The Back
At the rear of the amplifier, we have a comprehensive set
of digital I/O and connectors. Here's a quick run-down.
Dolby Digital (AC-3) S/PDIF In
This connects to the digital audio output from a Creative
PC-DVD decoder card, but it is also Dolby Digital compliant, so you
can actually connect the S/PDIF output of any DVD player to this jack and
the DTT2500 will automatically detect and set the correct decoding mode.
It also takes in any normal PCM stereo input, so
you can connect CD players and even the S/PDIF output from the SBLive!
to this input. But you wouldn't want to do that because there's the Digital
DIN input.
Line In
This stereo minijack connects to any analog input and the
sound will be reproduced in the front left and front right channels.
Rear In
This stereo minijack connects to any analog input and the
sound goes to the rear left and rear right channels. This is useful for
4-channel sound cards like the SBLive!
Digital DIN
This connects to the SBLive! to provide a direct digital
feed of all 4 channels (2 front and 2 rear). A DAC inside the DTT2500
will decode the digital signal to analog for playback.
Analog/Auto Switch
This works in conjunction with the Digital DIN. If the switch
is on auto, the DTT2500 will playback sound from the Digital DIN
if a SBLive! is connected and the PC is turned on. Sound from Line In
and Rear In are ignored. But if there is no Digital DIN connection, or
when the PC is turned off, it uses the audio from the Line In and Rear
In.
This feature is pretty useful for me. I have a VCR connected
to the analog Line In, so when I turn off my PC which connects to the
DTT2500 with a Mini DIN cable, I can still watch programs from the VCR
in Dolby Surround Pro Logic without having to mess with the cables. Although,
I would prefer that the amp supported more analog inputs and allowed quick
switching between them.
If the switch is set to analog, sound is taken from
Line In and Rear In irregardless of the presence of a Digital DIN connection.
Subwoofer Line Out
It was thoughtful of Cambridge SoundWorks to include a subwoofer
out in the amp, so that those of us bass monsters would want to connect
a huge subwoofer to the amp and get deep rumbling bass from our action
DVDs and games!
Speaker Outputs
These connectors go to each speaker in the setup. Cambridge
SoundWorks has followed the design of the first Desktop Theater 5.1 and
used RCA style jacks for the end which connects to the amp, while using
open ended wires for the other end that goes into the speakers. This is
different from the FPS2000 where the cables are open ended on both sides.
Other Options
This setup works pretty nicely and you can actually make
use of the multiple inputs if you are creative! I could connect a CD,
MD or DVD player to the Dolby Digital S/PDIF In, and use the Mini DIN to
connect my SBLive! Or make use of the auto switching feature to connect
to other sound sources when the PC is turned off and the Mini DIN connection
is not used.
I wished it would support mixing of both Digital DIN and
the analog Line In, so that I can connect even more devices! Greedy, aren't
I? :)
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