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Capcom Q-Sound amp help?

2. I don't think the amp will damaged your speakers if your are "reasonable". The volume on CPS2 is only a knob volume (as per jamma) and not an amp (as per MVS4) so you haven't the effect AMP + AMP = BAD :). For information, with a know at half position, I didn't notice any humming and the sound is quite loud."


so the volume is adjustable per These knobs and per Service menu?



thanks
 
hardyhell said:
so the volume is adjustable per These knobs and per Service menu?
Click to expand...
I don't think the service menu can control the volume level, I always use knobs on the cps2 board (or potentiometer on black board)
 
Sweet. The amp arrived from France fairly fast and looks great. Sadly, the transformer I ordered from Australia has somehow caught the attention of US Customs and my package has been "pulled aside." I just pray that they don't take forever with it and PLEASE don't damage it. If they do, i'm out the cost of the transformer and relegated to trying to find one here in the USA so that Customs won't get in the way.
 
@wasspat, don't take this a personal attack, but rather a warning to all other potential buyers to avoid the spreading of misinformation: the "Q-Sound" amp provided by Capcom is an absolutely standard stereo power amp with no custom circuitry or IC on it.

The entire Q-sound improving thing is on the CPS1/2 motherboard themselves, you can use any amp and enjoy Q-Sound.

You've swapped the amp so that was bound to change the way the sound it's reproduced, but it has absolutely no impact whatsoever on the whole Q-Sound business: as I said that's already taken care of on the main board.

If you want to get an original Capcom Q-Sound amp then, by all means, go for it, but if you want to buy it expecting to get some magical Q-Sound effect out of it know that you're much better off with other newer (even cheap class T amps) alternatives which will provide you with better audio quality.
 
donluca said:
@wasspat, don't take this a personal attack, but rather a warning to all other potential buyers to avoid the spreading of misinformation: the "Q-Sound" amp provided by Capcom is an absolutely standard stereo power amp with no custom circuitry or IC on it.

The entire Q-sound improving thing is on the CPS1/2 motherboard themselves, you can use any amp and enjoy Q-Sound.

You've swapped the amp so that was bound to change the way the sound it's reproduced, but it has absolutely no impact whatsoever on the whole Q-Sound business: as I said that's already taken care of on the main board.

If you want to get an original Capcom Q-Sound amp then, by all means, go for it, but if you want to buy it expecting to get some magical Q-Sound effect out of it know that you're much better off with other newer (even cheap class T amps) alternatives which will provide you with better audio quality.
Click to expand...
Just curious, but what are your qualifications for stating this? Former Capcom employee or Q-Sound hardware designer at Q-Sound laboratories? Just wondering why folks should listen to what you are saying over another person here in this thread. You are stating that false information is being provided, well, prove it. :)

Only reason for asking is that this topic of "Is the Capcom Q-Sound amp special?" has been debated for years with very strongly opinionated people stating it's one thing or another. Thus far, we've only seen one person come in with an explanation about why it is more than just a basic sound amplifier and that the analog circuitry and other elements of the board do more than just amplify the sound. A pretty detailed explanation has been given to state why it is not just a standard amplifier. Yet, all the arguments about why it's nothing special have yet to show anything that proves that.

Hence my willingness to listen to the folks providing evidence/explanations over the folks who just say "I'm right and you're not." Not a personal attack. :)
 
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hardyhell said:
Asure said:
hardyhell said:
so the volume is adjustable per These knobs and per Service menu?



thanks
Click to expand...
The kick connector has two pins for external buttons for vol+ and vol- as well, so it's possible to have external volume controls:)See https://wiki.arcadeotaku.com/w/Kick_Harness#CPS2_-_3.2F4_Player_Harness
Click to expand...
Ahh nice. So putting 29/30 on Grund will step up and down the volume. Thanks
Click to expand...
I'm actually incorporating a stereo volume potentiometer between the source and the amp to control the volume levels. This way I can use a turn knob inside the cabinet for controlling audio levels on non CPS2/CPS3 boards without having to dig deep into the cabinet.

I have a line-output-conditioner in use for the mono JAMMA audio signal in the cabinet. Basically have either the dual-mono output from the LOC or the stereo A/V cables from CPS2/3 boards going into the potentiometer, then the output from the potentiometer goes to the Q-Sound amp and then on out to the speakers. This is how I had it set up in the original hacked-together amp that was in there before.
 
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Jdurg said:
Just curious, but what are your qualifications for stating this?
Click to expand...
I could tell you I've worked with audio for years and seen and repaired countless DACs, ADCs, pre-amplifiers and power amps, and that would be as good as saying I was an ex-Capcom employer, but honestly I couldn't give a flying fuck about it, so just take a look at the board and see it for yourself:

https://www.arcade-projects.com/forums/index.php?threads/capcom-q-sound-amp-help.1291/post-17063 (thanks to @acblunden2 for the pic)

Nothing magical, that would be the exact same circuit you'd find on low end amplifiers.

And just to make sure: all the filtering and phase shifting is done during the recording process and then you just need a stereo set up to enjoy it, otherwise you'd need special equipment and this wasn't the goal of this technology (to know more about this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QSound ), hence some albums were marketed as "recorded in Qsound" like The Soul Cages from Sting or Amused to Death by Roger Waters (i have both, nothing groundbreaking, although very well engineered, just like most material from that era).

But if you enjoy having a Q-Sound amp in your cab there's nothing wrong with it, but, IMHO, you'd better get a cheap modern amp and stick with it which will give you a better sound experience.
 
