Quote:
|
I have a Monster 3-way splitter that has -5.7dB on all out-ports, whereas cheaper splitters have -4/-8/-8dB (if they are marked).
|
Yes, that is the difference between a balanced and an unbalanced three port splitter.
My previous point is that you WILL loose signal power in a splitter (insertion loss) regardless of whether there is an amp in the circuit or not. The whole point of the amp is to provide adequate gain so that the splitter's insertion loss no longer dominates since the amp's gain is greater than the splitter's insertion loss, plus there's a bit of extra gain to cover downstream signal loss due to more cabling, etc.
The net cost of the amplification is a raising of the noise floor by the amount of the amp's noise figure, operating costs (electricity), and the acquisition cost of the amp.