Mono VCR + HiFi VCR As Passthrough = HiFi Audio Out?

[companda]

I'm fiddling with my setup and was wondering if my mono vcr's audio output to a hifi VCR's audio input, connected to a sound system (or equivalent), will result in hifi output? The two VCRs handle certain tapes differently and I'd like to capture the audio in the highest quality possible.

[Cornucopia]

That's a big NO.

Scott

[companda]

That's a big NO.

Scott

I knew that, but I was hoping I was wrong.

[johnmeyer]

Hanging a paint-by-number painting in the Louvre won't make it into a fine work of art.

[orsetto]

While you can't convert linear/mono to hifi/stereo by passing a mono VCR signal thru a hifi vcr, depending on the hifi vcr model such hookups can occasionally be useful for other purposes. Many non-hifi tapes and/or the non-hifi audio circuits of vcrs tend to play at an annoyingly low output level. If your HiFi vcr has manual audio level controls/level meters it can be used to boost the audio output level of another vcr signal passed thru it en route to the capture device. I find this quick-n-dirty real time hardware-based audio boost preferable to boosting audio levels post-capture. One usually does this with a dedicated mixing board, but I've found the line input audio amp of Panasonic and JVC HiFi vcrs to be quieter and cleaner for this specific task than some common mixers I've tried.

[lordsmurf]

Hanging a paint-by-number painting in the Louvre won't make it into a fine work of art.

I like that.

[companda]

If your HiFi vcr has manual audio level controls/level meters it can be used to boost the audio output level of another vcr signal passed thru it en route to the capture device.

This is what gave me the idea; I'm currently using my Panasonic AG-1970 as a passthrough for my Sony SL-100 SuperBetamax which doesn't have HiFi output. I was messing around with some of the audio functions and noticed that I was getting better sound from the mono SL-100 and naively thought I tapped into some secret workaround for getting HiFi. Oh well, it was a fun dream while it lasted.

[orsetto]

Thats really really funny, companda, because the setup you describe matches what I was thinking of almost exactly! Despite my current BetaMax SL-HF360 being a HiFi unit, many of my '90s era Beta tapes were recorded on the budget-model non-HiFi SuperBeta unit. The mono audio level on these tends to be dismally low, so I patch the BetaMax thru a spare Panasonic AG-1980 that has dead video circuits and broken tape loader but nice clear audio circuit. With the 1980 manual level controls (same as your lookalike 1970) I can boost the playback/capture level significantly, with better quality than I get from budget audio mixer boards from Behringer etc. This also helps with the low audio on some VHS EP tapes.