Jdurg said:
hardyhell said:
Asure said:
hardyhell said:
so the volume is adjustable per These knobs and per Service menu?



thanks
Click to expand...
The kick connector has two pins for external buttons for vol+ and vol- as well, so it's possible to have external volume controls:)See https://wiki.arcadeotaku.com/w/Kick_Harness#CPS2_-_3.2F4_Player_Harness
Click to expand...
Ahh nice. So putting 29/30 on Grund will step up and down the volume. Thanks
Click to expand...
I'm actually incorporating a stereo volume potentiometer between the source and the amp to control the volume levels. This way I can use a turn knob inside the cabinet for controlling audio levels on non CPS2/CPS3 boards without having to dig deep into the cabinet.
I have a line-output-conditioner in use for the mono JAMMA audio signal in the cabinet. Basically have either the dual-mono output from the LOC or the stereo A/V cables from CPS2/3 boards going into the potentiometer, then the output from the potentiometer goes to the Q-Sound amp and then on out to the speakers. This is how I had it set up in the original hacked-together amp that was in there before.
Click to expand...
Great. I want this too.by the way this amp could also be used with other stereo systems like snk mvs or Konami boards that are stereo out ?
 
Yes. Just plug left and right RCA audio connectors to the input on the board and it will function as a regular stereo amplifier. Just make sure it's unamplified (Line level, I believe it's called) signals going into the amp. You don't want to send preamplified, speaker ready signals into the amplifier.
 
Sorry to bring this up again, but does anyone have a solution for powering the PCB without the original transformer?

So far, none of the documented voltages have worked for any of us trying to use our own PSUs.
 
Jdurg said:
Yes. Just plug left and right RCA audio connectors to the input on the board and it will function as a regular stereo amplifier. Just make sure it's unamplified (Line level, I believe it's called) signals going into the amp. You don't want to send preamplified, speaker ready signals into the amplifier.
Click to expand...
Yea. The amped and not amped Signal is always a problem. People say the mvs out for example is amped
 
Does anybody, located in the USA, have a spare CPT-002B transformer they'd be willing to sell me? I ordered one from Australia but United States Customs has seized the package and it doesn't look like they'll be letting it loose. (I guess there must be a new law that says any power transformers received from overseas must be drilled out and inspected for drugs or otherwise dismantled beyond repair).

I have not been able to locate this transformer anywhere else but this seller in Australia and he says he has no more. Therefore, I'd be willing to make a very reasonable offer to someone here in the US who has one so I can actually get one. Many thanks!
 
donluca said:
Jdurg said:
Just curious, but what are your qualifications for stating this?
Click to expand...
I could tell you I've worked with audio for years and seen and repaired countless DACs, ADCs, pre-amplifiers and power amps, and that would be as good as saying I was an ex-Capcom employer, but honestly I couldn't give a flying fuck about it, so just take a look at the board and see it for yourself:
https://www.arcade-projects.com/forums/index.php?threads/capcom-q-sound-amp-help.1291/post-17063 (thanks to @acblunden2 for the pic)

Nothing magical, that would be the exact same circuit you'd find on low end amplifiers.

And just to make sure: all the filtering and phase shifting is done during the recording process and then you just need a stereo set up to enjoy it, otherwise you'd need special equipment and this wasn't the goal of this technology (to know more about this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QSound ), hence some albums were marketed as "recorded in Qsound" like The Soul Cages from Sting or Amused to Death by Roger Waters (i have both, nothing groundbreaking, although very well engineered, just like most material from that era).

But if you enjoy having a Q-Sound amp in your cab there's nothing wrong with it, but, IMHO, you'd better get a cheap modern amp and stick with it which will give you a better sound experience.
Click to expand...
You're wrong. Why? Because CPS2 synthesizes the music in real time, it is not pre-recorded. The DSP is there to allow the game to choose the degree of effect that is applied into the samples so the game can cause the effect to change dynamically based on what is happening on the game. If there were no need for processing to add q-sound to the audio they would be using some generic ADPCM sampler chip, not a custom programmed DSP from AT&T. The point of the capcom amplifier is extract the spatial audio from the stereo leads which are meant to work on any setup(without the amp). You cannot get the effect without the equalizer thing on the QSOUND amp board, the same way you can't get the effect without positioning the speakers correctly.
 
@l_oliveira there's absolutely no equalizer whatsoever on the Qsound amp board, you can see that yourself, there's a clear picture of it.

The DSP is located on the main board and can work with any amplifier, not just Capcom's.

The amp is one of the most classic, straightforward designs, with two op-amps acting as buffers, two power amps on the heatsink and all the various caps and resistors for noise filtering.

And now that I come to think about it... I think @SmokeMonster already busted this myth somewhere. Someone else mentioned this some posts ago: Capcom Q-Sound amp help?

And for power input: https://twitter.com/smokemonstertwi/status/996461381955346432?lang=en
 
donluca said:
@l_oliveira there's absolutely no equalizer whatsoever on the Qsound amp board, you can see that yourself, there's a clear picture of it.

The DSP is located on the main board and can work with any amplifier, not just Capcom's.

The amp is one of the most classic, straightforward designs, with two op-amps acting as buffers, two power amps on the heatsink and all the various caps and resistors for noise filtering.

And now that I come to think about it... I think @SmokeMonster already busted this myth somewhere. Someone else mentioned this some posts ago: Capcom Q-Sound amp help?

And for power input: https://twitter.com/smokemonstertwi/status/996461381955346432?lang=en
Click to expand...
If you read further back in this thread, you'll see that Smokemonster came back and said that he never got the amp to work without using the OG transformer. So no, this "myth" has not been busted.
 
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