On Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:59:48 -0800, willbill wrote
(in article ):
Sonnova wrote:
On Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:48:59 -0800, willbill wrote:
my DVD player = $230 OPPO DV-981HD
my AVR = $800 Denon AVR-2307CI
if it is due to a decoder quality difference,
i hardly expected it to favor the OPPO;
meaning that it raised a couple of other
possibilities including that the audio data
transmitted via either toslink or HDMI may
not be as "good" as that via 6 RCA
Let's try again. TOSLINK and HDMI are not carrying audio at all,
they are carrying the digital bit stream.
audio is audio
and digital is digital, but digital isn't "audio" until it is decoded, nor is
"audio" digital.
the diffs are the transport mechanism and whether
the mechanical recorded source is digital or analog;
the usual starting source (performance) is normally
analog audio
But the transport mechanism is the same for both sets of outputs.
The RCA's ARE carrying audio. The OPPO has a
very good reputation for sounding extremely good,
so it doesn't surprise me that you find the OPPO's
decoder to be better than the Denon's.
yes, the OPPO does have a great reputation
so yes, the decoder is a very real possibility
but since you bring the subject up, and since i'm
thinking about getting one of the Toshiba HD-A2 players
(or the still newer HD-A3), and assumming it has 6 RCA
as well as toslink and HDMI, does it decode/sound ok?
I have an HD-A2. I use coaxial digital to connect to my Harman-Kardon
AVR-7000. This receiver uses Lexicon surround-sound processing - which is
why
I bit the bullet and paid close to $2000 for it and is excellent. I've
never
tried the 6 analog outputs from the player.
the Toshiba HD-A2, that you have,
does *not* have 6 analog outputs!
correct me if i'm wrong. 
It might not, I've never actually looked.
you might consider doing an a/b of inputting
surround audio via coax digital (which you apparently
presently do) vs. toslink optical (also digital)
I've never heard any difference between TOSLINK digital, and Coax digital
odds are that you will find a noticable improvement
with the toslink optical input.
I doubt if there is any difference. In fact, when TOSLINK first appeared,
many audiophiles found just the opposite to be true. I.E., that TOSLINK
sounded distinctly inferior to either coax or glass-fiber, and indeed, some
tests showed that the bandwidth of many early TOSLINK setups was much
narrower than that of either coax or glass-fiber. However, that difference
has been long since addressed. The optical transducers on both ends of modern
TOSLINK connections have been significantly improved.
In other words, the type of interconnect is NOT what is
determining the quality of the surround-sound in your system.
as far as i'm concerned, it's still an open question,
and hopefully i get closer to a more informed judgement
as to what reason(s) the difference is due to
Actually, it's not an open question. You are comparing apples to oranges.
HDMI/TOSLINK is digital, and the RCAs are analog. You're just moving the
location of the digital decode for your surround sound. It's that cut-and
dry.
in my long experience, audio is *never* cut-and-dry
and i'm confident that i'm not comparing apples to oranges
Believe me. It CAN'T be anything else.