I know the A8N-Sli Deluxe has 2 digital outputs for linking to digital speakers, home cinema etc. I'm looking at getting either the Logitech Z-5500s or the sony HTSS1100 digital system and wonder which would be best. Both have got great reviews but i'm drawn to the HTSS1100 being that little bit more compact than the Z-5500s. Would I have an problems connecting the PC via optical/coaxial to the HTSS1100 or would it just function exactly as my 5.1 speakers do now via the 3 mini jack input?

well, the onboard audio on a deluxe motherboard is a little suspect. There are a few people that have heard errant noises or not been satisfied by the quality of the audio. I myself have heard noises while moving the mouse and downloading a file through the gigabit ethernet port. You shouldn't have any problem with using the optical or coaxial connections, I never used them on my computer but they should work alright. As for the quality of the connections, i know that coax and optical are more resistent to EMI (optical is impervious) than a minijack connection. Also be aware that the mini jacks on the back plane may not be color coded correctly. i think mine were inverted and backwards.

simply put you should be ok using the digital outputs.

Ok. I'm using the jack ports now (with varying degrees of random colours also) and not had any problems with these speakers. Not really heard a lot about the digital sound from this motherboard so hopefully it should be fine. Any recommendations on speakers?