Will a Proceed AMP handle LPCM input?

I think you need to look a little further. Some of this depends on whether you have a AVP or an AVP2.

S/PDIF or optical can carry 5.1 Dolby Pro Logic and DTS formats, although not the new lossless formats introduce with Blu Ray (DD HD or DTS-MA). S/PDIF can only carry 2 channels of LCPM. But, Blu Rays have to have the original lossy formats on them, as well as the new lossless formats.

From what I can tell from reading, the AVP supports the original Dolby Pro Logic format , but the AVP2 added Dolby Pro Logic II (PLII). Original Dolby Pro Logic was 5.1 channel, but it tended to collapse sound into the center channel. Dolby Pro Logic II (PLII) is more natural. PLII was introduced by Dolby in 2000, so it was not in the AVP but was in the AVP2, which came out about 2002.

Since the AVP and the AVP2 AVP2 can decode both Dolby Pro Logic and DTS, although not the new lossless formats (DTS-MA and Dolby HD), if the PS/3 can put out Dolby Pro Logic or DTS (lossy) and you can get it to a S/PDIF cable, then the AVP should be able to decode them as 5.1 signals. On a Blu Ray player, there is an option to but out the lossy (D PLII or plain DTS). DVDs come with the lossy format only.

The AVP2 Manual describes using Pro Logic II, both movie and music modes. The AVP manual is also on the Proceed website.

The AVP2 also added LCPM support, including 24 bit 96 KHz digital signals, by a solftware upgrade. See the review here I cannot tell if the AVP does 2 channel LCPM over S/PDIF or not. It does have AES support from a CD transport, but that is not what you are looking for.

The new lossless formats DTS- MA or Dolby Digital HD can also be converted to LCPM or can converted to analog. As part of the conversion, a multi-channel signal can be converted to stereo. I do not know what the PS/3 does, but most Blu Ray Players, for example, can convert 5.1 DTS-MA to either 5.1 or 2 channel LCPM or 5.1 or 2 channel analog.

The AVP probably has a better DAC than the PS/3, so if you can send a 2 channel LCPM S/PDIF to the AVP2 you can use the DAC in the AVP.

There is lots of detail here. But don't give up on a 5.1 digital signal. It should be possible. Hope I got most of this right. Good luck.

Disclaimer : I have never worked with either the AVP or the AVP2 or the PS/3. But, from what I read, getting a 5.1 digital signal from the PS/3 to the AVP or AVP2 should be possible. And certainly a 2 channel analog should be possible.

Dtc,

I assume you meant DIGITAL Dolby when talking about the original and the mkII version. Otherwise you are discussing the analog versions.

"S/PDIF can only carry 2 channels of LCPM." FWIU that is correct.

Jrenman - yes, the Pro Logic and Pro logic II decoders on the AVP and AVP2 decode Dolby Digital AC3. AC3 was used with DVDs in the mid 1990s. The AVP came out in 1998 and the ACP2 in 2002 and used the digital formats of the time, DTS and Dolby Digital. The AVP2 added LCPM up to 24/96.

Incidentally, LCPM can pass higher bit depths and frequencies that CD (16 bit/44.1KHz). For example, wav files are LCPM format and can go up to 24 bit/96 KHz or 24 bit/192 KHz over S/PDIF. LCPM can also be multi channel, but not over S/PDIF.

Let me try to summarize this. The OP may already have figured this out, but here goes.

The AVP and AVP2 were state of the art multichannel digital preamps when DVD was the standard source. If you can feed them an audio signal like the DVD signal, they should work fine. Those formats are lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital or lossy 5.1 DTS.

The Proceed will not decode the new lossless formats on Blu Ray, namely Dolby Digital True HD or DTS-MA. But if you select the lossy format (Dolby Digital or DTS-MA) from a Blu Ray the Proceed should decode that fine. The Blu Ray standard says there must be a lossy format available on the Blu Ray.

The way to get a DD True HD or DTS-MA into the Proceed is to have the source downmix it to 2 channel, either LCPM or analog of feed that to the Proceed.

The AVP seems to support 2 channel LCPM at 16/44.1 and, with the upgrade discussed in the review above, at 24/96 over S/PDIF.

Correction: The upgrade to 24/96 came from a review of the AVP, not the AVP2. Sorry.

Sorry to beat this to death.

By the way, why are you trying to use the Proceed rather than the newer Rotel?

Thank you for all of the information. Yes, my question was really if the AVP or AVP2 could get the 5.1 LPCM data and do something with it. I now know the answer is nope - 5.1 LPCM is newer than the AVP/AVP2 DAC can handle. Fair enough.

And yes, I was considering moving away from my Rotel in favor for a AVP2 - I do not currently own an AVP/AVP2.

I am a big Proceed fan and have the following in my system:
CDD, PDP, PRE, AMP2, AMP3 in addition to the Rotel RSP-1069. I run the front channel pre-outs from the 1069 to the SSP pass-through on the PRE. This way I have a pure 2-channel solution and HT all together.

My interest in the AVP(1998)/AVP2(2001) was that the DAC's are much newer than my PDP(1990) and they are going relatively inexpensive on eBay. The idea was to sell the PDP and PRE and replace with an AVP/AVP2 for almost a wash. But the sticking point is integrating home theater into the picture - aka, the AVP/AVP2 would not have a SSP pass-through like the PRE. So then the question in my head became could the AVP2 replace the 1069. If I give up the Dolby HD/DTS-MA feature, than the answer is yes. I would need to buy a HDMI switcher. There is a cool Octava unit which will send the audio from the HDMI to an optical out.

My budget will not allow me to get something amazing like the Arcam AV888.

I'm not unhappy with what I have, it's just that little voice in my head that wonders how much better could it be...

"Hi my name is Tim and I'm an audioholic..." (no offense intended)