Yeah Matthew,

That'd be part of the 'next wave' I think though. Meridian has self powered speakers already that use digital inputs, but they don't have digital amps. They could though if they wanted to.

With built in speaker amps you'll have the disadvantage of having to buy a speaker and amp at the same time, and also not being able hear diff. amps connected to the same speakers.

I think seperates will still be the way to go for a long. long time.

There's nothing wrong w/ analog connections. In the case of DD/DTS/DVD-A/SACD, it's just a lot messier, and more costly to run analog, and a more eff. process to plug all your signals into one unit w/ one cable, and do stuff like bass mang. there.

There's no real world loss w/ analog cables though. And if you debate there is, I'm sure it would make a thousand times bigger diff. what player vs. what processor output and decoded the digital and analog connections you were comparing.

Anyway, with built in digital amps (w/ digital input) you'd have to run costly digital cables all around your room, so you wouldn't get any less cable clutter by doing that.

With analog inputs, you could have monoblocks (digital or analog) by each speaker and costly low level analog cables connecting them all. You can do that now, but more people like it better having all the amps in one or a couple of boxes by their other equip. and sending power out on higher level speaker wire -which works great, and isn't problem IMO.

The thing about digital amps is that they still don't all sound the same (it's not just digital is digital) so they'll still be competing brands, and getting rid of all analog connections, while sounds better in theory, is probably not in itself any benefit to improved sound quality.

We'll see the benefit digital amps with them all being better sounding than most tube or solid state amps, and cheaper, smaller, cooler running, etc...

My digital Audiosource AMP 7 looks pretty messy inside and has a lot of un-needed anti-audiophile features (watt meters, auto on, dual gain knobs, a/b speaker inputs and switches), but uses the same Tripath amp chip technology as the $2,500 Bel Canto eVo which has gotten rave reviews.

The inside of that amp is almost 1/2 empty w/ the tightest, shortest, cleanest connections I've even seem in an amp! I have little doubt that my amp does NOT sound the same or as good.

My amp is cool running, small, and cheap though, and sounds at least 'pretty good'. World Class sound? No way.
Like CD's they can sound incredible when recorded well. Lots don't. The potential's there though.

The new PS Audio HCA-2 has been called by one of the PS A's beta reviewers who owns the Bel Canto eVo as being far, far better than it. And called pretty much 'world class sounding' by all the beta testers.
Both the Bel Canto and PS Audio are digital stereo amps of ~the same amount of power.

I hope Outlaw doesn't mind me mentioning other company's amps. I did tell them to look into digtial amps months ago -heh, and their 7 chan amp does cost less than either of these slightly lower powered stereo amps. But is anyone calling the Outlaw amps 'world class sound'?
No. Great sounding and great value, but not 'best of the best' by anyone.

Most digital amps out now (other than Tact) use an analog input. Most of these amps have been called better sounding than the pure digital Tact though. Just being 'digital' or 'digital only' isn't enough to create some kind of 'perfect sound', but it's the best direction to try to get there though.

A digital amp could eventually (and may already be able to) do what a $40K Mark Levinson amp can do, but an analog M-L amp can't ever do what a digital amp can.

I'd like to see Outlaw replace thier analog amps (when they feel the time is right) w/ digital multichannel models that have analog inputs and if possible a digital input probably through firewire (output from thier future pre/pro).