Analogue for Home Theater???


Has anyone else but me used 5.1 analogue for home theater listening and what are your thoughts and conclusions to your decision of staying or switching back to HDMI digital??? How do you describe both digital vs analogue???

I have been using 5.1 analogue from my Oppo 83SE to my Onkyo Pro Sc885 pre processor and Hdmi for just video only. It is a big difference but I am wondering if a dedicated analogue 5.1 channel system would be more practical or would it not exceed the DTS master audio specs.

I noticed while watching a movie you can still switch the format through the Oppo from Dolby Digital to DTS master audio. The Onkyo will still show "Analogue Direct Multichannel" but you can hear the sound difference when you switch the movie audio format. Is there such piece as a analogue 5.1 processor??? Help anyone....

Regards Bacardi
128x128bacardi
My last column (September Stereophile) covers my analysis and opinions of the analog-vs-hdmi connection issues.

Kal
Hi Kal,

I am obviously blind as I cannot find the article. Can you point the way for me?

Joe in Mobile
I have a Theta Digital Compli Blu player and a Cary Cinema 11a HD surround processor. Playing music this system sounds best when I connect the player to the processor with analog interconnects (The Cinema 11a has very good analog multichannel preamp section). But for movies I always prefer going digital. I believe there is a difference in decoding music and movies (Dolby, DTS).
I am obviously blind as I cannot find the article. Can you point the way for me?

Page 43 of the September 2010 issue.
Kal (Kr4), indeed, thank you for doing an article covering those particular matters (dig to analog out vs. direct dig hdmi and digital processing). I look foreward to going through it, for certain, and do hope the article is both by enlarge in depth and thorough.
I personally believe it has been fairly long over due, that the topic of processing digital data in the player vs the outboard processor -considering all analog and digital connect options - be professionlly discussed and analyzed, and the pertinent merits and potential down-sides be brought to the attention of all us music/HT enthusiests, who have pondered all of this - specifically pertaining to the differing digital media processings.
I also think many of us here share the same desire for clarification here.