Old Prologic to Dolby Digital (1 Viewer)

[Roy Brooks]

I have a Pioneer AV reciever with jumpers from the preamp out to the amplifier inputs. Could I purchase a Dvd player with an integrated Dolby Digital decoder, replace the jumpers in the pioneer reciever with "y" cables and feed the output audio from the dd dvd player in to the "y" cables, to get Dolby digital. Is there a better way to get DD and still use this reciever? What do you do with the old audio equip if you cant upgrade them?

 

[Kevin Alexander]

It sounds like you have preouts/main-ins. What model is the Pioneer receiver? If you don't have 5.1 inputs on the back of the receiver, you may have no alternative than to buy a new receiver (which is what I would recommend anyway). Otherwise, I have no idea if what you are suggesting will work. Maybe someone else can chime in.

If it doesn't work the way you are trying, you can always send it to www.msbtech.com and they will mod the receiver w/ 5.1 inputs and even a DD/DTS chipset, but for the price they will charge you, you will be better off buying a new receiver. To add 5.1 inputs will be $385. And you will still have to buy a standalone decoder or DVD player w/ built-in decoding.

 

[Philip Hamm]

Just a DVD player won't work. You need a preamp/volume control on the DD decoder, which the DD-enabled DVD player will not have.

THIS WILL WORK:

If you can find an old DD decoder with pass-thru and a preamp/volume control built-in that will work. Technics made a couple very popular models, including the SH-AC500D which would probably be perfect for you. You can find them for under a hundred bucks on ebay. I'm not sure if the SH-AC300 will work for you, I don't think it has pass-thru. The SH-AC500 will give you full-on DD and DTS for under a hundred bucks. You'll replace the jumpers on the back of your receiver with very short cables going out of the "pre out" jacks to the "input" of the SH-AC500D, then from the "output" of the SH-AC500D to the "Post In" or "Power Amp In" on your receiver. (buy your connector cables from www.cablesforless.com ) and let you use your existing receiver assuming it has the pre-out/main in for all 5 channels.

Personally if I was in your shoes this is what I would do. I'm big on getting the most out of old good gear and making the most of my money. My main HT has a first generation DD-only Pioneer receiver and it sounds fantastic for LD, DVD, and HDTV 5.1 decoding as well as ProLogic from all kinds of sources.

My (very) old ProLogic receiver is doing great duty in my bedroom right now. If it had a pre-out/main in look I would be using a decoder like this.

 

[Dean_S]

You can use the main-ins for the inputs but you won't have any volume control unless the DVD player has it's own level control (most don't). The y connectors won't help you with anything except not having to switch cabling everytime you want to use the analog inputs, but it might cause other problems.

 

[John Garcia]

Ebay... Or use it as a sub amp. Since it has main ins, you could even use it as a m/c amp, if it's got decent power.

 

[Roy Brooks]

The pioneer model is a vsx 9500 I think, ratings are about 150 per channel. I suppose I could keep it in its place as the everyday unit as the new HT has a Denon 2803 in it. I never considered the volume I guess I assumed the volume was set in the amp stage not the preamp. I might see if I can find that SH-AC500D. Thanks

 

[ChrisHeflen]

Roy, I used to do the very thing you are tying to do. I had the Pio Elite vsx97 reciever and then got Pio's sp99d DD decoder and looped it in and then out to another 2 channel amp and used the 97's amps for the rears. The sp99d could actually function as a basic pre-amp. It had volume control and bass management, delay setting and channel levels. The only thing it didn't do was DTS and switch video. It also didn't have a sub in, which is strange. I was the only one who knew how to run it, but it worked fine.
Still have the stuff, but have since moved on.