Using 5.1 DVD with a 7.1 Receiver (1 Viewer)

[shannonU]

I have a 7.1 Denon 2803 receiver that is wired for 7.1 speakers. I'm in the process of buying a 6 channel SACD/DVDA cable to play DTS. My question, now that I'm not using my receiver to encode or fake 7.1 with the optical input source from my 5.1 DVD player, how do I wire the analog cable such that I use all of my speakers? Meaning if I use the 6 channel direct analog lines from my DVD player, I won't have anything to feed to the surround center speakers (which defeats having 7.1).

If I'm wiring direct analog lines from a 5.1 to 7.1 setup, do I have to use Y-connectors to split the rear/surround left and right among my two surround center speakers? I'm assuming the surround L and R get repeated/split among the rear center speakers via my optical feed today but I could be wrong.

Thoughts?

 

[JeremyErwin]

Don't use "Y-connectors." It will most likely sound horrible, and may damage your equipment.

See if there's an option to use both the analogue and digital lines connections simultaneously. Use the 5.1 analogue connections when listening to DVD-As or SACDs-- and use the digital connection when listening to movies.

The surround rear channels are extracted with the use of Digital Signal Processors. Before a signal can be manipulated with a DSP, it must be either digital already, or it must be a converted into a digital format, and the conversion process often results in extra noise, artifacts, and so on. Such artifacts may destroy or mask whatever extra information was present in those high resolution 96KHz/24 bit tracks. Or it may not.

Movie soundtracks, however, are already in a digital format that can be easily manipulated by your receiver. In addition, if you listen to DTS-ES discrete tracks, your receiver is taking advantage of an extra channel that naturally, can't be passed by a decoder bereft of a 6.1 connection.

 

[John Garcia]

There is no such thing as 7.1, only 6.1. The two rears play the same thing for both a discrete or matrix track. AFAIK, for SACD/DVD-A, you will not be able to get 7.1, because you cannot apply DSPs to the m/c analog inputs; and for hires I wouldn't want to anyway.

For movies, you would use a digital connection and the receiver will pick up correctly flagged EX and ES tracks and play them back appropriately via 7.1.

 

[shannonU]

Thanks Jeremy. I should have added more info...

My Denon 2200 DVD player has a (presumably better than my receiver) DD/DTS decoder built it, so the 6 (5.1) channels are already converted to analog. The receiver should receive the proper sound stream for each speaker via the 5.1 analog input. Outside of DTS-ES, on a 7.1 setup wouldn’t the rear center channels just replicate the rear surround channels that originate from a 5.1 source? If so, the Y connector is doing the same sound replication via an analog input, isn't it?

 

[John Garcia]

No. DD-EX and DTS ES matrix tracks have information in them that creates (extracts) a channel that is distinctly different from the side surrounds; it is NOT just a copy of the same information. This is not the same as an individually recorded separate channel that DTS-ES discrete has though. Not to mention, you can "force" the receiver to simulate the matrix rear information for any 5.1 track, which will still be better than just a "copy" of the same sound. By hooking up your setup the way you suggest, there is no way to get true 6.1/7.1 sound.

I also have a 2200, and I recommend using digital for movies, because your receiver will still have better bass management than the 2200.

 

[shannonU]

John G,

I'm a novice so much of what you said is over my head. I'm a little confused though. I thought 6.1 introduced a surround/rear center and 7.1 introduced a rear center L and R. So, you comment of there's no such thing as 7.1 throws me off. Plus, why does my receiver say 7.1?

I probably complicated the question because I have a friend that uses his 6 channel analog SACD/DVDA feed for movies on his DVD as well as for the audio. He says that it sounds better for movies, but he is only setup for 5.1. When I pondered mimicking him, I realized that I have two rear center (L and R) jacks that would be empty (or not used). That sparked this whole thread of what do I do to supply a feed to them (i.e. Y-connector or what)?

Thanks a lot for bearing with me on this.
Shannon

 

[shannonU]

.

 

[Ryan Leemhuis]

just do this

Use a digital connection to your receiver for movies(This will play 5.1 or 6.1 movies)

Hook the analog connections up and skip the spaces for the two back speakers. This will then be used for DVD-A and SACD

 

[shannonU]

Thanks all. I do as Ryan and John suggested.