I am considering purchasing a pair of Genelec (8351B or 8361A) speakers based upon recent reviews by @amirm. I note that these speakers have both digital AES/EBU and analog XLR inputs. I am wondering if there are any inherent advantages or disadvantages toward using one input over the other?
I assume the analog XLR input is converted through an ADC to the digital domain for DSP then back through a DAC to the analog domain to feed the internal amplifiers. I also assume the digital AES/EBU input bypasses the ADC and is fed directly into the DSP section then through a DAC to the amplifiers. Is my understanding correct?
So in my system to use the analog input my chain would look like this:
piCorePlayer --> USB --> DAC --> XLR --> Genelec analog XLR input
and for digital:
piCorePlayer AES/EBU "hat" --> XLR --> Genelec digital AES/EBU input
For the analog chain I could control volume via piCorePlayer, the DAC or a preamplifier. I would likely use a preamplifier to also connect an analog source. For the digital chain I assume I would have to use piCorePlayer to control the volume.
Does all this sound correct? Any pros or cons to either setup?
Thanks,
Martin
I assume the analog XLR input is converted through an ADC to the digital domain for DSP then back through a DAC to the analog domain to feed the internal amplifiers. I also assume the digital AES/EBU input bypasses the ADC and is fed directly into the DSP section then through a DAC to the amplifiers. Is my understanding correct?
So in my system to use the analog input my chain would look like this:
piCorePlayer --> USB --> DAC --> XLR --> Genelec analog XLR input
and for digital:
piCorePlayer AES/EBU "hat" --> XLR --> Genelec digital AES/EBU input
For the analog chain I could control volume via piCorePlayer, the DAC or a preamplifier. I would likely use a preamplifier to also connect an analog source. For the digital chain I assume I would have to use piCorePlayer to control the volume.
Does all this sound correct? Any pros or cons to either setup?
Thanks,
Martin