2. digital
  3. 1247091067

Bought a new TV, now what? with audio & blu ray?

Hello fellow Audiogoners,

I need some education and insight to point me in the right direction. I've done some research on my own, but would like some direct responses to some questions I have.

Like a lot of you folks, I'm a 2-channel analog junkie more than a HT guy. I just bought a Pioneer 6020FD for my modest home theater system, which consists of older NHT speakers and dated, but still great ROTEL separates. Up until now I enjoyed movies on my old 36' Sony CRT, so I never concerned myself with HDMI, Dolby tryHD, etc. As of now, I am not looking to purchase a new sound processor.

Regarding blu ray, I am under the impression that if I use a simple digital coax to my receiver, which decodes only DD and DTS, I will not get any Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD audio. My sound processor does have analog inputs, but via DB-25 connectors, which will bypass all but the master volume control. If I get a blu ray player that decodes the HD audio signals and use the analog connectors, will I be able to enjoy these formats?

Given the above, what blu ray players would be good for me? (under $300, preferably closer to $200). I don't need a universal player, just one that will play blu ray and upsample DVD's well.

Another question...
What do you folks commonly connect (audio) your HD cable box to you system? digital connections?

Thanks.
drewyou
srwooten's avatar
srwooten
694 posts
 
When Wes Philips in Stereophile reported on hearing Dolby TrueHD processed through an Onkyo AV receiver a couple years ago, he stated that it was the best-sounding surround playback he had ever heard. Wes is no stranger to expensive, esoteric gear, and yet a lossless source, even when played through a mass-market receiver, trumped std-def DTS or Dolby Digital he'd heard through cost-no-object components.

Johnnyb53-
I have been looking for this article with no success. Can you let me know exactly where it is so I can look into it.
Thanks-
Steve

PS - Sorry for my last mis-post!
srwooten's avatar
srwooten
694 posts
 
Kennyt
To disagree is one thing, to just say I am wrong is vain.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
Johnnyb53-
I have been looking for this article with no success. Can you let me know exactly where it is so I can look into it.
Thanks-
Steve
This one should do: http://www.stereophile.com/news/072907dolbytrue/index.html. It's Wes's account of his first encounter with Dolby TrueHD two years ago at a Dolby TrueHD demo using a Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD player through an Onkyo TX-SR605 receiver, of which he wrote,
It was about the time I realized that the Martin guitars played by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds on Live at Radio City sounded mighty like, well Martin guitars, that I stopped the show. "What are you playing?" I demanded. "This is some of the best multichannel sound I've ever heard."

Notice, he was so taken by the sound that he stopped the demonstration to ask that question.
srwooten's avatar
srwooten
694 posts
 
"What we're hearing right now is 24-bit 192kHz PCM delivered over HDMI to the receiver." Quoted from the article.

Thanks for posting a link to the article.

This is NOT from the Bluray players analog output, but the HDMI, which is what concern was (is).

My post was:
Great Hi-rez sound from the analog outputs from a $200-300 BR player seems doubtful at best to me compared to what your Rotel should be capable of.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
My post was:
Great Hi-rez sound from the analog outputs from a $200-300 BR player seems doubtful at best to me compared to what your Rotel should be capable of.
And I say that even mid-fi gear decoding a lossless surround source will sound better than higher-end equipment decoding lossy surround. A Blu-ray player's output through SP/DIF is downconverted to DD or DTS, both lossy compression schemes. I seriously doubt that the decoding capability's of Onkyo's mid-line AVR from two years ago is significantly better than the internal decoders of today's Blu-ray players. Ergo, lossless surround processed internally and passed via the analog connections to the Rotel's analog surround will outperform the Rotel decoding an inferior digital surround source.

At the time Wes wrote that, he had no doubt heard most of the cost-no-object, SOTA surround processors for DVD-based DTS and Dolby Digital. Yet this Toshiba HD DVD player feeding an Onkyo receiver blew him away, expectations to the contrary.
More to discover