Sound Quality Differences with Hi-End DVD players

[implicit]

I've been able to answer most of my audio questions by poking around this site but there's still one thing I'm not quite clear on.


What is the difference with high-end DVD or CD players in terms of audio quality?

Is is not true if you use a digital out (coax or optical) into a digital receiver the sound should be just about the same no matter what DVD/CD player you use?

Or is it the idea to use the analog 5.1 outputs always for a high-end player and assume the D/A converters are better on the disc player than the receiver?

And finally then....if this is true - should I let my Denon DVD-1920 do the work rather than the Onkyo TX-SR603?

Thanks!

 

[MDS]

If you use a digital connection from dvd player to receiver, then the player simply reads the bits off the disc and transports them to the receiver for decoding (assuming you set the dvd player to 'bitstream').

The 5.1 analog outs are for dvd-a/sacd, although you can hook them up too and switch between the digital and analog connections to compare sound quality if you like.

The receiver has other features like dynamic range compression (called 'late night' on the Onkyo) and of course multiple surround modes, so it's generally best to use a digital connection from the player to the receiver so that those features are available.

 

[implicit]

Thanks, just to clarify - some people on the forum have made statements about higher end DVD players having better sounding redbook cd playback... ie "model A sounds better than model B".

Shouldn't matter right? digital is digital?

 

[WmAx]

Thanks, just to clarify - some people on the forum have made statements about higher end DVD players having better sounding redbook cd playback... ie "model A sounds better than model B".

Shouldn't matter right? digital is digital?

In such claims, you should look for the comparison conditions. Was this comparison performed under blind conditions? Level matched? Proper statistical method used for scoring? The fact is that except for major differences(audible noise, or very high level distortion products, static, etc.), one can not use sighted listening for a reliable indicator of actual sound quality of products of close performance such as CD players, amplifiers, etc..

-Chris