Yamaha RXV 1800 multichannel inputs issue

Recently, a work colleague of mine who has a home theater with a Yamaha A/V receiver and Definitive Technology speakers started looking into the purchase an Oppo Blu-ray/Universal player, on my recommendation. I own a BDP-93 for my dedicated two-channel (Classe/Bryston/B&W) audio system and I'm extremely happy with it.

For my HT I use a two-year old Samsung that, so far, works fine with every Blu-ray I've played in it. I've explained to him that in my A/V receiver I use separate inputs for audio and video -- for no other reason than the fact that my Yamaha A/V receiver does not have HDMI inputs. I'm very happy with my setup and have no degradation going TOSLINK or coax from the source to the receiver, with the video being fed directly into the flat-screen HDMI inputs, with sound turned off. He's heard my HT system and knows the quality of sound I'm getting.

Adapt or perish, as they say.

I am not an engineer, just a fanatical hobbyist. However my colleague is. He was curious about the multi-channel analog outputs on the back of the Oppos (93 and 95) and read in another forum that regardless of the nature of the input the A/V receiver would pass the signal to its DSP anyway and not go a straight analog path.

Common sense, at least to me, would dictate that if you have an analog input into the preamp stage the signal path should be straight to the amps and then the speakers. To confirm this he wrote a support email to Yamaha and they, incredulously, confirmed this. Here is the (edited for clarity) thread, Yamaha's responses in italics:

I have a Yamaha RXV 1800. This receiver has multichannel inputs. Is there any benefit sound wise, in using the multichannel inputs over the HDMI inputs? I am considering buying an Oppo 95 which is a blue ray player regarded as having excellent analog outs. If I connect this blue ray player using the multichannel inputs, is the analog signal converted in the receiver at any point into a digital signal? I hear that the sound is converted to a digital signal in the receiver and since it's converted to digital, there is no benefit over HDMI. Is that the case or is the analog signal kept intact?

The Yamaha receiver can do DTS-HD, Dolby True HD and DSD (SACD) via HDMI so there is really no reason that you would need the analog inputs.

Does the Yamaha turn the analog signals back to digital inside the receiver?

It is not reprocessed but it does go through the digital audio chip sets.

I sent my own email to Yamaha:

I own a Yamaha receiver as well and I need to understand this correctly: you are stating that your A/V receivers with 5.1 or 7.1 ANALOG inputs are going to take the already decoded and converted ANALOG signal it receives from the 5.1 or 7.1 ANALOG outputs of a source component, and then reconvert that already converted signal back to DIGITAL through the DSP and then reconvert it back to ANALOG for output to the speakers?

Huh?

Why on Earth would you do such a thing?!

Here is what they replied:

It has to go through the chips, no way around that one, there is no direct analog path.

I need to understand why Yamaha, and Lord knows how many other A/V processor manufacturers, are doing this. Am I wrong to think this really stinks? What is the point of the analog outputs if Yamaha and others are going to crap all over that signal.

So if his Yamaha receiver has "pure direct mode" in the multi-channel input it will bypass the DSP and output analog only?

The Oppos have a better DAC on board than most A/V receivers. What you are saying, then, is that I don't have a choice in the matter if I don't want to use HDMI for audio.

I need to ask this: Do the Oppos multi-channel outputs send and analog signal or a digital signal to the AVR? If it's an analog signal then the AVR wouldn't need an ADC, right? Analog in, analog out to the speakers. Are you saying that the actual design of the AVR precludes this?

All I know is that, with my five desert island reference discs, my Oppo (in my two-channel rig), going straight in to my preamp has better results than through my DAC. I like the sound better. And I didn't like the sound -- straight in to the analog inputs of my preamp -- from my old Marantz SA8260 as much as I do my Oppo. I'm sorry for being subjective but there it is.

BTW, this not what this thread is about. I want to use my multi-channel analog outputs into my AVR without additional, unnecessary digital processing. What AVR, currently sold today, supports this mode?

I was referring strictly to music discs (CDs, SACDs, and DVD-As), not movies.

Once again, this not what this thread is about. I want to use my multi-channel analog outputs into my AVR without additional, unnecessary digital processing. What AVR, currently sold today, supports this mode?

You are both being presumptuous as to what I can and cannot hear in my system. I have owned five different DACs since 1993 and there was an incremental improvement in the sound from my music discs every time I upgraded. The Oppo is only the second disc player in my system (the first was my CAL Audio CD player) that I listen to without an external DAC. It's that good.

Movies played through the Oppo in two-channel mode sound fantastic, as well. But movie sound reproduction and music reproduction are NOT the same and will never be.

That said, again, are there any models out there that support what I want and not what you think is right for me?