Optical or 5.1 Analog

[SteevieO]

I have a Pioneer DV-45A DVD and a Klipsch AVR4802 receiver. When listening to DVD-A or SACD it seems best to use the 5.1 analog audio outs and the Ext in on the Denon. Is this correct? How about for home theater and movies, optical or 5.1 analog? If 5.1 is there any reason to have an optical cable as well?

[dougdrake]

The ONLY way to hear DVD-A or SACD in your setup is to use the analog ouputs from your DVD player. The Klipsch/Denon 4802 won't decode DVD-A or SACD -- your DVD player must do it.

For other sources, I'd experiment with it. See which sounds better - using the analog outputs from the DVD player (and its DACs/decoders) or digital output (and use the Denon's DACs/decoders). If you don't hear a difference, or the DVD player is better, just use the analog outputs all the way.

The other thing to consider is how well the DVD player handles bass management for your movies. Your Denon may do a better job or give you more options, in which case you need to use a digital connection for your movies.

DD

[marksdad]

yup as usual doug is right on track, i also have the pioneer, brand new, and it is a really good piecedvd-a should be listened to on the 5ch audio outputs, there is no other way he he, just sit back and relax, the player and your reciever know what they like and will play it for you, you can play around to see for yourself, but the electronics will interact to best match in and outs

[jzoz01]

I have a similar setup, with a sony SACD player and a Denon reciever. I found it best to only use the 5.1 for music, and go with the optical out for movies. Although there are really nice bass management and other setup features on the sony unit, I found that I liked the sound and options better on the reciever, plus it was easier to change on the fly then the player.