[edge9]

I'm interested in buying a new A/V receiver. I've been looking at the Yamaha RX-V1500. Right now I'm really only interested in stereo audio to feed headphones.


It says in the manual that digital inputs are passed to digital outputs, not to the analog outs. However, I'd like to use the DAC in the Yamaha rather than the one in my DVD player (which sounds kind of "tinny"), and then using the receiver's analog outs to feed a dedicated headphone amplifier. This doesn't seem to be possible with the Yamaha. Is this the case with most other receivers in this price range? If I don't want to use the DVD player's DAC are the only options: a) to use an external DAC before the external headphone amp, or b) to use the headphone out on the receiver (which actually does sound pretty good).


Thanks very much for your help. This forum is great!

 

[SMac770]

I don't know any that do this. Although the new Denon AVR-3x06 models at least list a feature of digital inputs pass to analog record outs. Whether this means it'll also be available on the preouts (voltage level and output impedence often are different between the record outs and preamp outs), I don't know. Then again, would you want to use record outs or preamp outs anyway (I guess the latter if you need volume control via the receiver).


All I can say is test it specifically for this before buying, or make sure you have a return policy if buying remote. Or hope that someone here can say "yes, this model specifically does this in to this out to drive headphones, because I've done it".

 

[edge9]

Thanks for the reply SMac770.


Well if the Yamaha is typical of other receivers in this price range, and they also don't have this ability, then I won't feel I need to look at anything else. I like everything else about the RX-V1500.


Anyone else know if any other comparable receivers in this price range ($600-800), have digital ins to analog (pre) outs?


Thanks.

 

[jdcrox]

If you are goping to use the Yammie as your volume control, there is no reason the pre-outs wont work just fine. Feeding a headphone amp is the same as feeding a power amp for speakers. So a digital input would go through the receiver's DAC's and processing and then to the analog pre-outs. I guess the main question is that if you plug the headphone amp into the pre-outs, does this shut off the receiver's amplifers for those channels?

Or if that receiver has a second zone capability, you could use the pre-outs for that.

John