Optical/Digital Coax vs. 5.1. OR BOTH?

[jamieo]

Hello again,

The info on these forums has been very helpful in ordering my HT and now that it is on the home stretch I have a new question.

-I have a Denon DVD 757 with optical, digital coax and 5.1 audio outs.
-My AVR accepts all 3 inputs.
-My AVR can take a digital 5.1 signal and give you a 7.1 sound with 8 speakers (which I am wired for).
-THe DVD has all the goodies (Dolby Digital, PL II, SACD, etc.)

My question is will the 5.1 connections take advantage of things like Dolby Digital. In other words will the analog signal come out of the DVD in a Dolby setup bound for the volume control or am I giving up that processing if I go with the 5.1 outs?

Maybe the optical and dig coax are for movies while the 5.1 outs are for pure sound? I dont know and neither owners manual seems to pinpoint the differences.

Thats why I like the good folks here. Someone to set me straight. Please let me know.

TC

Jamie

[billy p]

Jamieo the analog direct 5.1 output is strickly for sound. For dvd movies use your digital audio connections regular dvds don't carry hi res audio. The analog connection will only benefit you, if you have a collection of sacd or dvd-a discs.:)

[MDS]

You can use the 5.1 analog audio outs of the dvd player for DD/DTS if you set the dvd player to output 'pcm' but why would you?

The difference would be that the dvd player would be doing the decoding of DD/DTS and sending each individual channel over the 5.1 analog outs as opposed to using a digital connection from the dvd player to the receiver where the receiver will do the decoding (set dvd player to output 'bitstream').

As billyp said, the 5.1 analog outs are for dvd-a/sacd where you cannot use a digital output.

[jamieo]

Thanks for the advice billy p and MDS.

Now I will have to go spend $ on a SACD just to see how it sounds.

Next I need to decide on Coax v Optical but I have a feeling there are plenty of posts already covering that on these forums. Thanks again.

TC

Jamie

[j_garcia]

What kind of music do you listen to? Your first SACD purchase should probably be Dark Side of the Moon...

Coax over optical for me.

[jamieo]

That's what I love about these forums.

I saw Floyd perform Dark Side of the Moon start to finish in order for the first time in 20+ years at the Silverdome in the 90's. Had I known DSOTM was available SACD that would have been the first purchase hands down. Great call.

Jamie

[billy p]

That's what I love about these forums.

I saw Floyd perform Dark Side of the Moon start to finish in order for the first time in 20+ years at the Silverdome in the 90's. Had I known DSOTM was available SACD that would have been the first purchase hands down. Great call.

Jamie

I'm dying to hear DSOTM, considering PF is the second greatest band in the world:D. My problem is that my oppo 971 is not great for sacd playback. I'm in the midst of some more important things currently, but when all is said and done I see a HD player in my not to distant future!!:D All the reviews have been outstanding.:)
Good Luck, Billy p:)

[Jack Hammer]

What kind of music do you listen to? Your first SACD purchase should probably be Dark Side of the Moon...

Coax over optical for me.
100% what he said...

DSOTM is one of the best SACD's I've heard. Go with coax, sonically there's no difference, it just has a sturdier connection.

Jack

[racquetman]

Don't forget about the bass management issues when you use the 5.1 analog outputs. You need to correctly configure the settings in your DVD player when playing SACDs and DVD-A discs.

[jamieo]

Leave it to another Michigander to give me the best quote I have heard in some time.

[jonnythan]

Coax and optical are identical.

Look at the internals of a digital connection sometime. The optical plug is an LED connected directly to the same wire as the coax plug. On the receiver end, it's a photodiode. They transmit the exact same information, bit for bit, except the optical connection briefly converts the electrical impulses into pulses of light.

[Jeff HDDVD]

I prefer coaxial digital over optical digital. Optical digital are easy to damage vs. coaxial, even though I am using 2 optical because I have to.