Can you get 5.1 surround sound from a phono connection on a ht receiver?

[Greygoose]

I am thinking of buying a numark cd88 dual cd player and a mixer which has phono outputs. I was going to plug the phono outputs into a ht receiver for now. Will my receiver play 5.1/7.1 sound if it has neo6 or llx processing capability? Also if I bypass the mixer for now and just plug the numark straight into the ht reciever will it work ? the Numark has a digital output and a midi output. Thanks for the help I am a NEWBIE.

 

[markw]

From your description of the hardware, I would have to say no.

Sounds to me like you ahgve a piece of gear that is designed for DJ work, not a video application.

First off, just because the source media all looks the same, (i.e. a 5 1/4" shiny disc) they are not, and different media has different playback requirements. Most DVD player, however, are downward compatible and can play back CD's.

IOW, don't expect all CD players to be able to play back a DVD.

Next question; is this a DVD player or a CD player? I'm not sure that all CD players offer an output to support digital surround formats as found on DVD's. Virtually ALL DVD players do. If it's a Cd player and you expect DVD playback, you may want to rethink this.

If it IS a DVD player, are you sure it doesn't offer a digital feed via either digital coaxial or toslink? Look again.

But, to answer your original question, a two channel analog feed won't support a 5.1 digital experience. What it will allow is for that two channel stereo analog signal to be processed via your receiver's DSP, such as DPLII which will try to emulate a multichannel experience. And, to varying degrees, it may satisfy but don't even think it compares favorably to the true, discrete, multi-channel digital experience that only a digital feed can supply.

 

[Greygoose]

The cd88 is a pure cd player and it was designed for the DJ scene. With that being said I am thinking of becoming a DJ. The dj equipment can be expensive and I was thinking of just mixing cd's with my current ht system. I am not really concerned if it is true 5.1 surround sound but I am concerned about the ability to get all my speakers to play. I have a friend with a real old ht receiver. It has 5.1 compatability but only plays thru 2 speakers when the phono is hooked up. I was wondering if the new processing technology will allow all 5 speakers to play including the subwoofer ? Thanks for the help

 

[xboxweasel]

Just set your receiver to playback in either 5/6/or 7 speaker stereo. A lot of DSP modes will output a stereo source to multiple speakers. I am not 100% sure, but for my receiver they are DTS NEO:6, Pro Logix II, plus a bunch of custom DSPs. It depends on the receiver.

 

[markw]

Well, Dolby Surround, or Dolby pro Logic (one or the other is on all HT receivers) or one of the other DSP modes will produce "something" from all the speakers, but wether it sounds good or not is a matter of opinion. ...mine is not.

But, think carefully about this next question.

Are you quite your HT receiver can deliver what's needed to fill a room with DJ sound? I doubt it. DJ work is a LOT more demanding of your amp and speakers than home usage.

What you think it is capable of outputing out is most likely a LOT more than it really does. You might want to explore the "All Channels Driven" thread.