You could use both the coaxial digital and optical digital outputs simultaneously with 2 receivers. I am assuming that both outputs can operate simultaneously, but I see nothing that indicates they can't.
Yes, the SB2's DAC is at least as good or better than those in most AVRs, but the problem isn't that one DAC is better than the other, the problem is that some receivers handle analog much worse than digital. With my Marantz 8400, I find the optical digital SB2 output to be extremely clean but slightly bright. The analog connection is much warmer, but too much so - to the point the vocals sound muffled and the music lacks detail. Yet when I listen to the SB2 using headphones it isn't nearly as muffled, and it's being driven by the SB2 DAC as well. Since both the analog and digital SB2 outputs can operate simultaneously, you can have a very good comparison test since you can change audio inputs with the press of a button. Remember that auditory memory is the shortest, most fleeting and most easily fooled/persuaded. You can also use a pair of splitters on the analog line to split the analog sound between two receivers. Cheaper than a Niles switch, although you would need a second receiver. mrfantasy wrote: > I've decided I have to get my Squeezebox music in both my living room > and family room. > > Right now my SB2 is in a great custom entertainment center > (http://www.customshoppefurniture.com/) with the home theatre receiver > (a Sony STR-DE845--it's not audiophile equipment but among the ones I > tested 4 years ago for under $500 sounded the best with music, and it > sounds great with DVDs) and Klipsch Quartet speakers with a KSW10 > subwoofer (again, not audiophile stuff, but better than any other home > theatre speakers under $800 I tried for music). The receiver has A/B > speaker outputs, but not a line out that could be fed to another amp. > > My family room and living room are back-to-back (the family room is an > extension off the original house, and in fact has the back of the > living room fireplace in it) and I can get between them with a simple > wall penetration, and run about 15 feet of cable between the rooms. I > the Living room I have an old Sony reciever, stereo only, and Polk R15 > speakers (and also a second TV and DVD player for incidental use, but > no home theatre setup.) > > I figure my options are: > > 1) Buy an SB3 and put it in the living room, hooked up to the existing > receiver. Probably the simplest option, but I'm not sure how the audio > quality would be with the old receive, and it's another $300. Also my > primary application would be to have the same thing playing in the > living room and family room (I'll probably probably never have > independent listening) and even if players weren't precisely synched it > would be distracting. > > 2) Use the B speaker outputs from the family room and run speaker wire > to the living room, and get a speaker switch in the living room (Niles > Audio makes an automatic switch for about $90.) to switch between the > family room receiver and living room receiver. Cost $100 plus some > speaker wire. > > 3) Hook my digital out from the SB2 to the family room receiver, and > run the line outs to the living room, into the old receiver. This > would be easy as well, but probably wouldn't sound as good in the > family room, where I'm now using the analog outs assuming the SB2 DAC > is better than whatever's in the Sony (although the Sony is resampling > and processing it anyway, and doesn't have an analog only mode like > I've seen in some home theatre receivers in the same price range > nowadays.) > > 4) Buy a new receiver for the family room with a line out, put the one > currently in there in the living room, and use line out cable to hook > the two together. The new receiver would probably have an analog-only > mode for best audio quality from the SB2, and would provide the same > signal to my current receiver. I'd be looking at stuff in the > $500-$1000 range. > > Thoughts? Anything else I haven't thought of? > > -- ___________________________________ Mark Lanctot ___________________________________ __________________________________________________________ Find your next car at http://autos.yahoo.ca _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/discuss
