steelie Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 Okay, I read an article about the supposed benefits of splitting up your analog and digital equipment from the same power source. Regardless of whether this practice creates any benefits whatsover I started looking at my equipment and trying to figure out what was analog and what was digital. Most of it was easy, turntable and casette player are analog, DVD player is digital, and so on. Well, the article said a pre-amp was analog so then I started looking at my reciever and wondering. It kind of does the service of a pre-amp but really, it's got the digital converter and processing in it, so what? My guess is it's considered a digital. I know this has got to be the dumbest questions fielded in a while and I almost didn't ask but I guess my curiosity got the best of me. I guess in the end I'm still not sure how to define my equipment so any help out there? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 Wow, I've never heard of that issue Hope you will post as to whether you can hear any difference in your system before and after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelie Posted September 21, 2004 Author Share Posted September 21, 2004 Not so sure whether I'll try it or not. Probably will just to fulfill a curiosity or discredit the issue since I'm really skeptical that the separation would create any sort of benefit. Then again, I'm pretty naive about some of this stuff so I'm still wondering about my reciever. Is it an analog device or a digitial one? Feel kinda silly asking that question. Seems like I should know the answer already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 Your receiver accepts both analog and digtial inputs. If there are any extra signal processing duties, like reverb ( hall, club, etc. ) these are done in the digital domain. This means that if you apply extra processing to an analog source, such as a casette deck, then it must first go through an analog to digital convertor, then modified with DSP, and then fed through a digital to analog convertor before it enters the amplifier section, and becomes a useable voltage to drive the loudspeaker load. So to make this a little less fuzzy, the receiver is a native digital device that accepts analog inputs and outputs an analog signal capable of driving a loudspeaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelie Posted September 22, 2004 Author Share Posted September 22, 2004 Just to fuzz things up again, what about the occasions when I use the external inputs to listen to SACD or DVD-A? That signal is supposed to pass through the reciever unadulterated through the analog cables, bypassing anything in the digital domain, and go directly to the amplifier section. The D/A already occurred in the source component ... so, that's pure analog at that point, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 I could not find the owners manual for a 2802, on the denon website, and I assume that the 2803 is similar in operation. The manual states that using the external inputs, there is no adjustability in tone control or channel level. From that excerpt, I would agree that the analog signal will pass unadulterated and go directly to the amplifier sections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 ---------------- On 9/21/2004 7:29:20 PM steelie wrote: Well, the article said a pre-amp was analog so then I started looking at my reciever and wondering. It kind of does the service of a pre-amp but really, it's got the digital converter and processing in it, so what? My guess is it's considered a digital. ---------------- It seems that an HT/surround pre-amp/pro with DTS and Dolby Digital processing would be primarily digital, although it can be used in an analog mode (i.e., the analog pass-throughs from SACD or purely stereo sources). If the unit was just a "pre-amp", not a "processor", then I can see where the article would say its analog. The "Blueberry" unit that is much talked about in the two-channel section is a purely analog "pre-amp" (and I might add, is a nice unit from my experience with it at the Klipsch gathering just this past summer). Now, throw in the "processor" part which, for all intent and purposes, is a specialized computer. That is a digital component. In the case of recievers, the amp section is usually analog. I don't know how these new "digital amps" would fit in this picture, though. At least in the case of a Denon AVR2802, the amps are typical analog amps. I guess the easy way to answer this particular question would be what you primarily use your system for. If you are mostly listening to music from an SACD or purely stereo source, thus making very little use of the processor in your reciever, then I would treat it as an analog device. If you watch a lot of movies, TV, play video games, or any other that makes heavy use of the processor, then I would treat it as a digital device, especially if the reciever is one of those newer ones with "digital" amps. In the case of seperates, I would treat the amp as an analog device, and the pre/pro as in the above paragraph. Does bring up an interesting aside, though. Is it possible to get a seperate "processor", which can be hooked up into a dedicated "pre-amp", ala the Blueberry? I know you can get outboard DACs, I don't recall (or at least I never really looked into it) of getting an outboard, dedicated surround-sound/HT "processor" without the pre-amp (i.e., no volume control, tone controls, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 Duplicate post - please disregard (the internet connection here is worth a damn) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 I use a PS-Audio 4.7 power director and it has separate receptacles for powering digital and analog equipment. It's easier to separate the equipment when you have an AV/processor and power amps. A receiver is a mixture of both and is impossible to separate them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 Duplicate post - please disregard (the internet connection here is worth a damn) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 Duplicate post - please disregard (the internet connection here is worth a damn) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 Duplicate post - please disregard (the internet connection here is worth a damn) I kept getting time-out error messages, thus I did not think the post went through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 Hello: First: The stupid question is the one that is not asked. Second, since few speakers are truly digital, your unit has an analogue section. It also must have an analogue section to be able to handle older tape decks, output signals from from older television outputs, even analogue if you use RCA cables from your CD. Somewhere in most units besides computers and computer processors you will have an analogue signal and inputs that will accept analogue. It is somewhat humorous that receivers and such have been branded digital. On older tuners and Receivers the digital meant display, such as 100.3 instead of the tuning dial. In those years few, if any, stations were broadcasting digital signals. That would mean analogue tuners would not be able to play them, if all analogue, digital tuners could not use an analogue signal. This is somewhat similar to the analogue vs digital cell phone. Even synthesizers have an analogue output. So if you truly wish to isolate the signals, the best bet is to plug each into its own surge protector with EMI/RFI filtering which will lead you back to your outlets which will mix the signals up. Voltage does not care if what you are plugging in is analogue or digital. The best is to keep the cables separated from each other - but then when plugged into the back of your unit they get close up and personal. dodger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ygmn Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 ---------------- On 9/21/2004 7:29:20 PM steelie wrote: Okay, I read an article about the supposed benefits of splitting up your analog and digital equipment from the same power source. ---------------- where is this article....as this one sounds like snake oil to me... Curious as I am I would love to read it... TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelie Posted September 22, 2004 Author Share Posted September 22, 2004 It came up as part of a Web article I was reading about powering up an HT system. I should add, I've been awfully unhappy for a long time with a Monster power strip/conditioner I bought under pressure a few years ago but I recently added two new dedicated lines for my system and I had such amazing results with the improvement of every single component in my system that it brought me full circle and I am again dealing with the question of power. I thought I had written off power conditioning devices for good until this experience. That's not to say I'm ever going to be happy with my Monster Power strip (since it gets absolutely no credit for the improvement the dedicated lines are providing) but if adding dedicated lines can make my system operate so much better, then maybe there are power conditioning devices that actually do what's advertised. I don't know, it's not necessarily a logical connection but for me, the question is open again. Anyway, I did A LOT of web surfing looking into power issues after adding the new lines and I'll check my history to see if I can find the article again. Thanks to all for the kind replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_9_2/ps-audio-ultimate-outlet-4-2002.html It's under the subheading "Isolating Digital and Analog Gear." I remember talking to PS Audio a week ago about this too. They said the same thing, though didn't make quite as big a deal about it as Secrets does. More of a precautionary measure than a "you better do this or else..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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