HELP!!! How to hook up a dvd player

[gatekeeper]

I'm been having discussions with different people about the hook up of dvd players with regards to the audio set up. Some people say that you should use the optical cable for the sound and some say use only analog cable (jacks for SACD)I am using a Marantz DV9600 dvd player, which has an awesome audio processor, and a Marantz SR8500 A/V receiver which is just as great. Plus I have straight wire cable used for all of my outputs and a M series high performance optical cable. I was told that if you use the analog outputs, you are using the processor in the player and if you use the optical, you use the processor in the receiver. With the processor being as good as it is in the player, I'm not sure if should use only that. Both sound good, but I want the best sound to come out when I watch a movie. If anyone can shed some light on the subject please do. I'm up to try everything.

[mtrycrafts]

I'm been having discussions with different people about the hook up of dvd players with regards to the audio set up. Some people say that you should use the optical cable for the sound and some say use only analog cable (jacks for SACD)I am using a Marantz DV9600 dvd player, which has an awesome audio processor, and a Marantz SR8500 A/V receiver which is just as great. Plus I have straight wire cable used for all of my outputs and a M series high performance optical cable. I was told that if you use the analog outputs, you are using the processor in the player and if you use the optical, you use the processor in the receiver. With the processor being as good as it is in the player, I'm not sure if should use only that. Both sound good, but I want the best sound to come out when I watch a movie. If anyone can shed some light on the subject please do. I'm up to try everything.

If you are listening to SACD and DVD-audio, you need the analog output as they are copy protected through the digital. The digital will send you less than the analog out will. In DVDA it will not send the surround channels but it may send DD5.1, not sure on that.
A CD or DVD movies can use the digital cable.
So, depending on what you are after how you will hook it up.

[w.e-coyote]

I would suggest using the analog connection; it gets you the full surround effect when playing SA-CD or DVD-Audio (no digital output available for surround sound indeed on account of copy-protection). True, you will be using the D/A converter of the player which may or may not be inferior to the D/A of the pre-amp. Advantage I found was though, is that the audio level will be the same when playing SA-CD and regular CD or DVD. On my system I had to adjust the volumes constantly when switching.

[gatekeeper]

thanks for the info, but what about movies. will i still be able to achieve surround sound with only analog cable or should i stick with digital.

[w.e-coyote]

You will be fine with movies too using the analog connections. The only difference will be that the DVD players decodes the DD or DTS audio and not the pre-amp.

[claudermilk]

Or you could go the route I did. I have the analogs plus coax digital out. Now I can choose when I want the DVD palyer to decode or the receiver to decode. Admittedly, I hooked this all up before reading that the analogs can handle everything & got those specifically for the SACD, but it's only one more short coax cable--and I didn't waste money on Monster or other oily cables.

[j_garcia]

I'm with claudermilk on this one. 9 out of 10 times, the receiver will have better bass management than the player. For hires, you are stuck with analog in most cases, but for movies, the best way would be to keep a digital connection and let the receiver do the decoding. That's how I have mine and it works great - 6 analog cables for SACD and DVD-A, digital coax for movies.

[gatekeeper]

So you think that a digital coax cable has a better sound than a digital optical cable?

[w.e-coyote]

I'll let the others respond to the coax-optical question. I can't notice the difference myself to be honest. What I will try though is switching between analog and digital for movies and CD when I get the chance. Better bass management would certainly be nice to have (my neighbours may disagree though...)