Marantz CD6006 - Best connection?

N

Nostromo

Junior Audioholic
I have just retired and moved and planning to upgrade my entire Home Cinema and related equipment. A problem has arisen which I did not have when I last set-up my system 20 years ago.

The new system I have in mind is centered around Samsung HW-Q90R Soundbar and its wireless rear speakers. It has 2 HDMI and 1 Optical input but no RCA. I have always preferred to listen to CD music (I have a very large collection) on a dedicated CD player rather than play them though a DVD or blue ray player. For the last 20 years I have had an old NAD player that connected to the Onkyo amp via RCA cables and worked great. As part of my overall upgrade, I want to get the highly rated Marantz CD6006 player but am unsure how to connect it to get the best out of it.

As I see it, I have 2 options:

1. Connect the Marantz to the Samsung Q90 via optical cable. If I did that, Marantz's own DACS will be bypassed and the soundbar's DAC will take over and play it through the 5.1 system.
2. The other option is to connect the Marantz via RCA cables to my old Onkyo HTX-22HD, which is a 2.1 system with just 2 speakers and a subwoofer. But then the CD player's own DAC will come into play.

Which option is likely to work better?
 
Verdinut

Verdinut

Audioholic Spartan
I have just retired and moved and planning to upgrade my entire Home Cinema and related equipment. A problem has arisen which I did not have when I last set-up my system 20 years ago.

The new system I have in mind is centered around Samsung HW-Q90R Soundbar and its wireless rear speakers. It has 2 HDMI and 1 Optical input but no RCA. I have always preferred to listen to CD music (I have a very large collection) on a dedicated CD player rather than play them though a DVD or blue ray player. For the last 20 years I have had an old NAD player that connected to the Onkyo amp via RCA cables and worked great. As part of my overall upgrade, I want to get the highly rated Marantz CD6006 player but am unsure how to connect it to get the best out of it.

As I see it, I have 2 options:

1. Connect the Marantz to the Samsung Q90 via optical cable. If I did that, Marantz's own DACS will be bypassed and the soundbar's DAC will take over and play it through the 5.1 system.
2. The other option is to connect the Marantz via RCA cables to my old Onkyo HTX-22HD, which is a 2.1 system with just 2 speakers and a subwoofer. But then the CD player's own DAC will come into play.

Which option is likely to work better?
Welcome to AH,

If it's for listening to 2 channel stereo, I would suggest option #2. In my opinion. the Marantz most likely has a better DAC than what you have on your soundbar.
 
N

Nostromo

Junior Audioholic
Thank you. The old NAD was rather basic but its DAC was still better than playing it though the amp.
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
I would certainly go with option 2, and I would ask that if you have the space for a 2.1 system, why in the world you would even consider a soundbar at all? Soundbars are an improvement on TV speakers, but rarely are as good as a proper setup using 5.1 separate speakers with added speakers for Atmos if desired. I would strive for the best quality for surround sound and stereo if possible, which a soundbar won't really do justice for, even if it is an improvement on the TV speakers. But, obviously up to you.
 
N

Nostromo

Junior Audioholic
I have done a rethink on this and based on the advice given decided to set-up the Marantz CD6006 and my Pioneer Turntable in a separate 'listening room' away from the Home Cinema surround. But my sis-in-law wanted the old Onkyo mentioned above and so I decided to get a Pioneer VSX 933 receiver and Cambridge Audio x200 subwoofer with a pair of Cambridge Audio Minx Min22 front speakers.

Both the Pioneer receiver and CA subwoofer have the option of connecting by either a dedicated LFE Subwoofer cable or conventional RCA cable.Unless advised here otherwise, I am inclining towards the LFE connection; any opinion about which connection type is better for sound?
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
I have done a rethink on this and based on the advice given decided to set-up the Marantz CD6006 and my Pioneer Turntable in a separate 'listening room' away from the Home Cinema surround. But my sis-in-law wanted the old Onkyo mentioned above and so I decided to get a Pioneer VSX 933 receiver and Cambridge Audio x200 subwoofer with a pair of Cambridge Audio Minx Min22 front speakers.

Both the Pioneer receiver and CA subwoofer have the option of connecting by either a dedicated LFE Subwoofer cable or conventional RCA cable.Unless advised here otherwise, I am inclining towards the LFE connection; any opinion about which connection type is better for sound?
A subwoofer cable is generally just another way of saying shielded rca cable. Lots of choices in cable out there, doesn't need to be fancy for good performance....unless you just like paying for eye candy.
 
Verdinut

Verdinut

Audioholic Spartan
A subwoofer cable is generally just another way of saying shielded rca cable. Lots of choices in cable out there, doesn't need to be fancy for good performance....unless you just like paying for eye candy.
Aren't all RCA cables shielded anyways?
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Aren't all RCA cables shielded anyways?
I'd not bet on it, they probably exist; who knows what somebody might have slapped some rca connectors on :) In any case easy enough to get shielded ones.
 
N

Nostromo

Junior Audioholic
Thanks people. Lovinthehd, I will only go for a good and well customer reviewed cable, NOT one that is needlessly expensive. In fact, most of the Amazon Basics cables seem to be quite good.

But my question was - what type of cable is better when there are both options? A single connector LFE subwoofer cable or a conventional RCA cable?
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
Thanks people. Lovinthehd, I will only go for a good and well customer reviewed cable, NOT one that is needlessly expensive. In fact, most of the Amazon Basics cables seem to be quite good.

But my question was - what type of cable is better when there are both options? A single connector LFE subwoofer cable or a conventional RCA cable?
What do you think would be different? The bandwidth of an lfe signal is very small so you can use almost anything. If you cut apart an “LFE” cable, you’ll find the only difference would be on the jacket where it says lfe.
 
N

Nostromo

Junior Audioholic
Thanks. I am not as tech savvy as some of you guys and so had to ask.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Thanks people. Lovinthehd, I will only go for a good and well customer reviewed cable, NOT one that is needlessly expensive. In fact, most of the Amazon Basics cables seem to be quite good.

But my question was - what type of cable is better when there are both options? A single connector LFE subwoofer cable or a conventional RCA cable?
Seems after William's exchange you're set....almost thought you might be thinking about the LFE input on the sub vs the L/R inputs. (Stick with the LFE input with a single good shielded rca cable). Amazon Basics or Mediabridge are very good values, too, and many of us shop at monoprice.com. Nicer stuff can be had at bluejeancables.com and they have some good info articles about cable construction, too
 
B

Bob257

Audioholic Intern
I connected mine via a coaxial cable directly into the DAC of my Yamaha. I think it sounds better than its built in DAC of the CD player.
 
N

Nostromo

Junior Audioholic
OK, thanks. I'll try both but generally I prefer connecting a quality CD player by an analog cable to use its own DAC. I still own a 20-year old NAD C540 CD player which was plugged into my old Onkyo 407 AV Receiver and regular CD music certainly sounded better with RCA cable connection. But I did use a coaxial cable occasionally to use the NAD as a transport because I have several DTS CDs that the NAD could not decode but the Onkyo could.

I have heard very good things about the DAC of the Marantz CD 6006.
 

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