Question about cd players and audio interconnects (1 Viewer)

[Howard_S]

I'm trying to figure out whether I will be needing any analog audio interconnects. Correct me if I'm wrong but DVD and CD players these days only need to be connected by a digital coaxial or optical cable right?

I have an old cd changer (nothing high end) that does not support a digital connection should I think of upgrading? Or perhaps I should look into a SACD system? If so would I then need any audio interconnects?

The only place where I think I'll need any analog audio interconnect is my VCR and my current CD changer. But I will need to buy some if I want use DVD-A on the RP91 right?

 

[Marc Rochkind]

(There is another thread on a very similar topic.)

For a CD or DVD player with a digital jack (optical or coaxial), that is all you need. Ironically, for an SACD player, you need analog connections for playing SACDs, but you can (and should) use digital for playing CDs, which they all also play.

For multichannel SACDs, you need 6 analog phono cables between the SACD player and the receiver. Older a/v receivers don't have the necessary inputs, but newer ones do.

For stereo-only SACD, you still need an analog connection, but all receivers can handle the analog stereo.

Personally, I wouldn't upgrade a CD player to another CD-only player. Any money I put into an audio player I would put into SACD. Or, possibly, DVD Audio. If I weren't ready to do that, I would just keep the CD player I had.

 

[Thomas_Berg]

digital = awesome!

if you were to ask any J6P why digital is good, they wouldnt be able to tell you.

on to your quote: using the digital out will not always give you the best sound. the difference here is in what component you use to do the decoding. if you use the digital out to your receiver, the DACs in the receiver decode the signal down to analog signals your speakers playback. now if you use analog connections from the cd player, the DAC in the player is doing the decoding from the CD's digital encoding down to analog (which is better for more expensive players) and will yield better sound quality if the player is good. for example, i use the DACs in my Marantz CD player b/c they're better than the ones in my receiver. it sounds better using the analog connections than using the digital out. digital does not always mean better.

with DVD (video), i'd recommend using the digital out. some players have decoders built in, but you want to let your processor inside your receiver do the decoding. this is mostly for ease of setup, but you likely wont notice the difference.

SACD/DVD-Audio are new formats that enable multichannel playback. for each, you'd need 6 analog cables to connect the signal to your receiver's 5.1 inputs. here is a perfect example of how digital doesnt necessarily mean better. the DACs inside the player do the decoding for you and transmit the signal via 6 analog channels to your processor, which does nothing at all to those signals but amplify them. the sound is far greater than any CD, and you cannot use digital cables with SACD or DVD-A. neither format will allow their signal to be passed digitally (yet). in the case of the RP91 (which i own), you have 5.1 analog outs on the player and a digital out. you HAVE TO CONNECT THE 5.1 or you will not get sound from DVD-A. the digital out ONLY passes the DD/DTS signal from DVDs and will NOT yield 24/192 sound from DVD-A.

hope this explains it all...oh yeah, and make sure your receiver has 5.1 inputs if you go to SACD or DVD-A! good luck!

 

[Howard_S]

So for the RP91 I will need both the digital coax and 3 pairs of audio interconnects? Or do I need 2 and something else?

 

[Thomas_Berg]

for the RP91 you will need a digital cable and 6 analog cables (or 3 pairs). sorry, i forget if the digital out i use is coax or optical, but you can find this out online.

Marc: i re-read my post and realized that it could be taken as an attack on you, which was not at all my goal. im just trying to emphasize that digital cables arent always the best way to hook stuff up.

 

[BruceD]

Are you describing the analog and digital coax outs on these units as requiring different cables?

If your RCA cables are true 75 Ohm cables (normally used for video and digital coax) they will also work just fine as analog audio ICs.

BruceD