HD sound question (1 Viewer)

[aS man]

Wanted to ask, if neither my receiver or BD player decode HD sound (Dolby True HD or DTS HD) am I missing out on a huge sound difference? I have the choice of going with a receiver that does and one that does not decode HD audio, the BD player bitstreams it (I guess that means it sends it to the receiver to decode?). The receivers i'm looking at are Sony's STRDG-920 and 1200. There's about a $200 price difference and the only big difference to me is the decoding ability. Is it worth $200? Or if anyone else has any better receiver options in the $500 range that does decode, that would be great also.

 

[sptrout]

I believe that you will regret not getting a system that can decode all the HD audio formats. If you are like me, every time that you play a Blu-ray, and see an audio option for one of the new audio formats, you will always wonder what you are missing if you cannot decode it.

It is possible to get a Blu-ray player that has HD analog output, which can be connected to an AVR that has a 5.1 or 7.1 analog input. However, you can spend less on a Blu-ray player by getting one that bitstreams only and put the extra money into the AVR that does all the decoding. This is a much better option IMO since 5.1/7.1 analog audio can cause problems if your equipment is not all fully compatible.

As for receivers, you can probably find an Onyko 805 for around $600 and it is a real powerhouse of an AVR. (Note that I have an 805 so my opinion here may be suspect

)

 

[David Willow]

I second the Onkyo recommendation. If you can't find the 805 any more, the 706 or 806 are excellent. Check out Denon and Yamaha as well.

 

[Ed Moxley]

I just got an 805 from Amazon.com for $599 and free shipping. Haven't hooked it up yet. Want to sell the Yamaha, so leaving it hooked up a few days, so if someone is interested, they can come hear it in action. Will probably have the 805 hooked up later this week, if I sell the Yamaha or not. Can't wait but so long!