Is there any reason that prevents audio from being transmitted digitally with zero quality loss? Why can't the digital-to-analog conversion be performed as late as possible? Inside the actual speaker, for example.
back
2 comments
You can; it’s just expensive. With Dante-compatible gear all the way through, for example, you could have ADC in your wireless mics and DAC not until your powered speakers. A high-end tour or auditorium built in the last few years might have that stuff. But analog gear still works fine, is more serviceable, is a lot cheaper, and is usually brought over to digital one system at a time (the biggest gains come from digital mixing boards).
there are pro speakers with digital inputs (not just for a clean signal, but usually to do some digital correction for the speaker response) but then you are stuck with that DAC, amp and speaker combination, and you either need a volume control at the speaker or you are losing bit depth by turning down the digital signal.
The opposite also exists - a “digital stage box” to convert analog signals from mics and instruments to digital as soon as possible.