Denon AVC-3800 5.1 Surround using RCA no HDMI (1 Viewer)

[Theldrom]

Hi all,

Thanks for having me. I need some advice.

My family and I have just moved into a new house, we are setting up a home cinema room. I have a LG 70" 70LB650V and a Denon AVC-3800 with 2 front speakers, 2 rear speakers, a center front speaker and a Sony subwoofer. The amp uses RCA connections.

I am connecting up a MediaPC and Blu Ray Player. The AVC-3800 is quite old and does not have HDMI connection.

What is the best way to connect up the AMP to the different devices, to get 5.1 surround?

Would something like this work - See on Amazon

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Sorry, but it is impossible to get 5.1 with analog RCA connections. 5.1 requires a digital signal feed from either an optical, coax, or HDMI connection. You will need to upgrade your receiver if you want 5.1 from your source components.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[John Dirk]

The receiver does appear to have an optical input so, assuming your TV has a matching optical output you should be able to get compressed Dolby Digital 5.1 from compatible source material on embedded apps. Assuming your MediaPC and Blu Ray Player have HDMI outputs, you should also be able to connect them to different HDMI inputs on the TV and have it output through the optical connection to the receiver.

Honestly I would seriously recommend purchasing a new, contemporary, receiver. Basic models can be found for under $300.00. Everything else in your system is HDMI capable, so the receiver will be a limiting factor until it is upgraded.

 

[Theldrom]

The receiver does appear to have an optical input so, assuming your TV has a matching optical output you should be able to get compressed Dolby Digital 5.1 from compatible source material on embedded apps. Assuming your MediaPC and Blu Ray Player have HDMI outputs, you should also be able to connect them to different HDMI inputs on the TV and have it output through the optical connection to the receiver.

Honestly I would seriously recommend purchasing a new, contemporary, receiver. Basic models can be found for under $300.00. Everything else in your system is HDMI capable, so the receiver will be a limiting factor until it is upgraded./

Hi, sorry for the delay in coming back, been manic. Do you have any recommendations for a new receiver, that won't break the bank? Thanks

 

[YANG]

Connect your video sources straight to the TV with HDMI, then feed out the digital output(most of the TVs in the market comes with optical outputs, with barely little with coaxial digital output) from the TV straight to your A/V receiver.
You'll not get DTS decoding on your A/V receiver as most of the TVs out there do not filter out DTS digital signal for external audio connection. However, with advance settings, you may get DD5.1 filtered from TV to the Receiver.

 

[John Dirk]

Hi, sorry for the delay in coming back, been manic. Do you have any recommendations for a new receiver, that won't break the bank? Thanks

Hello again - No problem as we all know, "life calls."

Without knowing your budget, I would recommend this one if you're a Costco guy like me.

https://www.costco.com/denon-avr-s750h-7.2-channel-4k-av-receiver.product.100505535.html

 

[Clinton McClure]

I have the S750H and love it. It’s a fantastic receiver for the money.

 

[Old Dog]

Sorry, but it is impossible to get 5.1 with analog RCA connections. 5.1 requires a digital signal feed from either an optical, coax, or HDMI connection. You will need to upgrade your receiver if you want 5.1 from your source components.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

I wanted to post a question with regards to HDMI vs RCA Interconnects for Audio. I am fairly new to this forum and also have limited experience of HT equipment, just for the record! Having typed a title for my post (HDMI vs RCA Interconnects) the system came up with, "have you checked these?" ..... hence, I decided to look for info here rather than start a new thread.

I was going to ask what the consensus is between performance of a HDMI cable vs multiple RCA interconnects for audio?

WA's comment has taken me by surprise though and I am wondering whether the answer is specifically aimed at the OP's question, although no specific information about the source seemed to be given.

I have a bluray player with two HDMI outputs. I use one for video direct to the display, the other for audio to my receiver. The player also has a set of 7.1 RCA audio out connections, which are surely for conneting analogue inputs on an appropriate receiver? (My receiver does not have any anologue inputs for multi-channel audio, otherwise I could have simply tried it).
I am still thinking analogue connections must work, provided the AVR is so equiped, but stand to be corrected (please explain why if not).
If they do indeed work, given the above, any comments on performance, ideally specific experience and comparisons of both cable types, would be very much appreciated. I am very much old school and have spent rather a long time in HiFi. I have never come across HDMI connections for audio, hence my curiosity about the comparison with / in HT.

 

[JohnRice]

I wanted to post a question with regards to HDMI vs RCA Interconnects for Audio. I am fairly new to this forum and also have limited experience of HT equipment, just for the record! Having typed a title for my post (HDMI vs RCA Interconnects) the system came up with, "have you checked these?" ..... hence, I decided to look for info here rather than start a new thread.

I was going to ask what the consensus is between performance of a HDMI cable vs multiple RCA interconnects for audio?

WA's comment has taken me by surprise though and I am wondering whether the answer is specifically aimed at the OP's question, although no specific information about the source seemed to be given.

I have a bluray player with two HDMI outputs. I use one for video direct to the display, the other for audio to my receiver. The player also has a set of 7.1 RCA audio out connections, which are surely for conneting analogue inputs on an appropriate receiver? (My receiver does not have any anologue inputs for multi-channel audio, otherwise I could have simply tried it).
I am still thinking analogue connections must work, provided the AVR is so equiped, but stand to be corrected (please explain why if not).
If they do indeed work, given the above, any comments on performance, ideally specific experience and comparisons of both cable types, would be very much appreciated. I am very much old school and have spent rather a long time in HiFi. I have never come across HDMI connections for audio, hence my curiosity about the comparison with / in HT.

It’s pretty simple. Always use hdmi. It keeps the audio digital for digital processing and maintains maximum quality and flexibility.

 

[John Dirk]

If they do indeed work, given the above, any comments on performance, ideally specific experience and comparisons of both cable types, would be very much appreciated.

Specific comparisons are not necessary here as it's very straightforward. If you connect multi-channel analog [RCA] cables between the two devices then you will have no ability to use digital processing to decode sound formats such as Dolby Digital, DTS, etc. on either end. The receiver would simply treat it as multi-channel stereo. Since that format could easily be selected [if desired] using an HDMI connection, as @JohnRice says, that's always the way to go when it's available.

 

[Old Dog]

No contest then! As I said, I am old school and my knowledge of HT is very limited. I'll park the thought of ever trying analogue interconnects, should the opportunity ever arise. Thanks guys!