DACs - Receiver vs DVD/CD Player

[mjon99]

If (for argument sake) a receiver and DVD/CD player have the exact same DACs is it better to let one do the converting over the other?

[noddin0ff]

In this hypothetical arrangement it's everything downstream of the DAC where the difference may lie. I suppose I'd let the receiver decode because then I'd only have to run one wire (digital) instead of two (analog L/R), because I appreciate the tidiness. Also you could subscibe to the theory the the less complication downstream the cleaner the signal. Other than that it depends on the quality of components Amp/PreAmp/cables etc. and whether you believe you hear a difference. A listening test would be in order. There's enough variables downstream that any generalizations would provoke an argument...but, please, don't let me keep others from arguing. Arguments are much more fun.

[edtyct]

This one's fun because I get to reminisce. Back in the relatively early days of CDs, those of us who were trying to squeeze the last bit of beauty out of those little disks often had to use a separate transport and D/A converter. I used Proceed and Meridian converters and a Panasonic laserdisc player as my transport. The combination sounded noticeably better than most of the CD players at the time. I would have bet then that something of that practice would have survived, but it didn't--largely because preamps got a whole lot better at D/A conversion and digital became more respectable in the so-called high end. If someone stuck a gun to my head, I'd still say that the simpler the electronic environment, the better theoretically would be the sound, which would seem to imply that, all things being equal, any well-appointed CD player should handle the chore. After all, it is a jungle inside most receivers. But my heart wouldn't be in it all that much. Most decent receivers can do the job, since the good chips aren't that expensive anymore. As the Russian Noddinoff says, let your ears be the judge, theory be damned. And we all should be listening to SACD and/or DVD-A, anyway, however ee can get them.

Ed

[bikeman]

Excellent advice, guys. If ya hear a difference, run with it. If ya don't, why worry about it.

David