6 ch analog input

[Willow]

I have lots of spare AR audiocables lying around.
I was curious as to using the 6ch on my toshiba (which I only use for cd's) will this replace then the optical and will is sound better ? what are the benefits...thanks !!

[Tour2ma]

Depends on where employs the better DACs and other circuit components, your DVD player or your AVR.

Only one way to find out...

[DesertPilot]

Hi there...

If your DVD player has 6 Ch analog output AND if your receiver has 6 Ch analog input...I will assume you most likely have the ability to play DVD-Audio or SACD (Super Audio CD). Which is a good thing! More on this in a sec...

The optical (digital) connection between your DVD player and Receiver likely supports both:
-- 2 Ch Stereo (ordinary CDs mixed by the sound engineers for ONLY left/right stereo) but the signal can be processed by your Receiver into "make believe" Dolby surround, if you like it that way.
-- OR Dolby Digital (or DTS) 5.1 surround sound (just like DVD movies) - this sound is mixed by the sound engineers for 5.1 (or 7.1) muti channel playback - the signal is ENCODED onto 2 Channels and must be DECODED by your receiver.

BUT...DVD Audio or SACD is an entirely new approach to music. The sound engineers are now producing music expressly for 5.1 channel playback. The storage capacity of DVD Audio or SACD discs is huge! Therefore, the sound engineers can put 6 actual tracks (5.1 channels) of music on the disc (remember, stereo is only 2 tracks/channels). The music studios are so afraid of piracy that (at least in the case of SACD) you cannot use optical output from the DVD player. Instead you are required to use the 6 Analog outputs to enjoy DVD Audio or SACD.

This also requires your Receiver have a method for switching from the optical input to the 6 Ch analog input. In my case, it's called EXT IN.

Bottom line:
-- Optical input to your receiver is either stereo or 5.1 ENCODED stereo (2 channels) which must be DECODED in to 5.1 channels
-- The 6Ch analog output/input is designed for DVD Audio/SACD discs which is 6 channels of music without any encoding or decoding.

There are other benefits to DVD Audio/SACD such as better signal quality, more depth to music, etc because the sound engineers have some much storage space to work with on the disc. However, while techically superior...only your ears can decide if it really is better than ordinary 2 channel stereo CDs.

I hope this helps!

Mark

[John K.]

Willow, if as you say the player is used only for CDs, there's no good reason to clutter up the area behind your equipment with six unnecessary cables, regardless of how many of them you have lying around. The 6 channel analog outputs and inputs are intended for the 6 analog channels from DVD-As/SACDs. The CDs of course only have two channels and can be output through either the optical or coaxial(if the player has one)digital output or the regular left/right stereo analog outputs. If you want to, you could use one of your cables(regardless of whether its called a "digital" or "analog" cable)for the coaxial digital output, or two of them for the stereo analog outputs. Unless your optical cable is damaged, however, there's no good reason to change anything. There won't be any difference in the sound if the output levels are adjusted exactly equal(slight differences in sound level can fool listeners into thinking that the louder one is better). In the future you may change equipment and have a use for those extra cables, but you don't appear to have one now.

[Tour2ma]

Originally posted by John K.
There won't be any difference in the sound if the output levels are adjusted exactly equal(slight differences in sound level can fool listeners into thinking that the louder one is better). A caution that cannot be repeated too often...

There are several SACD lovers that only listen to them in 2 ch, and love their added detail...

DP,
Don't know where Bermuda Dunes is... Is it as exotic as China Lake?
You Navy or AF or other...

[DesertPilot]

Hey there Tour...

I'm retired AF. ...and Bermuda Dunes is near Palm Springs. Yeah, it's the desert. But, flying out of BD airport is great...only a block from my house.

Thanks for asking!

BTW...I've been listening to DVD-A and SACD. Can't tell if one is better than the other...but they both sure are better than CDs.

Marcus

[Dennis Gardner]

I'll add that the reason for having 6 channel hookups is that when the DVD-A or SACD was created on the large capacity discs, optical and coaxial digital cables in their current level of technology simply couldn't handle the bandwidth needed to get the info to your AVR. The sampling rates of these types of recordings take alot large "pipe" if you will to flow that much info.

Since that time, 1394 firewire and other digital types of transfer have been created to handle the load. Denon Link and Pioneer's I-Link are 2 that come to mind.

Get a couple discs that support the new format and try your cables out, you can always unload the discs if you don't like the sound.

Just my understanding fyi,

DG