5.1 switch? (1 Viewer)

[Doug X]

I want to listen to both SACD and DVD-Audio on my 49tx. One possibility would be to buy the new Pioneer 47A, but I've read negative reviews about that player.

What I'd like to do is to buy a SACD player and a DVD-Audio player, and then install a switch (preferably, a remote controlled switch) to choose between the two audio sources.

What does the collective wisdom of this forum recommend for a switch? I'd prefer not to buy 3 stereo switches if I can avoid it.

-- Doug

 

[rodneyH]

I couldn't really find any nice switches out there, so I went with 2 RS switches that are NOT remote operated, but work well.

 

[Philip Hamm]

The common option that most of the DVD-A/SACD users are currently sold on is two Radio Shack stereo A/V switches.

 

[Ron Alcasid]

Sony TA-P9000ES

 

[Doug X]

Ah, that's perfect. The Sony TA-P9000ES is precisely what I was looking for.

Thanks!

-- Doug

 

[Philip Hamm]

Kinda pricey though.

 

[rodneyH]

philip, I agree, but for a nice "switch" that has a remote, you can get it for $400 at Oade, so it is a little pricey, but one of the only options, I would be willing to pay $200, but not $400.

 

[Jeffrey_Jones]

Hello,
Here is an older thread with a link to what looks like a very nice custom built solution (for ~ $200).
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...ht=SACD+Switch
Here is the link to Shawn Fogg's website (I think he makes the switch)
http://home.attbi.com/~shawnfogg/
Thanks,
Jeff

 

[rodneyH]

Jeff, I saw those, but why pay $200, when you can get a RS unit for $34?? I wouldn't mind paying $200 if it were a stanrard sized audio piece (17" wide) and done with an aluminum front and look very nice and had a real remote, but it doesn't.

 

[Shawn Fogg]

Rodney,
"but why pay $200, when you can get a RS unit for $34??"
As I've explained to you before the RS unit and my switch box are very different animals.
The RS uses very cheap blade switches, mine uses high quality relays. The relays alone cost more then the entire R/S box. Try measuring the resistance through one of the R/S boxes sometime. The one I have were about 1.5-2 ohms, my boxes are well under 1/20 of an ohm.
The R/S has very cheap RCA connections, mine uses high quality gold plated chassis mount RCAs. Those cost about twice what the R/S box costs.
Add up the power supply, switch, diodes, wiring, connectors and those too cost more then the price of the R/S box.
You must have access to the R/S to switch sources. This means you need to run all 18 cables up to the boxes and have them much longer then they need to be.
My box is intended to be hidden away out of sight, so why waste *your* money on an expensive enclosure that you will never even see when it is hooked up? Or take up rack space for a unit that doesn't need the space? Having the box hidden behind your equipment also allows the cable runs to the box be shorter and neater.
The box is controlled by either the remote switch or *automatically* by your pre-amp. I select one input on my MC-12 and the box switches to DVD-A, I select a different input on the MC-12 and the box automatically selects SACD. The R/S box can't even remotely do that.
If the R/S works for you great.
But the two are not the same thing.
A few guys posted about my box here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=123637
Shawn

 

[rodneyH]

shawn, I agree with many of your points, except that the RS unit has gotten some pretty good praise as well.

As far as hiding the unit, I don't know how this is accomplished when you have 18 interconnects going to OR from it. Perhaps I need to read a bit more, can you explain how you can switch it ON/OFF with a pre-amp??

While I understand why your unit is more $$$, you left out one of the other factors=Labor, I understand that it takes youmuch longer time to build such a piece.

Have you ever thought of using a very low profile standard width audio box to configure it in??

 

[Shawn Fogg]

Rodney,

"I don't know how this is accomplished when you have 18 interconnects going to OR from it."

If you stack your SACD and DVD-A players on top of each other you just put the switch box behind them. Then you can use very short cables to run from them to the box (have the inputs to the box facing your components) and then the other side you run the outputs from that to your pre-amp/receiver. Viewed from the side the cables would sort of look like a Y from your two players.

Because you don't need access to the switch box there is no need to have it up where you can get at it so you can keep things simpler. And since the box is out of sight (and out of mind) I felt it was a waste to spend a lot of money on a chassis for it that you will never even see after it is setup.

