Digital Preout?

[ronkupper]

Hello,

My current setup is: HTPC -->(optical) Dacmagic --> Stereo Amp

I want to an AV receiver for HT but would like to still use the DacMagic and the Stereo Amp for the fronts.

I know that there are receivers with analog preout/peramps so I can use my Stereo Amp but are there any receivers out there with digital preouts (optical/coaxial) so I can also use my DacMagic instead of the receiver DAC's?

Thanks guys!

 

[MDS]

I don't know of any receivers that have digital pre-outs but a lot of receivers do have digital outs and you can connect from the digital out to the DacMagic. If you have speakers attached to the receiver in addition to a stereo amp, they will play too because the digital out is not a 'pre-out'.

So as long as all speakers are connected to the stereo amp and not the receiver itself it should work although one catch is that typically receivers will only output thru the digital outs if the source of the signal was also digital. It will not digitize an analog input signal and send it out the digital outs.

Note too that it may be hard to find a 2 channel stereo receiver with a digital out and you typically don't get digital outs on a receiver until you move up at least to the mid range models. If you are going to buy a receiver like that, why bother with the DacMagic? The receivers Dacs are going to be as good or better so just connect the htpc digitally to the receiver and be done with it.