Ok from the preamp you would use cables to hook it up from the 7.1 outs to the amp. i understand that much. Here is what i have a question about.!!

Is that connection digital or analog?

That would be analog, sir.

ok then Wouldn't one lose the Digital qualities of the Dolby digital decoding? IF it has to be coverted to analog?

o and is there any true digital receivers/ or preamp/amp combinations or what?

Your dolby digital/dts connections are from your source component(dvd player)to your reciever/pre/pro. the connections from an amp to a pre/pro are always analog and are just for amplification of the signal, not the processing of it.

Dolby Digital, DTS, DVD-Audio's MLP, SACD's DSD, and CD's PCM are all examples of digital audio formats, but as DNicely1 points out they must all be converted to analog in order for a speaker (an analog device) to reproduce them. There are a few receivers and power amps that have begun using digital switching amplification (which has long been common on powered subwoofers), but we're still dealing with an analog signal - the "digital" term is somewhat deceptive.

Think of the signal path this way: digital from the source media (optical disc, satellite broadcast, cable TV broadcast, or over-the-air HDTV broadcast) to source device (DVD or CD player, satellite receiver, cable box, or HDTV tuner), digital from source device to processor (receiver or pre/pro), digital within processor for bass management and signal processing (Dolby Digital decoding, DTS decoding, or whatever surround processing), digital into D/A converter, then analog from output of D/A converter through volume control to amplification, analog amplified by amp and sent on to speakers, analog from speaker to ear. As long as our speakers are analog devices the signal has to become analog at some point before them, and as long as we're still using our eardrums to listen the signal will remain analog at our end.

LOL i guess so thanks so it's all hype

or is digital ear drum replacement in our future

So basicaly there is no digital surrond sound, it should be called descrete surrond sound, since that is what DD, DTS, provide 5 descrete paths of music.

Or makes since Thanks

there was a speaker system sold a few years back that was claimed to be a digital speaker system, but all it did was feed the signal from their own pre-amp/processor to the speakers via digital cables but had the d/a+amps in the speakers themselves to convert the signal
any body remember who made these?

That would probably be Meridian 's speakers . A very nice approach, sort of an extension of the concept of powered monitor speakers. Very serious pricetags, too...

wow, that was not the ones i was thinking of but yeah,i can imagine the price tag,i'm not even gonna look it up