Hey guys...

I have a Pioneer Elite VSX-74TXVi A/V Receiver with HDMI and i.LINK digital inputs for audio. Which interface is preferred for digital SACD playback? Right now I use my PS3 for multichannel SACD playback via HDMI, but from what I gather there is a DSD>PCM conversion process that must take place if HDMI is used. Does i.LINK output PCM or true DSD? Does it really matter which digital interface is used (sound quality is about the same in either case)??? Thanks!!!

HDMI is subjective to jitter. Firewire is not.

i.Link is generally the best audio interface, especially for SACD. HDMI can support DSD, but there's not a single player on the market yet that implements this, and few players.

i.Link also doesn't have all the silly interoperability problems of HDMI, and silly interactions between video resolution and audio resolution. Plus the bus architecture spares you from any concern about having enough sockets.

Makes HDMI look rather stone age, to be honest.

However, I doubt you'd see any perceptible difference using an i.Link device instead of your PS3. Your Pioneer would convert DSD to PCM anyway, unless you run it in PURE DIRECT mode.