pioneer's propritary optical digital connections, the electrical to optical and optical to electrical conversions are done in the cable plug ends, not in the headunit or amp. The LED transmitter and optical reciver are made in the plugs. Hook the cable up backwards and it won't work, unlike reversing a toslink cable. I've installed Pioneer equipment with their optical digital cable a few times. Clarion and McIntosh's optical digital connections operate the same way, save for different shapped end plugs.

Edit: And the plugs on aftermarket Pioneer equipment are colored black at the head unit and blue at the amp. From the pics above of the ML amp it looks like the amp plug is blue also.

tqlla3k

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, I guess thats right. I used he cable that plugs into the ML unit as my Navi cable(by changing the plastic end on one side).

But that cable is a short cable, which must connect to a long cable to hit the ML Amp unit. It must be that long cable that does the LED to Electrical conversion.

I have never heard of a cable changing electrical signals to Optical... but I guess they have their reasons.

eddiec

Is this what you mean? One end black and the other end blue?
So maybe I will need a Pioneer DVD Player and a Pioneer Optical Cable?

cmusic

Mark Levinson is a company owned by Harmon International. Harmon also owns JBL, Infinity, Becker, Harmon Kardon, Crown, and several other well respected brands. Even so the electronics in the ML system is made by Pioneer, albeit to ML specs. The ML speakers may be made by Pioneer too but I don’t have any proof of it.

While an aftermarket Pioneer DVD player like this one will most likely connect up to the ML amp you have to remember the amp is still controlled by the head unit. Volume, fader, balance, bass, mid, treble, ASL, and listening position adjustments are controlled from the head unit’s buttons but are actually done in the amp. The ML amp has an analog input for radio and maybe CD signals, and a digital input for Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound signals when playing a DVD or DVD-A disk. The head unit tells the amp which input to use depending on what type of signal the head unit is playing. I don’t know if the amp would automatically switch its (head unit selected) input to the optical input from the aftermarket DVD player. Its one of those things that will have to be tested before any conclusions can be made.

eddiec

Hi cmusic, thanks for your valuable info. I checked some documents in Pioneer JP website. It looks like that the Optical Cable used in Pioneer equipments is 4 pin. Or is there a Pioneer Optical Cable can fir ML system (1 pin)? It is not hard to get a Lexus Optical Cable but what I am afraid is that the DVD player (like XDV-P6) uses 4 pin...then how can I convert 4 to 1