5.1 analog outputs for surround SACDs – opinions, please...

For quite a few years I've hung onto an older Samsung DVD-HD950 specifically for its 5.1 CH analog audio out matched up to my Onkyo TX-NR709 AV receiver's analog 5.1 inputs. I have a Blu-ray player for viewing and listening to Blu-rays and DVDs; the Samsung is now only used for surround SACDs like those in the 2003 Bob Dylan box set which contained a number of 5.1 mixes.

Currently I'm thinking of updating to one of two new “universal” players which can handle SACDs, the Sony UBP-X800 or the Oppo UDP-203. The biggest difference to my mind between the two is that Sony is HDMI-based, while the Oppo has HDMI but also retains the 5.1 outputs like my old Samsung.

Of course, there's a $300 price difference between the two, but what I'd really appreciate are comments/opinions about HDMI-only versus the individual 5.1 channels found on the Oppo for use with surround SACDs.

Thoughts? Thanks!

 

Frank,

Do you still have the Onkyo? Have you tried using the HDMI output of the HD950 with Audyssey enabled? I have two Oppo players (103 and 105D) and have never used the 5.1 analog outputs. I've found that HDMI was much better for multichannel music (SACD, DVD-A and Blu-ray Audio). I would say that the bass management and speaker distance settings of the Onkyo are better than those in the HD950. If you still have the Onkyo you could compare HDMI and 5.1 analog to see which you prefer.

 

I used to have the very same Samsung! It was my first universal player, bought with the intention of getting the Genesis SACDs.

I was very impressed with the 950, great little player. The Onkyo is also a good amp, so see how you go with what you have a demo side by side if at all possible.

 

I use five separate mono-block amps and I don't believe in bass management (you aren't getting pure DSD if you are using bass management) so it's a non-issue for me. I use the analog crossover on a sub to run the signal through and out to the mains and I set the sub to the lowest possible frequency. If you use bass management then you are for sure converting the signal to PCM in order to do the bass management. But if you like the amp you have and can get a DSD signal to a DSD-capable DAC in your amp through the HDMI then you don't need to use the analog unless you like the DACs in your playback unit better.

 

Hi Frank, you might like to think about Sony's support VS Oppo's support, Frank, there is no comparison in the two, as I have first hand knowledge, Sony's main repair facility is located in Laredo, Texas, has a terrible track record, Oppo, spotless, for me that is so important. Take a moment and Google complaints on Sony Laredo Texas repair facility and judge for yourself.

 

I'm sure the way you have your system setup works very well with your gear and room. But not everyone has five separate mono block amps and more importantly five full range speakers set equal distances from the MLP. I've tried the all analog route with multichannel in the past but have found using HDMI gives the best SQ. Using the bass management and distance settings of ones processor will normally give better results than the limited settings in the player.

I put in a multichannel SACD earlier today and when playback started it seemed a bit harsh and louder than normal at the volume setting used. I looked at the display of the Emotiva XMC-1 and it showed DSD Direct which disabled Dirac room correction. I went into the 105D's menu and set the SACD Output setting to PCM. Then I resumed playback and all is good now! It's a matter of preference and is really system dependent on which way will work best SQ wise IMO.

 

Yeah definitely some assembly required. And for sure I've had times when I walked into a room where the computer did all the work and thought "this placement sure is perfect". But at the end of the day I do like listening to those five identical speakers and those monoblocs when everything is just glowing!

 

I've posted this in another thread recently, but in my experience the less expensive Sony 800 playing back SACD via HDMI into my Arcam pre/pro is dramatically better than the Oppo 93 connected via analog into the same pre/pro. I never even connected the Oppo via HDMI (except for video) until I got the Sony, I guess because I got into SACD and dvd-audio when the only way to connect a player to a pre/pro or receiver was via multichannel analog outs. I now have both the Oppo and Sony connected via HDMI and they both, naturally, sound better than the Oppo did connected via analog, despite me having to convert DSD to PCM.

I think the answer is going to vary, however, based on the rest of one's system. I stupidly didn't think about the fact that the much more expensive Arcam was likely going to handle the signal processing better than the Oppo. But if one's receiver or pre/pro is no more capable than the Oppo (or perhaps inferior), the preference will flip.

I don't put much emphasis on warranty service. I have had my Oppo for about 5 years and it hasn't needed servicing, but most audio equipment I've purchased in my life has also never needed servicing during its useful life. By the time either disc player stops working properly I'll probably want to upgrade for some new feature or format anyway.

I would have purchased another Oppo (particularly because I like how they can easily be made region free), but for me it just wasn't worth paying three times as much for it (that Sony is readily available from Best Buy at a significant discount off its list price).

 

When I had a Marantz pre/pro, I tried MCH SACDs both ways from my Oppo 103. In the end, I preferred analog-out. I can't give you a technical explanation as to why, I just trusted my ears. In my setup, the Oppo's DAC was more open, natural and just more enjoyable - especially when really cranked up. I always used timing (speaker distance) and volume matching (via an analog SPL meter). I didn't notice any audio degradation but the imaging improved greatly, so I've always just kept at it. I upgraded to a 105D and now using a 205. Both were incremental step-ups. I figure it's cheaper to buy a newer player than preamp in order to keep up with current DAC chips. Well, in theory anyway. I ended up donating my Oppo 103 and Marantz AV7005 to my retired father

 

It's great to see that there is a difference of preference between 5.1 analog and HDMI . Definitely not a right or wrong answer here as it's personal preference and quite often gear dependent. Good stuff!

 

I playback in both you do here a difference, oppo for HDMI, and Sony for analog.

 

This is great information - thank you all for taking the time to respond in such depth!

 

I look at it more as a preference of DACs, and not one of analog 5.1 or HDMI.

 

True. There's other factors than just the quality of the DACs. The DACs in the Oppo 105D might be better than those in the Emotiva XMC-1. But the capabilities of Dirac room correction in the XMC-1 far out weighs the differences in the DACs. To utilize Dirac the 5/7.1 analog output is not an option.