Imaging problem, or lack thereof...any ideas

Does the DAC have a ch selection for making both 2 ch (stereo) output the same? Like the Lavry DA10 had a switch on it which allowed you to output the right ch to both speakers, or the left to both speakers, or combine to mono a stereo signal. I forget why they said that feature was in place and never used it... except to see if it worked. It did.

The Lavry had a dedicated sw. for this purpose... maybe the MF DAC has it included under a multi function button...?? or is the default unless changed.

BTW... for what it's worth, via my HDMI cables in stereo config, the sound is very good indeed, until I step way up in ic price tags. I do mean way up too. Just my experience.

The PS3 doesn't have a coax out and neither does the xbox 360. I think I have an old dvd player that has coax out somewhere. I'll try to find it and see what happens. The thing about that is that I'm getting good separation of channels through the optical cables from both the PS3 and the xbox 360, but only when going through the onkyo 805 receiver...meaning that the 805's DAC and preamp section are being used.

rEMEMBER TOO, THE 805 HAS A DIGITAL OUTPUT... FOR TRANSFERING AN AUDIO SIGNAL INPUT BY DIGITAL TO ANOTHER DIGITAL DEVICE.

it's justa a parralel port and won't change it at all, just passes it on. maybe going to Wally world and getting one of their $8 optical links and connecting from there to the to the MF DAC could help... it sure wouldn't seem as though it would but stranger things have happend.

Least ways, so far you know who is and isn't playing well with others.

Lastly, following the holiday weekend, making a call to MF distributor or a MF dealership will enlighten the situation more.

Be well.

I had the same problem when using the PS3 as a source. I find its image weak at best, tilted on top and weak bass performance.

I couldn't find any switch like that anywhere on the DAC Jim. There are only two switches on the assembly; the upsampling 96/172khz switch and the on/off switch. You had me hoping though. I'll also try sending the digital out of the receiver...yeah it doesn't seem like that would have any effect on the signal, but who knows--I'll try anything. I'm a Radio Detection and Ranging systems tech, and I've come across a lot "fix actions" over the years that didn't seem to make sense to me electronically, but worked nonetheless.

Kool39, yeah the PS3 probably isn't the best sounding or imaging source out there, but I know for a fact that it is sending out two separate channels of audio because I can hear them when listening through the 805's DAC and pre, and then through the HT bypass on my 2ch integrated MF A5. And when using the PS3 optical out directly to the MF A3 24 DAC to the MF A5--I think the bass is greatly improved, mostly due to the DAC. Although it doesn't sound very "live" due to the mono/imageless output.

So it has to be either the DAC or the pre section in the MF A5 integrated that is mixing the 2 channels and I think I figured out a way to discern which. I'm going to send the analog out of the MF DAC to the receiver and from receiver to the HT bypass on the MF A5. If I don't get a proper image I'll know for sure that the DAC is the problem, because I know that the receiver when in "direct" mode will send exactly what it is getting on the the HT bypass which will only amplify what it's being fed. I know this because as I said before, when sending digital out of the PS3 through the receiver's dac and pre section I get a proper image. If I do get a proper image, I'll know that the DAC is, in fact, sending out to separate ch's and the pre section of the MF A5 is somehow mixing the ch's in it's preamplification.

We'll see what happens, but it looks like either way I'm gonna have to buy something :/