DVD Audio Cabling! (1 Viewer)

I just got a DVD player that is DVD Audio compatible. In my old setup I used an optical cable for audio.

What is the best way to set up the audio connection to my receiver? If I understand correctly the DVD audio signal will not work through optical and I need to set up the 5 channel audio cables? My amp has the inputs for 5 channel audio, so I can go either way. I am just curious if my audio for DVD movies will suffer using the 5 channel sound, or if it will be OK.

Also, if I have both 5 channel analog and optical cable connected will the movies use optical and the DVD Audio use 5 channel analog?

Finally, if I am going to use 5 channel do I use regaulr RCA audio cables, or is something special required?

Thanks for any help.

Colin

Great questions! I'm in the same boat as you so I'll be subscribing to this thread to hear the results. My new DVD player should arrive Monday.

Yes, you need to use the analog connections (actually 6 channels, 5 main + LFE).

Unless you have the new high dollar Pioneer or Denon player/receiver combo (which has a digital connection for DVD-A and SACD), you can ONLY connect your player via the analogs to get Hi-Rez DVD-A.

You can keep your digital connection for DD,DTS, and PCM.

If you really want a headache, search the forums for DVD-A and SACD Bass Management.

BGL

Thanks Brian,
My player is a Tosh SD4800, and it doesn't have the features you were mentioning.

I will leave the optical digital cable for movies and hook up regular cables for the analog 6 channel audio discs. How should I handle the subwoofer though? I have a cable from the subwoofer out on the received now. Can I have two inputs going to the sub - one from the DVD 6 channel audio and one from the regaulr sub out on the receiver?

Colin

Yes DVD-A needs the analog output to hear it so you will need to connect the 6 channel outputs from the DVD player. You can use regular RCA interconnect cables for this or get one of these Blue Jeans 6 Channel Audio cables. There is the problem of bass management where you would need something like an Outlaw Audio ICBM to get proper bass management. Using this will of course double the number of cables you will need.

I don't know if your receiver has different markings for DVD and 6 channel inputs so I can't say what will happen if you connect both with the same input marking. I assume the receiver will search for the first signal it gets to. This is just a guess on my part. On my receiver, I connect the digital out from the DVD player to "DVD" and the 5 channel out to "External Decoder" so they're totally different.

You actually can use your analog outputs also for movies if you want. The difference being you are using your receiver's DAC when using the digital out but the player's DAC when using the analog out to hear DD & DTS. Give them both a listen as you may prefer one over the other. You will have to of course recalibrate your speakers if you use the analog out.

You shouldn't have to connect two inputs to the subwoofer since the subwoofer signal from the player is passed as part of the 6 channels you'll be connecting to the receiver. The receiver will then pass the signal to your subwoofer through the current connection.

Thanks Jerome, my received has seperate inputs for the 5.1 channel analog and the DVD optical so I should be all set. Now I need to go out and get myself a DVD Audio disc and some new cables and I'll all set!

Colin

Yeah Colin what Jerome already said. The way most receivers work is that they will call those analog inputs as "External" or something like that, versus "Optical" or "Digital" for a digital line.

For example, I have a Denon 3801 receiver, I just hit the "External" input button and it sends out what is coming in on those lines no matter what input device the switcher section is set to (ie, TV, DVD, CD).

Of course the 2 channel analog lines are assigned to their individual inputs that they plug into (CD, TV, DVD). The receiver also has a coax digital, and 3 or 4 (I forget now) optical inputs and those are assigned to a particular input via the menu of the receiver (for mine).


You'll probably have to play with the option of having the player do the decode on the DD/DTS of films versus sending it to the receiver to decode via the digital lines. That depends on the equipment you have. You can probably search on the subject and find all sorts of debates about which D/A's are best in which units.

Of course those points are moot if you simply listen yourself and decide. Switching between the digital and external is probably quite easy and quick on your receiver (it is mine). You might find that you end up just sending all DVD audio via the external lines, not just the DVD-A Hi Rez stuff.


A good DVD-A to start with might be the Steely Dan "2 Against Nature" or perhaps the Eagles "Hotel California". Not to push Steely Dan too much, but the Donald Fagen "Nightfly" album sounds great. I'm also a fan of the DVD-As for "Harvest" (Young) and "Document" (REM).

Colin:
I thought I was having a deja' vu until I realized you cross posted this in the Music area!
Tom