This is burning my brain up.
I think what I'm hearing is:
1. If its a DVD-A and it offers Dolby Digital (DD), I won't be able to get DD because HDMI is always downmixing. And when you output through multi-channel its 5.1 but not DD???.
I think I need to start a new thread and use specific example of what confusion I am having.
.....see, I understood your answers, but I can't get any hi-res surround with DVD-A using multi-channel, I seem to be able to with SACD.
really, I will start a new thread or two and only ask very very specific questions because I am becoming aware of far too many variables.
You did not need to start another thread! Here is what I posted on your second thread.
You did not need to start a new thread!
You got the right answer in your last thread.
I have the Marantz 9600 which is similar to yours.
If you use a digital connection you will get two channel.
You must use the analog ext inputs to get the benefit of multichannel audio.
But there's more! I have posted about this until I'm blue in the face. SACD is for techno DIY nuts like me, not the general public. For you it is hobbled.
Now classical CDs have no sub channel. The guys who record those CD's are lunatics like me, who expect that your main speakers will reproduce from 20 Hz to over 20 KHz. Classical SACDs are either 2 channel, 3 channel or five channel.
Now SACD is not PCM based it is DSD based. Now you can not process in DSD, so you have two options.
Your Marantz player in the menu has two options for output of SACD. You can output in PCM. If you do this DSD will be converted to PCM, but then it will be no different to a CD! However you will be able to adjust the level of each channel.
If you set the player to output from the DSD decoder there is no channel leveling. The receiver will not do it either as you have to use the pass through inputs.
Also remember the surrounds for SACD and DVD Audio have to be in the rear of the room, the position of the center backs in a 7.1 system, not the surround position of 5.1 or 7.1
So if you want to listen to classical SACDs from the DSD decoder properly balanced, this is what you have to do. If you had to ask this question, it is likely beyond your resources.
1). If your receiver does not direct the surround info to the rears, then you have to build switching to direct the sound to the rear speakers.
2). To properly balance you speakers you need to build a unit to balance all the analog outputs between the Marantz and the external pass through inputs of your receiver.
3). If you speakers are not full range, you are stuck with a receiver. If you have separate preamp and amps then you can build switching to insert an external electronic crossover between the preamp output and the main speaker amp and your sub. The other thing you can do is run your speakers full range and send a buffered signal from a buffer amp to your sub.
I doubt this situation will survive. It only has because most SACD players convert to PCM and don't admit it, and people think they are listening to SACD via the superior DSD decoder and they aren't.
I think the best plan from the publics point of view is to bury these formats, and use the lossless "True HD" audio format of Blue Ray.
People have a hard time understanding that these systems are for the very few techno savy with some DIY skills, and the rest are basically defrauded.
I hate to have to tell you that if you get it right it sounds excellent.
This is a fairly recent post of mine on this very confused and misunderstood issue.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums...96&postcount=8