|
|
|
I am desperately trying to figure out how to setup my rig to play sacd and dvd-a correctly. I have gotten bits and pieces from various threads saying this and that, but I am confused as to the proper settings in the Oppo and the Onkyo and the correct connections to use.
Thanks!
|
|
|
|
|
|
TommyGunz said:
I am desperately trying to figure out how to setup my rig to play sacd and dvd-a correctly. I have gotten bits and pieces from various threads saying this and that, but I am confused as to the proper settings in the Oppo and the Onkyo and the correct connections to use.
Thanks!
You didn't say if you had one or not, but the simplest way to connect the two is with an HDMI cable. There are other options, but I recommend HDMI so highly that I'll stick with just that for now. Also for simplicity, I'll assume that you connect the HDMI cable to the BD/DVD HDMI input on the Onkyo.
On the Oppo, you need to make sure that all setup menu setting are appropriate for your gear. In particular, be sure that the SACD Priority setting is correct ('Stereo' or 'Multichannel', but NOT 'CD') and that the DVD Audio Mode is set to 'DVD-Audio'. Digital Output set to 'Raw', LPCM Rate set to 192kHz, HDMI Audio set to Auto, and SACD Output set to 'DSD'. These are the most important, but be sure to look at every option on every page of the setup menu to make sure it's set to what best reflects your system. The Oppo user manual is better written and more helpful than you might expect.
On the Onkyo, the key adjustments to make are to assign the correct listening modes. So, when the Onkyo detects a DSD signal, you want it to process it as a DSD signal (rather than applying something like Dolby Pro-Logic which would only degrade the sound quality.) DVD-Audios are treated as 'Multich' by Onkyo, meaning multichannel PCM, except for 2-channel stereo DVD-A which is treated like any other PCM signal.
One thing that can be tricky with Onkyo receivers is that they sometimes treat a 2-channel DSD signal differently from a multichannel DSD signal. On mine, 2-channel DSD is put in the same category as 2-channel Dolby Digital. I find this annoying, since when I'm using DSD I'm of course listening to music, but if I'm playing something with Dolby Digital Stereo it's always a movie. So the 'DSD' listening mode is only for multichannel signals, and you'll have to choose a different listening mode for stereo. On my system, 'Direct' sounds better then 'Stereo' so I use 'Direct' as the default. You'll have to experiment to find what's best on your system.
|
|
|
|
|
|
sibelius2 said:
Digital Output set to 'Raw', LPCM Rate set to 192kHz, HDMI Audio set to Auto, and SACD Output set to 'DSD'.
On the Onkyo, the key adjustments to make are to assign the correct listening modes. So, when the Onkyo detects a DSD signal, you want it to process it as a DSD signal (rather than applying something like Dolby Pro-Logic which would only degrade the sound quality.)
One thing that can be tricky with Onkyo receivers is that they sometimes treat a 2-channel DSD signal differently from a multichannel DSD signal. On mine, 2-channel DSD is put in the same category as 2-channel Dolby Digital. I find this annoying, since when I'm using DSD I'm of course listening to music, but if I'm playing something with Dolby Digital Stereo it's always a movie. So the 'DSD' listening mode is only for multichannel signals, and you'll have to choose a different listening mode for stereo. On my system, 'Direct' sounds better then 'Stereo' so I use 'Direct' as the default. You'll have to experiment to find what's best on your system.
I deleted the other stuff you wrote because it is correct.
However, the Onkyo SR-605 cannot accept DSD input, the OP should:
1. Set SACD Output to 'PCM'.
2. Not worry about using "Direct" for stereo or multichannel SACD.
3. Use the preset of "stereo" for stereo SACD and "multichannel" for multichannel, if those options exist on the Onkyo.
Kal
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yup...as a 605 owner who is mostly happy but wishes he'd sprung for a 705, you should use PCM over HDMI.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kal Rubinson said:
I deleted the other stuff you wrote because it is correct.
However, the Onkyo SR-605 cannot accept DSD input, the OP should:
1. Set SACD Output to 'PCM'.
2. Not worry about using "Direct" for stereo or multichannel SACD.
3. Use the preset of "stereo" for stereo SACD and "multichannel" for multichannel, if those options exist on the Onkyo.
Kal
Oops! You're right of course. I had made the point of looking up the owner's manual online, but I now realize that I was looking at the manual for a '608, not a '605.
Hope I didn't cause any further confusion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
sibelius2 said:
Oops! You're right of course. I had made the point of looking up the owner's manual online, but I now realize that I was looking at the manual for a '608, not a '605.
Hope I didn't cause any further confusion.
I do not think it's a big deal. I do not have an Onkyo AVR, but in any case, the Oppo should automatically switch to PCM output, even if set to bitstream DSD, because the HDMI handshake will inform the Oppo that the AVR cannot accept DSD. This used to cause noise problems in the Oppo unless set to PCM, but I think firmware fixed that what seems like ages ago. Still, it's best to set the Oppo for PCM output in this case. Where the receiving processor can accept DSD, I think it sounds best to set the Oppo for DSD output, even though it may internally convert to PCM for Digital Signal Processing (DSP).
To further complicate matters, sometimes another HDMI component hooked to the system - a monitor, say - might trick the Oppo into sending PCM to a DSD-capable processor. Again, the HDMI handshake emanating from the monitor gets back through the processor or AVR to the Oppo and says "I can't handle DSD. Send PCM instead". The fact that the monitor is not handling the audio does not affect this, duh!! I do not have this problem, but some users have experienced this. Usually, if everything in the system is HDMI 1.2 or better, there is no problem.
Note that none of this is the Oppo's fault. It's just using HDMI handshake information as it should to prevent a potentially disastrous situation of sending DSD when the receiving end is expecting only PCM.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hi, i just want to mention the Onkyo can handle DSD input, maybe it converts DSD to PCM, but is a fact you can select DSD output in the Oppo player, and the Onkyo is gonna play (handle) the program.
I know this because i have an Oppo 980 and a 605.
The thing here is that maybe the Onkyo 605 is not capable of decoding native DSD, but it can handle it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
depeche76 said:
Hi, i just want to mention the Onkyo can handle DSD input, maybe it converts DSD to PCM, but is a fact you can select DSD output in the Oppo player, and the Onkyo is gonna play (handle) the program.
I know this because i have an Oppo 980 and a 605.
The thing here is that maybe the Onkyo 605 is not capable of decoding native DSD, but it can handle it.
As I tried to explain, the HDMI handshake process determines whether the receiver can handle DSD or not. If not, the sender (OPPO) will automatically shift on the fly to transmitting PCM, without any indication. So, the fact that it works via HDMI does not mean it is actually transmitting DSD, even if the Oppo is set up to do so.
|
|
