Optical or analog?

I see no reason to think that there would be a sound quality advantage for either approach.

I see two advantages to the optical connection:

(1) the optical connection eliminates possible grounding problems that could lead to audible hum on some or all inputs.

(2) The optical connection is just one connection that is going to either work for all channels or not work for all channels. With a 5.1 or 7.1 analog connection you could have a bad connection in one channel which you would then have to troubleshoot by fidding with up to 8 different cables.

If you are going to use any processing in AVR (like Audyssey room response correction), then optical is the only option (you do not want to do additional A/D and D/A conversions).
If you AVR will be used only as an amplifier (direct and pure direct mode) then analogue connection is possible. I recommend dual connection (cables are not that expensive), thus you can make a choice every time you play a record.

The correct answer is: use both and compare them to see if you hear any difference at all.

Probably very misleading.

Unless careful level-matching is used (unlikely), there *will* be an audible difference. The louder will sound different from the less loud one, and vice-versa.

If the equipment is running properly, the difference will be totally meaningless.

But, we'll have another yet convert to the religion of believers in the universal presence of audible differences.

Nonsense. DACs and output stages differ, and there absolutely can be differences between letting the DACs in a receiver handle it versus in the player. It is measurable, and not particularly difficult to hear. Not saying there will be, but there definitely can be. And where those differences do exist audibly, which is better will depend on what you're comparing.

This has nothing to do with the "universal presence" of audible difference. I am a fierce objectivist, but saying that there are no differences is pretty ignorant here when there quite apparently are.

I've got my cd/dvd player hooked up to both analog interconnects and digital coaxil, big difference switching back and fourth, same stereo mode, absolutely valid A/B comparison. What's better is what sounds better to you.

What is measurable and not particularly difficult to hear? THD, noise floor, frequency response or variance in volume level?

Is that per AES guideline?

Sounds more like you're the one with the mission.

Heavy is the crown

hello all,

i perfer anaolg. my system: rotel rsp1068, rcc1055 cd changer & paradigm ref studio 100's v2

buy you must listen for yourself. trust your own ears.

Hello Donald.
I don't know you so I would like to ask this. What's your background in audio and or electronics?

Right, there can be a difference but there need not be a difference.

Just because it is measurable, is no reason it has to be audible.

The common mistake is to ignore the size of the measured quantity.

We can easily measure differences that are impossible for anybody to hear.


Or very difficult or impossible to hear. It all depends on how much.


Right, but if levels are not matched precisely, you'll hear the mismatch.


Right, what I was talking about is the fact that few audiophiles do proper listening tests. The non-level-matched sighted evaluations that they do are guaranteed to leave them with the idea that no matter what they test, it sounds different. That will be the evidence that their "ears" will leave them with.


Of course some things sound different even when levels are matched and the comparison is truely blind. But in many categories those situations are getting more and more rare.

I have good reason to believe that an audio signal could be routed through an entire good quality surround receiver, from line input to speaker terminals, with the levels matched by attenuating the output, even with speakers also loading down the outputs, and there could be no difference between the signal path thorugh the receiver and the signal path through a good pair of short interconnects.

hello geekhd,

please call me june. born & raised in philly. my background in electronics is getting my knowledge from reading, listening, friends but never sales folks. i have friends with $200 - $20,000 systems. i'm in the somewhere in the middle.

In other words, you are just another consumer like many of us.

yep

The best and easiest way is to just hook it up both ways and see if YOU hear a difference. Forget all the level matching BS, this isn't a science fair. Well, it is to some.

Just use whatever sounds best to you. You don't owe anybody any explanation.

That is usually what happens with receivers and suitably high enough quality CDPs.