Digital monitors

[lcswoosh05]

How about this which monitors will be best for future ready since the digital age is coming? Edirol MA-15D, M-Audio BX5a or the AV 40. I will be using them for just music listening and playing games and stuff related to that. I will be connecting them to my PC or my portable MP3 player or other players.

[lcswoosh05]

Here are some specs for each one.



AV-40

M-AUDIO - Studiophile AV 40 - Desktop Speaker System


MA-15D

EDIROL MA-15D Digital Stereo Micro Monitor :: Overview


BX5a

M-Audio Studiophile BX5a from zZounds.com!

[lcswoosh05]

Since all of the AV series sound about the same so I guess i would like to compair them the BX5a and MA-15D and all of the AV Series.

[lcswoosh05]

Is this true that all digital signal will change to analog when it plays out of the speakers? Someone said the only difference it makes is that when you use digital you can have a longer cord and you won't lose signal.

[brandondrury]

How about this which monitors will be best for future ready since the digital age is coming?

Uh, the digital age is here. CDs were invented in 1982. People don't hold cigarette lighters at rock concerts anymore. They use cell phones.

Is this true that all digital signal will change to analog when it plays out of the speakers?

Not exactly. Digital is a bunch of 1s and 0s. A speaker doesn't know what they hell all of that is. The digital stuff is just a signal. It's "instructions" if you will. Now, we need to add the actual electrical power to that. The only way to do this is to convert the signal to analog, run it through an amplifier, and use that to power the speakers.

Just to help you out here, it needs to be understood that a 60Hz signal (we'll assume a pure sine wave in this case) is going up and down 60 times per second. Most people know that. Most people don't know that a speaker playing a 60Hz sine wave is also going in any out 60 times per second. The same is true for 15Khz on your tweeters. That tweeter is going in and out 15,000 times per second.

Someone said the only difference it makes is that when you use digital you can have a longer cord and you won't lose signal.

It depends. In your case, you are simply debating whether to convert to analog here or there. I'm sure there are some speakers out there somewhere that have digital converters on them so that you could run a S/PDIF or Optical cable to them and be done with it. However, there is no reason we should assume that this converter would be any better than some other converter.

I had a pedophile, I mean audiophile buddy, who blew about $6,000 on his home stereo. He was convinced that using the digital output of his cd player into his receiver was better because it was "digital". I could never get him to understand that he was simply choosing the analog to digital conversion in his receiver over his cd player.

In regard to long cable runs, I think these assholes who are trying to sell $1,000 per foot silver cable are ....well....assholes. It's glutany time 2,000,000 and I don't think the results are near as good as they imply. Then again, I'm not a bored millionaire. With that said, digital cables can only be so long as well. If the signal deteriorates too badly you are going to have problems. You can compare this to how a VCR tape screws up verses a DVD screwing up. With a VCR tape you get some static. With a DVD, your little movie watching world crumbles.

Brandon

[lcswoosh05]

Well I did notice that the Roland DS-30A cost more than the BX5a but is the Roland DS-30A better monitor overall? I can trade with mine and get the Roland DS-30A monitors if I wanted to. There is a local dealer that says I can trade my stuff like monitors with something else.

[richiebee]

Originally Posted by lcswoosh05

Is this true that all digital signal will change to analog when it plays out of the speakers?

Yes. All loudspeakers are analog. It's a good job too, since our brains can't understand digital.


R.

[lcswoosh05]

Here's a link to the DS-30A monitors by the way.

Roland DS-30A 24-bit Digital Reference Monitor :: Overview

[richiebee]

I like the idea of digital monitors, for the same reason I like the idea of powered monitors over passives, but at this price point the difference between them and analog is going to be negligible.

I'm sure that all the monitors you cite will lack low end punch so depending on what you're listening to, you might find them to be less than entertaining.

[lcswoosh05]

I recently traded my BX5a with the Roland DS-30A and I really like how the DS-30A sounds. Plus they have digital inputs and also HF Trim and LF Trim in the back for room adjustments.