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I'm all confused. I have 2 DVD players, one DVD-A, and a Sony NS-715P. My receivers are Onkyo THX797 (6.1) and Sony 1070 (5.1). They all have Optical input/outputs and coaxial and L/R audio in/out.What kind of connection will give the best sound quality?
Best regards
Electro-dolt
Follow Ups:
If you are listening to the true DVD-A track you have no choice but to use the analog 5.1 outputs. At least until the powers that be decide it is ok to have digital output. This has to do with copy protection and industry paranoia, I think.If you are listening to the DD or DTS track then the answer is the same as with a CD player. Namely, often will make no audible difference but beyond that it depends on the specific hardware you have. Sometimes, the player has the better DAC and analog circuits, sometimes the AVP/prepro does. There is a huge, vituperous debate about whether one type of cable per se is better. I offer no opinion in that regard but again point out that specific gear may hadndle those sources better or worse on a case by case difference. So my advice is try each alternative. If one sounds better use it. If they sound the same choose the most convenient/cheapest.
Caveat: bass management can get pretty confusing and the settings that work in one mode may not be right in another. I found this can be really frustrating when both the plaer and AVR have their own ideas about how base should be routed.
and John G was not entirely correct in his post. Some players downsample, some don't. Some DVD-A's can be played on regular DVD players (usually a DTS track), but you won't get DVD-A.For now your only choice is the discrete audio outs (that is why the players include them, they had virtually vanished from regular CD and HDCD.) Neither fiber nor digital coax has the capacity for the increased information. Firewire and USB2 do. If they ever settle the debate and set the standard (I suspect they will, and soon) then you will have a single connector option.
Some players now have a firewire port as do some processors but the port doesn't work (well sometimes to a suitable device from the same manufacturer . . . we're talking many thousands of dinero here) and is set for software upgrades when the standard.
For Dolby/dts either coaxial or optical will work fine. I prefer coaxial, some prefer optical. A "good" coaxial cable costs less, usually, than an equally good optical cable. Frankly, for movie sound, use whicever is more convenient for you, I wouldn't sweat it. For music from a CD in your DVDP, that's tougher, you'll have to use your ears, and you may not hear a difference between the optical or coaxial cables you choose. And even try the analog outputs from your players, you might like that better (for stereo CD play).For playing a DVD-A, you'll need to use (up to 6) analog cables to your receiver, that's the only way to use the DVD-A output, it is not available in digital format.
Excuse my general ignorance re the DVD-A. I have never actually played one, but will as soon as I find one I want to hear... DVD-A *does* put out a digital signal. I don't know why I said it doesn't, or what I was thinking, when I said you *have* to use analog cables, because you don't. But you can use them if you want. Sorry.
Although there is a digital signal out of the optical or coax output, it is at 96khz/24bit. The internal DAC is 128Khz/24bit. Therefore, if you want a better resolution signal for your DVD-A, you'll want to use the internal decoder and feed it to your amp. Optical or Coax is fine for standard DVDs.
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