"can you explain how you can switch it ON/OFF with a pre-amp?? "

Sure. Some pre-amps have what is called a programable 12v trigger. You can turn that on and off by input for example.

What you do is configure two front panel inputs on the pre-amp, say CD (for SACD) and DVD(for DVD-A), to 'look' at the 5.1 channel input. Then you also configure the trigger to be ON for one of them... say DVD. You use the trigger cable to run from your pre-amp to the switch box.

On the switch box you would plug in the SACD player into the 'A' inputs and DVD-A into the 'B' inputs then run the outputs to the pre-amp.

That is it. From this point on you don't have to touch or think about the switch box again.

If you want to listen to SACD you select the CD input (by the front panel or the remote control) on your pre-amp. You pre-amp goes to the 5.1 input. With no trigger signal the switch box pipes through the 'A' input so you are listening to the SACD player.

Now you want to listen to DVD-A. *All* you do is select the DVD-A input(again by front panel or remote) on the pre-amp. Your pre-amp still goes to the 5.1 input but now it also automatically turns on the 12v trigger. That trigger is a signal to my switch box to switch to the 'B' inputs, this routes the 'B' input through the box and you are now listening to DVD-A.

When you go back to SACD you select the CD input and your processor turns off the trigger which signals my box to switch back to 'A.'

In terms of operation it is no different then if the processor actually had two sets of 5.1 channel inputs.

In that link I provided Nicholas is doing this with his processor, Dave's Denon can't do this so he is using the remote switch.

" you left out one of the other factors=Labor, I understand that it takes youmuch longer time to build such a piece. "

I was just focusing on the material costs themselves since that is so easy to quantify. Parts cost is more then half what I sell the boxes for. Yes, they do take me quite awhile to build.

Those that have them feel they are worth the price. Obviously not everyone does. And it certainly doesn't make sense buying one to use with something like a $200 receiver or whatever.

"Have you ever thought of using a very low profile standard width audio box to configure it in??"

I've looked into it. For a black 17" width box with the machine work done on it the chassis alone would cost roughly $70 and that isn't including the one time costs associated with setting up the chassis punching. That is also without any labeling on the chassis at all. Silkscreening would obviously cost more.

Shawn

 

[rodneyH]

I will have to look if my pre/pro (a parasound AVC1800) has that option, I know it has a normal 12v DC trigger switch, a 12vDC "zone" trigger switch and a trigger switch that is labeled "remote", so I will have to look at the manual, unless you happen to know??

your right about the cost of the box, I was looking for 1, I found a painted steel one for about $35 and a aluminum one for about $65-70.

 

[Shawn Fogg]

Rodney,

Never looked into it with the Parasound before. I just downloaded the manual now.

It doesn't sound like it can be set up automatically because the 5.1 input can't be assigned to a device. It is its own seperate mode on the remote.

It sounds like the triggers can be programmed to be able to be controlled from the remote. It says to see another section on how to program them but that apparently never made it into the manual. If that is possible you could use your Parasound remote to switch between DVD-A and SACD.

But it doesn't sound like that Parasound can be setup to be fully automated with the box.

Shawn

 

[rodneyH]

Shawn, that is what it seems like to me to, I am not very good at putting together and understanding the whole 12vdc, trigger, and multi-zone remote stuff, so I never really got into it. I just don't see a way to designate a 12v trigger to coorelate with the CD or DVD input

 

[Shawn Fogg]

Rodney,

"I just don't see a way to designate a 12v trigger to coorelate with the CD or DVD input "

It doesn't look like the 5.1 input can be assigned to the CD or DVD input either. It appears all the inputs are basically pre-set in the Parasound.

Best you could probably do is just use the remote to turn on/off a trigger when listening to the 5.1 input. That would let you switch between DVD-A/SACD from the remote but it certainly isn't as nice as if it could be automated.

Shawn

 

[Ron Alcasid]

This Inline RGBHV switcher would probably work also. It's bandwidth is 650 MHz, probably overkill. Oh, wait it doesn't have enough inputs, need 5 + 1 = 6. Oh well!