Difference between non-digital and digital speakers

[wing7788]

Hi!

1. So what's the difference between the two?
2. Difference between a 4.1 digital and a 5.1 analog speakers?

Thanks for your help! http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[edwelly]

the only difference that I KNOW is that digital spkrs take a digital input, not an analog input, i.e. like the head phone jack on a walkman.
I have a set of Boston Acoustic BA 7500G's and they sound GREAT
I had a to buy a Sound Blaster digital card to make them work though.
(sorry, but I have no idea which card I got, probalby the least expensive digital card)
Hope this helps...
---edwelly

[Cody]

4.1 Digital is 4 speaker surround sound, with a subwoofer. 5.1 is the same thing, except with the addition of a center channel (I am 99% sure this means an extra speaker).

:-)

[Graham]

There is no such thing as a digital speaker !!
Some amplifiers could be digital, but few are, the only truly digital part of a digital system is the signal out of the computer into the decoder.

Monoaural 1 speaker
Stereophonic 2 speakers left + right
Surround sound ( and other names) 4 speakers L+R front,L+R rear.
5.1 as above plus centre ch and sub woofer.

Any good speakers will work, they do not have to be called "digital".

G

[Sixpac]

Ok, saying that... I have the Hercules 5.1 Game Theater XP with digital inputs and would like 5.1 sound. Right now I have the 4.1 Altec Lanseing speakers which are ok..

What are the best price\performance 5.1 speakers with "digital" outputs on them?

Sixpac

[wing7788]

This is what bugs me Sixpac.

I am on the look-out for good speakers for home entertainment. Considering my budget, I have already in mind Altec Lansing's ACS56 (4.1)and Creative's DTT2200 (5.1). ACS56 uses a digital connection while DTT2200 does not. Creative's higher end models DTT 2500 and DTT3500 have digital connections. I surmise that models with an S/PDIF or DIN socket connections are digital.

So my question is, what is the difference, AS FAR AS QUALITY IS CONCERNED, between a digital connection (in this case ACS56 4.1) or an analog connection (DTT2200 5.1).

Also, can a 4.1 speaker system achieve a virtual 5.1 set-up by using the 2 front speakers as phantom speakers?

[moregolf]

5.1 is also encoded with discreet LR and RR.

[OuTpaTienT]

<u>A few things:</u>


1. Thank you Graham. There is no such thing as digital speakers. Last time I said that in a forum none of the others even knew what I was talking about. Speakers must be analog because the sound waves they produce go straight to our ears, and our ears are analog...and probably always will be.

2. The "digital speakers" you see now days simply have a DAC (digital/analog converter) built into them. Since all sound cards also have DAC built-in it would seem to be overkill and a waste of money to buy speakers with a DAC. Some claim the DAC in their speakers are better than the DACs in sound cards. I've yet to see any proof of that. Plus I've heard from many that know more than I on the subject that most sound cards (Sound Blaster Live and better) do in fact have very excellent DACs on board

3. If your speakers are going to be placed far apart (front L/R) like in the corners of a room or a few feet out from the sides of a big screen TV then a 5.1 system with the center channel is a good idea. However for computer speakers that usually sit on either side of the monitor (i.e.- fairly close together) then the center channel is not necessary. The phantom center created by the two front speakers is more than adequate.

4. I have a set of Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speakers (as most around here have heard me spout about before http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif) for my computer and they are completely analog. And except for the Klipsch Promedia 4.1 & 5.1 systems, I have yet to hear a set of speakers that sound better than these, digital or not. The speakers mentioned so far, Boston Acoustic, Altec Lansing, & Creative are all ok I guess…but you couldn't GIVE me a set of them over my Klipsch.

[Explorer]

Outpatient and others are correct when they say there's no such thing as "digital" speakers. But it doesn't really matter too much, in my opinion.

I feel the important thing is a set of really good quality speakers driven by a good amplifier.

My solution? A set of 3 foot high Altec Lansing home stereo speakers driven by an old Akai AA-1020 Stereo Receiver, The speakers reproduce very faithful sound and the amp puts out 20 watts/channel RMS. Probably about the equivalent of 300 watts/channel using the rating system most speaker manufacturers use these days.

Under day-to-day use the amp is never turned up more than 8-10% volume, it's just too loud. Of course, I occassionaly get carried away when playing some games, but then the neighbors start to complain.

I've also got a 5 disk Sony home stereo CD player connected to the system in case I want some nice, high quality, background music while I'm looking through this forum.

[edwelly]

I know somebody has already mentioned this, but I will reiterate. Most speakers that are sold as a digital spkr must have a digital input going to it, via a digital output on a sound card.
Here is the link to my spkrs: http://www.bostonacoustics.com/ProductSpecs.asp?ProductID=164
You have a digital input, and then an analog output to the frt spkrs and an analog out put to the rear (which I do not have).
I do not claim to know a lot about PC’s, but I do know this; without a digital output on your sound card, these spkrs are worthless.
I am going to try to listen to those Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speakers. Would some place like CompUSA have those?
---edwelly

[ukulele]

If you want great sound from a computer and you have the room, a good home stereo will knock the socks of of any ready made computer speaker system I ever heard; digital or analog. I use a twenty year old Kenwood KR-720 reciever with two three foot tall Panasonic speaker systems and two 20" Altec boxes for rear speakers. This system will blow the doors and windows out if your not carefull. The input level can be kept low enough to virtually eliminate background noise. I use a twenty year old BSR CX-300 tape recorder with dolby and DBX to capture streaming audio on the fly and I have background music that is nearly flawless and uses no resources to slow down the computer. I bought the amp for $15.00, the tape deck for $10.00 and the speakers another $30.00 all from garage sales. Most people don't realize how much better stereos were twenty years ago. I guess I am getting old but I still apreciate quality uninterupted music which a computer can't do unless that is all it does.

[crazyray]

I've been using an old two channel rig for sound out of my PC for years. More power and much better speakers results in much better sound. The down side? You hear how truly crappy low-bit MP3's can sound...

[earnie86]

wing7788 as far as quality is concerned, it is purely subjective. You need to go to a reputable dealer that will let you take home and try each of the different speaker types. Then you can make your own decision using your own ears, as to quality. If your software has a phantom center setting, you can achieve similar sound with the 4.1 as the 5.1. You need to try them out at home as they will sound totally different than they will in the showroom.