Re: Digital Speakers
Bijan, Rich, and all else who read this:
Thanks for the help, but I'm not sure we're getting anywhere. I was thinking
along the lines of what Bijan said was true, but after thinking about it, I
remembered that the headphones which definantly wouldn't have the "digital"
capability still do work with Windows. So, the DAC can't be in the speakers,
otherwise the headphones wouldn't work with Windows. But that still doesn't
answer our question. I have done a little research, though, and found that
WindowsXP does use a similar setup - they move the DAC off of the mobo and
then somewhere else. Apparently, that poster didn't know what he was talking
about, or at least not enough.
But we're still at a loss. We know now that the signal has to be analogue
when it comes out of the Windows box, because the headphones work. That
means taht when the speakers do work, they're getting analog signal. The
headphones work with Debian, and all other version of Linux, so we know that
Linux is outputting analog. However, no version of Linux, not even Mandrake
with all of it's prefabrication, can get the speakers to work. Go figure.
I'm going to check out my speakers specs when I get the chance. Just letting
you know I'm still alive. Thanks Again.
Kris
On Friday 18 April 2003 13:05, Rich Puhek wrote:
> Bijan Soleymani wrote:
> > Rich Puhek <rpuhek@etnsystems.com> writes:
> >> Your speakers are not digital. They may be hyped in the literature
> >> as "digital ready" (right next to the part where they sell you
> >> insanely overpriced "digital speaker wires"), but a speaker is an
> >> analog device. [1]
> >
> > Some speakers are indeed "digital". The speaker does function in an
> > analog way (that's the only way a speaker can work). But the
> > connection between the computer and the speaker is digital. The
> > speaker itself contains a digital to analog (D/A) converter and
> > converts to analog itself. This would move the D/A converter out of
> > the computer case where there is noise and whatnot. Of course a
> > professional solution would use a D/A converter seperate from the
> > speakers.
> >
> > The original poster may or may not have such speakers, but they do
> > exist.
> >
> > Bijan
>
> Possibly, but then it's not a "speaker", it would be an all-in-one
> speaker and amplifier. I would be very surprised if the exact setup was
> digital between the computer and the speaker. Every truly digital setup
> I'm familiar with uses a coax or fiber connection to handle the digital
> signal (usually between high end laserdisc or DVD players and high end
> amplifiers).
>
> One caveat on that, it would also be possible to have the "speaker"
> include circuitry for a dolby decoder to extract the relevant portion of
> the signal. In that case, it's still not truly "digital" in that the
> speaker's amplifier and related active circuitry is decoding the Dolby
> signal.
>
> A truly digital audio stream is most probably Dolby 5.1 Dolby Digital
> sound, which would be encoded on a DVD or digital cable signal, needs to
> be broken into components (left, center, right, left-surround,
> right-surround, and LFE) by a decoder before it even hits a D/A (or a
> preamp, which is actually what will be most noise-sensitive).
>
> In an application with a speaker output, you're sending analog data out
> through a speaker port. I'd suspect that a "digital" speaker system
> (like common home-theater systems with surround sound) are actually
> processing the Dolby Surround Sound signal or Dolby Pro Logic signal.
> Both of which, unless I've confused myself on a Friday afternoon, are
> analog techniques of encoding extra channels in a stereo signal. This
> uses just two analog channels, but some nifty phase-shifting tricks
> encode the "extra" channels. Dolby's website has a very good explanation
> of the technical aspects of both encoding methods. The explanation
> doesn't include gory details like the transfer functions of the encoding
> process, though.
>
> Check closely on the specs for the "digital" speakers, and I'm sure
> you'll find that either:
>
> 1) They are a speaker _system_, with a 5.1, 7.1, or similar
> decoder/amplifier (with a digital input)
>
> 2) They're a hyped "digital ready" speaker, which is just a regular
> speaker in a sexy case, with a digital-ready Crutchfield price.
>
>
> --Rich
>
> _________________________________________________________
>
> Rich Puhek
> ETN Systems Inc.
> 2125 1st Ave East
> Hibbing MN 55746
>
> tel: 218.262.1130
> email: rpuhek@etnsystems.com
> _________________________________________________________
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