Is my SACD playback attempt blowing the mind of my Yamaha A-S801 amp?

I recently got a Sony UBP universal player for my basement 5.1 system, so I decided to move my trusty Samsung DVD HD950 – which plays SACDs like a champ – upstairs. The goal was to play SACDs through my new Yamaha A-S801 amp and vintage Polk floor standing 11T speakers. The Samsung has an optical out, and the optical in was open on the Yamaha, so I though this would be great. Not so fast – although I can hear CDs played on the Samsung through optical to the Yamaha amp, SACDs have no sound, even when I point the SACD menu on the Samsung from multichannel to ensure it's playing stereo.

So I'm wondering if any SACD content - as opposed to CD content - coming through the optical in is simply something that this Yamaha amp can't interpret? I couldn't find anything referring to SACDs in the Yamaha manual, and I didn't notice anything specific in a Google search. Any thoughts?

 

Have you tried connecting through the analog input. I have the same amp and my Sony SACD works fine connected through the analog.

 

No, that was going to be the next step. I was hoping to have the Yamaha use its DAC but I'm thinking this isn't possible...

 

Nope. There is no digital, optical or coax, output for SACD from any player. It is prohibited. The only SACD outputs possible are analog or HDMI.

 

Really?!? Wow, I had absolutely no idea! I saw in the manual that via the USB input on the Yamaha it supports DSD, so I made an incorrect leap of logic. Thanks for setting me straight, Kal!

 

You can do DSD over USB from a file on your computer, but not out of player.

 

This is correct. Analog or HDMI outputs only on SACD. Never any other form of digital output.

 

I have a Yamah RN402D receiver, which is of a similar generation. Playback of DSD files works nicely from a USB stick or hard drive. As others have said, though, licensing restrictions mute the coaxial and digital outputs of SACD players. Even if that wasn’t the case, not all Yamaha amps don’t support DoP (DSD over PCM) and I think the ones that do only do over USB. Analogue outputs are the way here!

 

DSD streams aren't permitted on disc players. You have to stream DSD over PMC or DoP which HDMI can do. It's an antipiracy spec for players.

 

With the A-S801, it appears you can't just use a USB drive - the playback has to happen on the external device. So, for example, you use something like VLC Media Player playing a FLAC file on a computer connected to the amp's USB.

 

Ah, I see. Your amp can work as a proper USB DAC. Mine only plays from a mass storage device via USB.

 

That is not completely true. DSD streams are permitted over HDMI. No need for DoP. (PMC = PCM?)

 

To use the A-S801 like this, you also need to download a Yamaha Steinberg USB Driver, then set the audio output of the computer to Yamaha USB DAC. I haven't gotten around to testing this out yet...