[vantagesc]

Hi all,


Do 2-channel setups benefit from hi-def audio?


I have a PS3, for which I can either use the optical output to send data to a high-end DAC, OR I can purchase a home theater receiver that can handle all the new surround formats. Either way, for the moment, my system will be only 2-channel.


Not sure if the system reverts to the legacy soundtrack if you are running only two-channels, or whether you still get the higher resolution audio.


Please advise! Thanks.

 

[seanoff]

i've only got access to limited discs on rent them


none with advanced codecs.


those discs with pcm, play at full bit rate. those with older codecs play those codecs

 

[Rogozhin]



Quote:
i've only got access to limited discs on rent them


none with advanced codecs.


those discs with pcm, play at full bit rate. those with older codecs play those codecs

PCM isn't a tenable high definition output, regardless of bitrate the PS3 sounds horrible using PCM.


IF you're not concerned with DTS MA or Dolby True HD then you'll be fine bitstreaming through your toslink.

 

[rdclark]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogozhin /forum/post/14177716


PCM isn't a tenable high definition output, regardless of bitrate the PS3 sounds horrible using PCM.


IF you're not concerned with DTS MA or Dolby True HD then you'll be fine bitstreaming through your toslink.

This is, of course, errant nonsense that flies in the face of the experience of literally millions of PS3 owners.


The two-channel analog output of the PS3 sounds great, and a good 2-channel playback system will indeed benefit from the HD codecs just as the stereo PCM soundtracks on DVDs have always sounded better than the lossy tracks in stereo.

 

[vantagesc]

I have hooked up my PS3 to my full home theater, so I have no idea, but it's hard to believe that PCM would sound worse on the PS3, considering that the hi-def formats are decoded to PCM.


rdclark,

Can I output the hi-res audio through toslink to my own DAC, or is the toslink output limited to 16-bit 44.1 khz? I have a Slim Devices Transporter in my 2-channel system and would prefer to use it to decode the PCM to analog.

 

[vantagesc]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogozhin /forum/post/14177716


PCM isn't a tenable high definition output, regardless of bitrate the PS3 sounds horrible using PCM.


IF you're not concerned with DTS MA or Dolby True HD then you'll be fine bitstreaming through your toslink.

DTS MA and True HD are decoded to PCM, aren't they? Why would the fact that the PS3 is doing the decoding vs. your own processor, make the sound any different, assuming no other processing?


In any case, is it possible to get DTS MA and TrueHD in two-channel? Through HDMI?

 

[seanoff]



Quote:
Originally Posted by vantagesc /forum/post/14178776


DTS MA and True HD are decoded to PCM, aren't they? Why would the fact that the PS3 is doing the decoding vs. your own processor, make the sound any different, assuming no other processing?


In any case, is it possible to get DTS MA and TrueHD in two-channel? Through HDMI?

he appears to listen to his lights on the receiver. Most of the rest of us don't understand either, it is a matter of where the unpack occurs, receiver or PS3, how it would sound different is beyond me.


From my POV i would assume that it would treat it the same as DD/DTS lossy codecs and put out the raw data and let your equipment deal with it as it will

 

[eddy_winds]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogozhin /forum/post/14177716


PCM isn't a tenable high definition output, regardless of bitrate the PS3 sounds horrible using PCM.


IF you're not concerned with DTS MA or Dolby True HD then you'll be fine bitstreaming through your toslink.

PS3 sounds horrible using PCM ?