Re: Samson S Zone line level wiring
BJ.
The line ins are line ins, but they are unbalanced line ins for prosumer grade gear. Nothing wrong with that. Many big pro live mixers have a couple of RCA jacks, too. Same thing. Those inputs on the S Zone are meant for local line inputs like CD-players or computers for mall music, etc.
If you have to connect a line level source that is situated far away so you need the balanced connection, you might work out a mono solution using a cheap passive DI at the sending device. You could also build a simple pad to bring the level down to mic level. But it would have to be a mono signal as the mic ins are not stereo. If the sending device is in the same rack, just connect the "cold" to the ground on the euroblock and run it stereo line in. I very much doubt that the mic ins will handle a line signal without any padding.
The Samson S Zone is a handy device, with a handy zoning routing layout, but it's a "cheapo product" - and it runs too warm for my comfort. At least one of the ones we have installed has died of a overheated PSU. Also, the 15v phantom power is unsufficient for powering some lectern mics with a high current draw.
If you want a "proper" rack mixer with balanced in/outs, interconnectivity for multiple units, proper EQ, etc - my suggestion is the Allen & Heath GR 2: http://www.allen-heath.com/uk/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?CatId=GRSeries&ProductId=GR2
Best regards,
Kristian Johnsen
