How do the outputs on this audio interface work?

Question

I don't know much about audio interfaces and how they work.

I'm looking at the Line 6 AMPLIFi TT and I have have two questions about the outputs.

If an interface has an "AMP OUT" like this one does, does that mean I can plug it into an actual speaker cabinet and use it like an amp head? If so can I just plug it into any old speaker cabinet or do I need to make sure the wattage is right.

Secondly, this has an "optical out". I've used the optical port on my sound card for a little desk speaker system, but could I also use this to connect it to ableton instead of USB? If so does optical have better latency with DAW software or is it not used like that?

Answer 1

I'm only guessing the amp out is meant to go to a guitar amp, so it's probably mono and has a level and impedance more like an electric guitar would have. Line 6 got started with guitar effects, so this almost certainly is there to allow you to use your computer and this interface as a virtual effects pedal board.

The optical out is an output from the computer to some other device. It probably runs S/PDIF (as opposed to ADAT) as a stereo out. You can run it to anything with an S/PDIF optical input, which would include some pro audio equipment and many (if not most) consumer amplifiers/tuners, especially those that support digital surround formats which are often carried over S/PDIF.

Answer 2

It's generally expected that you do a little bit of research before asking questions here and that you only ask one question. In this case the manual for this device answers the question quite clearly.

The Amp Out provides a 1/4 inch mono output of guitar processed with amp modeling and effects and optimized for connecting to the input of a guitar amp. Bluetooth audio is not sent to the Amp Out.

The USB method would be preferred and probably have lower latency but that depends more on your sound/card setup and the software

Manual for this device