Sony BDP S350 or S550

[lanman]

I have a Denon 3805 (no HDMI) running 5.1 and am in the market for a Blue Ray player. I am aware one of the upgrades the Sony BDP S550 has over the S350 is DTS high resolution surround sound. So, my questions are:

Is it worth the extra $100?

Would the picture quality be the same as the S350?

Am I going to hear a difference between the two units with the Denon 3805, assuming they have optical out?

What really are the differences in the audio and can anyone say they have heard a difference?

I can upgrade my 3805 later next year, so again is it worth the extra cost?

 

[Emusica]

I have a Denon 3805 (no HDMI) running 5.1 and am in the market for a Blue Ray player. I am aware one of the upgrades the Sony BDP S550 has over the S350 is DTS high resolution surround sound. So, my questions are:

Is it worth the extra $100?

Would the picture quality be the same as the S350?

Am I going to hear a difference between the two units with the Denon 3805, assuming they have optical out?

What really are the differences in the audio and can anyone say they have heard a difference?

I can upgrade my 3805 later next year, so again is it worth the extra cost?

You wont get high res audio through optical outs. You will need to hook up the analog outs on whichever player you get, since your receiver doesn't have HDMI. Don't even bother with the optical or digi coax. I would def get the S550 over the S350. You should be able to find a few threads here about both of those units.

 

[jostenmeat]

I have a Denon 3805 (no HDMI) running 5.1 and am in the market for a Blue Ray player. I am aware one of the upgrades the Sony BDP S550 has over the S350 is DTS high resolution surround sound. So, my questions are:

Is it worth the extra $100?

Only you can answer that. I might* say no, but I would STILL get it, because that's me, and I want it! However, seeing that you own 3xxx Denon, I will assume you're into the finer things in life.

Would the picture quality be the same as the S350?

To the best of my knowledge, absolutely identical.

Am I going to hear a difference between the two units with the Denon 3805, assuming they have optical out?

No, at least if using optical from both sources. Then identical.

What really are the differences in the audio and can anyone say they have heard a difference?

I can upgrade my 3805 later next year, so again is it worth the extra cost?

I never have tried DBT. I've tried my own stupid tests, and I couldn't tell with a couple of movies.

*Special Note #1: even with SPDIF are your bitrates considerably improved. DD is 448 kbs on DVD, now 640(?) on BD. DTS is 768 kbs on DVD, and is effectively doubled with BD via SPDIF.

*Special Note #2: when using m-ch analogs, be very aware of any possible LFE cut. Research, use SPL meter, and see if your receiver can boost LFE if necessary (Im assuming it can).

You wont get high res audio through optical outs. You will need to hook up the analog outs on whichever player you get, since your receiver doesn't have HDMI. Don't even bother with the optical or digi coax. I would def get the S550 over the S350. You should be able to find a few threads here about both of those units.

1.5 mps with DTS core might not be lossless... but is decently hi-res IMO. Do I demand the lossless variety? Yes. But I also just throw money at the problem.

 

[lanman]

Emusica, thank you for your input! However, another question comes to mind when you are talk about the optic out. I had an older Sony DVD player plugged in to the analog, which sounded ok, but when I converted to optics it was like the processor was doing a much better job at distributing the surround sound over the speakers. The whole experience was faster and just sounded better. So, can you explain why analog will be better than optics and why analog can support the higher sound format?
I'm certainly not questioning your knowledge, just needing to understand this myself and require people like yourself to educate me.

Thanks again!

 

[jliedeka]

The issue is that coax and TOSLink cannot carry the higher resolution and lossless codecs. One way to benefit from the higher resolution audio is to let the disc player decode the sound via the analog outputs.

There's probably no way to say, a priori, if that's better than plain DD or DTS over coax. The manufacturer may have cheaped out on the analog output circuitry. The only way to know is to try it.

I have the S350 which I use with just the HDMI hookup. It does everything I need it to. I'm not really sure what the 550 adds (and I can't be arsed to look it up ).

Jim

 

[lanman]

The S550 has 8 x analog out, so you should be able to have your cake and eat it, without HDMI. Point taken though regarding cheapness of circuitry!!
I haven't checked yet, but I don't think the 350 has 8 analogs out.

 

[Bugbitten]

I haven't checked yet, but I don't think the 350 has 8 analogs out.

Correct! Only the 550 has analog outs.

 

[lanman]

Ok, I have a few more questions, which are:

Do I need the DTS-HD Master decoding the S550 has, if I only run 5.1? Bare in mind, I might go with 7.1 at a later date.

Can I still use this feature on 5.1?

If I do need this, is the sound quality of the Sony 550 as good as a Pioneer DB-55? Sound means a lot to me.

Given that, any additional products I should look at, such as the Panasonic DMP-55?

And finally, if was to get the SOny S350, how would I hook this up since it had no analog?

Decision, decisions