analog or digital

danger boy

this is not a problem at all. but just my observation.. and maybe someone will know the answer to this question.

My dvd player has dvd audio... so i connect it to the receiver using the 6 RCA outs to the 6 RCA analog inputs on the receiver. nice.. no problem with it.

Sometimes i forget to go back to the PCM coax cable (also hooked up) and leave it on the analog inputs.. the sound is vastly different between the digital cable and the rca analog.. does anyone know why that may be? I assume the answer is because one way.. the dvd players dd decoder is doing the decoding. and with the digi cable.. the receiver is handeling the decoding. either way.. both work. just both offer different sound seperation.

just my two cents, for what it's worth.

HBombToo

You are on it like a Hobo on a Ham Sammitch!

What kind of receiver and dvd player do you have and which do you like better. The dvd player probably has a better dac and op amp stage than your receiver and sounds clearer as a result.

HBomb

shack

I always use the analog inputs when listening to multi-channel (only way for SACD) or 2 channel music. The DAC in my CDP is quite good. The analog inputs delivers a fuller sound compared to using the receivers DAC which seems a little brighter (Denon 1802). The one thing I miss when using the analog inputs is that I lose bass management since my CD player does not have that capacity and the receiver does. That just means I have to set the sub for what sound best for music and play with the bass settings for the digital input for DVDs.

danger boy

the dvd player is a Toshiba 4700 with dvd audio. the receiver is a Marantz SR5000

shack, you are right.. when using the analog inputs.. you do lose the bass management settings. In my set up.. i think the digital coax sounds better than the analog inputs. but for dvd audio.. it can use either... with the analog inputs sounding much better than the PCM.

PETERNG

Hold on for a minute folks. First at all, the output on SACD or DVD-A via digital out is not the same with the output on analog. There are some players can output the DVD-A and SACD soundtrack to digital output but in the down mix version, and some players do not output the soundtrack via digital out at all. Each channel of the multi-channel sound are discrete, therefore if you listening to DVD-A or SACD via digital out, you are not experiencing the true surround sound that the recording artist is intended for. That why when you're using the analog connection and you your receiver or DVD player don't have the bass management built in, you're very much in the cold unless all of your speakers are the true-full range speakers. If you're listening to DD or DTS, you can pick either analog or digital connection, which ever give you better sound, that is the one which has the better D/A converter.
But for the DVD-A and SACD, you have no choice and have to use the analog connection.

shack

PETERNG - I think we were clear in this thread that SACD or DVD-A can only be sent through the analog interconnects to obtain the multi-channel or high resolution playback. What we were discussing is listening to redbook CDs using the analog interconnects from your player to the receiver or prepro or whatever. When you do this your CD player's DAC is doing the work vs the receiver's (just like the good old days of stereo before digital receivers). When playing REDBOOK CDs through the analog interconnects to the receiver you will lose bass management provided by a digital receiver or prepro unless your CD/DVD player provides a bass managment option (which mine does not - nor does danger boy's).

And yes..some SACDs and DVD-As can be played through a digital connection if they are a dual layer or hybrid disc. If you are doing that you are getting standard redbook playback only. Even if you have a 2 channel SACD the higher resolution cannot be passed through a digital cable...only analog interconnects. Wheter or not a digital signal can be passed from the source is dependant on the disc...not the player.

danger boy

shack i think you are right. the analog connections bypass any filters, and DAC's in the receiver. while i can switch to the optical cable from my DVD audio player.. what i'm probably hearing is a DD 5.1 mix... and therefore not true DVD-a. of course i prefer the analog connection best.

I can play a DD dvd while using the 6 analog outputs. it sounds a little different than it does when using the digital cable. I can not hear a DTS dvd the same way though.... because the receiver is what decodes the DTS track... and DVD players don't come with DTS decoders that i know of.

side note: I don't currently have a CD player. i'm looking for a CD changer with 5 or 6 disc carousel. do any of you know if anyone makes a player with a coax output? I'm looking for under the $250 price range. If not... would i hear much if any difference when hooking it up using the L & R rca analog connections?

shack

The new Denon changers have coaxial digital outputs:

Denon DCM-280 - MSRP $200

Denon DCM-380 - MSRP $300

As well as these changers:

Harman Kardon FL 8380 - MSRP $250

Kenwood CD-406 - MSRP $150

The only one of these that I have heard is the Denon DCM-370 (the DCM-380 predecessor). I liked it a lot. There have been some instances of the older Denon models skipping on CD-Rs but supposedly that has been fixed with the new models. You can probably find the DCM-380 for around your price online.

PETERNG

Originally posted by danger boy
shack i think you are right. the analog connections bypass any filters, and DAC's in the receiver. while i can switch to the optical cable from my DVD audio player.. what i'm probably hearing is a DD 5.1 mix... and therefore not true DVD-a. of course i prefer the analog connection best.

YOU CAN NOT HEAR THE DD 5.1 TRACK UNLESS YOU SELECT THIS OPTION ON THE MENU SCREEN, WHAT YOU HEAR IS THE STANDARD DOWN MIX VERSION.

I can play a DD dvd while using the 6 analog outputs. it sounds a little different than it does when using the digital cable. I can not hear a DTS dvd the same way though.... because the receiver is what decodes the DTS track... and DVD players don't come with DTS decoders that i know of.

IF YOUR PLAYER DIDN'T HAVE THE DTS DECODER AND YOU TRY TO LITSEN VIA ANALOG OUTPUT, ALL YOU HEAR IS LOUD DISTORTION SOUND.

side note: I don't currently have a CD player. i'm looking for a CD changer with 5 or 6 disc carousel. do any of you know if anyone makes a player with a coax output? I'm looking for under the $250 price range. If not... would i hear much if any difference when hooking it up using the L & R rca analog connections?

OF YOU'RE SERIUOS ABOUT LOOKING FOR A CD PLAYER, GET A SINGLE CD PLAYER INSTEAD OF CHANGER (NOTHING BUT TROUBLE WHEN CHANGING DISC, TIME DELAY, NOISE, TOO MANY MOVING PARTS...). IF YOU HAVE A VERY GOOD DAC ON YOUR RECEIVER, THEN LOOK FOR A GOOD PLAYER WITH DIGITAL OUTPUT, IF YOU'RE NOT HAPPY WITH YOUR CURRENT DAC THEN LOOK FOR A VERY GOOD CD PLAYER WITH EXCELLENT DAC AND USE THE ANALOG CONNECTION INSTEAD.

PETERNG

Originally posted by shack
PETERNG - I think we were clear in this thread that SACD or DVD-A can only be sent through the analog interconnects to obtain the multi-channel or high resolution playback. What we were discussing is listening to redbook CDs using the analog interconnects from your player to the receiver or prepro or whatever. When you do this your CD player's DAC is doing the work vs the receiver's (just like the good old days of stereo before digital receivers). When playing REDBOOK CDs through the analog interconnects to the receiver you will lose bass management provided by a digital receiver or prepro unless your CD/DVD player provides a bass managment option (which mine does not - nor does danger boy's).

AGREED, IN MY OPINION, I DON'T THINK DVD PLAYER IS A VERY GOOD CD PLAYER, I PREFER A DEDICATED CD SINGLE TRAY PLAYER. CURRENTLY, MOST OF THE DVD PLAYER ONLY PROVIDE LIMITED BASS CONTROL MANAGEMENT.