Cable Box Digital 5.1 converted to Digital Stereo

Cable boxes have 2 menus for adjustment, a user menu and a service menu. Sometimes the adjustment mentioned by Labtec is in the service menu, and you will need a code to access it. Here is an example accessing a service menu. Your cable company will not likely give you the code to access the service menu, however, a search using your cable box name and model may find it.

My Comcast box will only output dolby bitstream, even if I set it to stereo in the main audio menu and in the setup menu that is invoked by pressing menu with the unit off....Comcast had no idea how to help me so fortunately my TV's dac downmixes to stereo pcm. Good luck, maybe you'll talk to a rep that's knowledgeable.

Give the tv optical output a try if so equipped. I am using optical to my NAD M51 dac and tv and netflix have never sounded better.

Thanks, I will try the optical output. However, my Dac or the Tascam recorder does not have an optical input. But, I do have an optical converter to RCA coaxial.
I'll give it try this weekend.

The cable box may have 2 channel analog outs that can feed the Tascam. Its DAC is not that good, but for the quality of the music, it is probably OK.

Is your cable box connected to a receiver? If so, you might be able to set the receiver to output 2 channel analog that could go to your Tascam. Given the low rez of the Cable signal, the receiver DAC would probably sound as good as you external DAC. It is also possible that the receiver will downmix the 5.1 Dolby to 2.0 PCM and output that over a digital out port.

The cable music signal is probably 128 kbps or lower. As Kal says, I would not stress over getting the signal to a good DAC.

Gefen makes a optical/S/PDIF DD to analog converter.

http://www.gefen.com/gefentv/gtvproduct.jsp?prod_id=5980

If you get it working, one trick, at least for non-classical music, is to use Sound Hound on your phone to develop a list of songs being played. It is a manual process but I use it when I get files that are not tagged.

Thanks Dtc, for your info and help. I'll give it all a try this weekend.