I didn't think we were doing that Larry.

I misread the notes back and forth. For that I am sorry. I must be getting older than I care to imagine, and so I read into things more then as they are posted.

Sorry.

Larry.
I was just trying to say, that the other options that some DVD audios come with are a added feature. And not required. As nice as they are to have. And yes, I agree they should label the DVD boxes WAY better than they do as to what they do and do not have as far as features. Not only with the DVD audios, but with the movies as well. As they skirt around the issue of what kind of widescreen version you are buying way too often. And it's not right.

As for a DVD audio player that will play damn near any DVD format there is, including recordables and SACDs and is progressive scan as well. It's hard to beat the Pioneer DV-656A for $200 or a bit less. Granted it's not the best there is, but it's a great unit at a great price, with the features it has. And it plays and looks better then the $700+ 2 year old Elite I also have.

Holy Cow !!!! And I thought that Rogain was a very expensive waste of money for me. I just got my hands on a Yamaha DVS1200 DVD-Audio/Video player. This player lists for $999.99. I got my hands on it for $200.00. ( Girlfriend bought him one for X-Mas, and he didn't have the heart to tell her he bought one already ) Anyway I was going to get some good cables for the hook-up and use this as the decoder, plugging into the inputs on my DSP-A1. Man I need to take a second mortgage upon a house to get them.
1: Digital Toshlink
1: RCA Digital PCM
5: Analog Cables for a "clean audio connection."
Best Buy - $845.00
Fry's - $740.00
All good ( So They Say ) Monster Cable.
There has got to be a better way, I just don't se or hear it yet.

Larry

740 bucks on cables? no way man.

Johnla: As mentioned in my initial post here, the DV-656a is the player I bought. I do have to say I'm a bit disappointed at the bass provided by this player's "bass management." It almost doesn't exist.

The bass managment is s issuue with everything it ssems whit DVD audio, from the players to the preamps and recievers. It's another thing that needs to be addressed with a standard. The 656a is still a nice unit, when you consider the cost of it. I'm looking into a receiverthat can manage the bass. I don't like having it done by the DVD player. Also it's such a problem, that Outlaw Audio made a device just for doing it.
[Link: outlawaudio.com]
But that's "another" component that is inline, when such a thing should not be needed, if the makers of the receivers and the preamps, would get their damn act together.
I want both DVD audio and SACD's to be a working format. But it looks like the industry that sells the hardware, is dragging their heels on the issue of how they want to get it done.

How does the Pioneer 656a sound with cd's?

I have not tried it with CD's. I have a old Carver CD player that has tubes in it, the 490t. And it kinda has me spoiled the sound it has. And I don't have any SACD yet, to try them, but I'm sure those would blow away my Carver.
Rightnow, I need a better solution to my reciever. I'm torn between a new super receiver, even though I've been burned by that route with my Onkyo DS939 not having what it needs to do todays formats. Or to go back to separates like I had when I was stereo only. That way I'd only need a new pre-amp/processor for new formats. Cost is about the same either way. The space issue however is not.

Today I heard a dvd-a (Foreigner 4) through a player linked to one of the latest Yamaha surround amps.

Although the amp had 6 channel inputs as well as the digital ones, only the latter were in use. The inputs could be toggled with a button on the top right of the amp.
The sound produced seemed alot more impressive than the cd version.

Can anyone explain to me why a DVD-A stereo 96Khz track put through a digital output of a player set to "downmix off," is only cd quality, and the analogue output is superior?

Upmixing this digital stereo signal with Prologic II seems to give a deep soundfield, but obviously not as dynamic as the hi-res surround layer.

So you can't make a perfect digital copy of it.

I'm not a big fan of Yamaha, they have a problem with midrange clarity IMHO.

Also, because all signals are eventually analog. Whether the link betwixt the player and the receiver is analog or digital merely changes where the decoding takes place. This is a different thing.

The analog is superior because there are more than two channels of sound with the analog signal. All DVD-A discs are only capable of outputting standard CD audio through the player's digital output, which means only DPL/DPLII.

If your question is why that decision was made, that's what John meant. A digital copy of a digital signal is a clone. That's a manufacturer's nightmare.

Ever heard of the SCMS? You can copy an original, but you can never copy a copy. That's the industry's "compromise". You can copy. but only a little. (Kinda like, "I'll only stick it in a little!")

The studios still see a copy of any material as one less sale. But then, the studios fought the VCR. Now, many movies make more money after mass release than in the theater. Now, DVD-R and its variations must endure the same obstacle course.

Lesson forgotten already. (Sigh)

Larry
www.fineelectricco.com

Yes thanks Larry.

Its just when I played a DVD-A disk (having borrowed a DVDA player) through the digital line to my Marantz sr4200 (no 6 line analogues) the amp registers 96Khz, even though the sound is meant to be cd quality.

Instead of getting another new amp, I could compromise and take FL and FR analogue outs only from the player to the amp and upmix this stereo track to DPLII, for now....

I wouldn't do that. Your DVD-A's FL and FR analog outs already have the rest of the channels' signals "stripped out". You'd be better off using the digital output and do the DPL or DPLII decoding on that. What's wrong with the 96kHz signal? That's above the normal CD bitrate.

Larry
www.fineelectricco.com