Four Point Surround 2000 by Tim "Flyboy" Henderson with Leonard "Viking1" Hjalmarson
	SB Live and Digital I/O After adding the SB Live! and Digital I/O to my setup and running the associated installation from the CD, I was ready to go. In short, you need both the Live! and the digital daughtercard in order to record and playback audio sources while bypassing the analog circuitry on the main board. Record IN from any SPDIF compatible sound source, or listen to any CD source via the digital output using the CD SPDIF input. My main interest was the Digital DIN output directly from the daughterboard to the FPS 2000. The box is quite a collection. There are about 5,000 packages included, reams of separate little compartments, each with their own doo-hicky. Every item is enshrouded in plastic, and where possible tweaked with little black or green wires, preventing various cables from unfolding into a mind numbing birds nest. The item list is extensive. Everything you need is here, right down to individual screws and speaker stands for the rear cubes. But the most impressive item is the subwoofer, which surprised me for sheer weight, not to mention appearance. Sub and Satellites Esthetically, this sub a substantial unit and would give any audiophile heart flutter. Power rating is 25 watts RMS at 10% THD, and the unit itself measures 14" by 8" by 6.5". The unit has a single port and all the physical connections are on one end. I admit that I wished the speaker connects and inputs were on the rear, leaving the power and bass controls on the front. Click to continue		How would you like your Sub? The front and rear speaker inputs use standard 1/8" mini jacks. The speaker outputs, meanwhile, mirror my aging Yamaha amplifier, of the old style color coded and spring-loaded friction connectors. A digital DIN input, a connection for the remote volume control, and a power switch finish the picture for the front of the sub. The large heatsink mounted above the business (connection) area is a physical sign that there is some significant engineering in this component. The satellites are small but solid, about four inches square. Output is rated at 7 watts RMS at 10% THD per channel. Finish is a charcoal shade and textured, unlike others I have seen. They are heavier than I expected them to be. On the rear is a mount for the stands as well as similar spring loaded friction connectors for the input wire. When I assembled the stands I wondered about their utility. They are are a simple tripod (three 18" rods that connect to a small platform) but are quite light and I found myself wishing for some aluminum units. As is, the tripods are very light and very easy to knock over. Go to Page Three: Digital or Analog
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