Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Why do DACs in DVD players matter?

I was wondering if someone could explain why/if DAC quality in DVD players is of any significance if most of the stuff you watch on it is DD or DTS. I am running an Onkyo DVD player to a HK 7200 reciever using an optical wire. Doesnt the info go from the DVD to reciever as digital anyway and bypass the DAC's in the DVD player?

If you are running the digital out from your DVD player to the reciever, the signal isn't being decoded in the DVD player. So you are correct in thinking that those DACs don't matter for that application. This is why I am a proponent of getting a high quality reciever or processor, and then using digital connections whenever possible. Why pay for DACs over and over again?

Unless you are interested in dvd-a or sacd which still require analog connections to a receiver, you can buy separate dvd/cdp transports for direct hookup to your processing unit.

For a significant amount of money more than a standard CD/DVD player. I wonder why? {/loaded question}

One more question/comment on this issue. I was playing around with my hookups yesterday and ended up connecting my dvd player to my reciever with both optical and analog connections. I used the DVD setting on my reciever for the optical and the cd setting for the analog (FL,FR,SL,SR/C/SUB). I listened to a Norah Jones dvd in Dolby Digital using the DVD Setting on reciever and then swithched to the CD setting where my analog connection was used and listened to the difference using different DSP settings. Has anyone else done this? I actually think some of the other settings sounded cleaner/crisper...especially Logic 7 (music) mode. Dolby Digital sounds great but I wonder why the difference in sound. Can anyone add comments?

I think a lot of the DSP modes are just a matter of preference. I like watching the game with the "Arena" DSP mode on my reciever, aside from that I never really use them. It's unclear from your post, do you have a 6 channel analog input for the cd-in? or just a stereo connection?

It's called the 'snooty' factor Ken.
I believe it equates to 2.468 times the typical price.
Still, a quality transport should in theory make less mechanical noise if it really was made better. My present 2 yr old dvdp is starting to make a louder noise than when we first bought it. My friend's dvdp already has the noise (a Toshiba) and i commented on this to him several months ago. General wear and tear and probably what i would have expected from a plastic part filled 5 disc tray.
I hear Phillips makes some of the best transports, but i'm not paying $1000 just to spin a disc.

jcinwylie,

The DACs generally don't matter. Indeed, with musical programming, I have never detected audible differences except with test signals or certain musical material that can be especially revealing listening to residual distortion at the S/N limits of the converter--about 80 dB or more below reference level.

You are also comparing apples and oranges. Logic7 is a very sophisticated processor and often sounds somewhat better (in terms of realistic ambience extraction) than DPLII, particularly with 2-channel analog or digital sources and acoustical instruments.

Anecdotal reports of audible differences in the "sound" of DACs (typically from reviewers in tweaky magazines who never do instantaneous A/B comparisons with duplicate discs running in sync) are based on the most amateurish, casual listening and are never supported when rigorous scientific controls are applied.

Regards,