SPDIF out port

The Leonovo Y450 saids it has a SPDIF and Stereo headphone 3.5mm output jack. Are these 2 different output ports or the same thing?

 

So does the Y450 have a digital out that isn't amplified or processed like the stereo 3.5 mm out?

 

SPDIF stands for Sony/Philips Digital Interconnect Format. As such it is much like the AES/EBU format. Only, the S/PDIF connection is the consumer version and is able to carry DRM-info over (AES strips it, fortunately).

In any case, it is a digital stream of 1s and 0s, so it's not "amplified" in any way, form or shape. Just like an optical connector (1s are now light, and 0s are no light) doesn't do anything but transmit those digits.

So, I'm saying that there are no amplification (that would be in the analogue realm) and there are no "processing". It's a data stream. In order to read that datastream you will need to have the equipment to do so. Which means you will need something to plug the S/PDIF cable into, a D/A converter, a preamp/amplifier, and speakers. All of this, of course can be had even in fairly cheap one-box computer speakers or it can be professional and in separate boxes.

One thing though, S/PDIF is just the format, not the plug. On my audio recorder I can switch between S/PDIF and AES/EBU, but the plugs themselves are those plug'n'twist thingies used for AES/EBU. Usually on speakers, D/A converters and amplifiers they use an RCA-plug both for analogue and digital coaxial (think "copper wires") connections.