Connecting the BDP-S1 to a non HDMI DD/DTS Receiver

[hank_marvin]

Hello everyone I have just bought a SONY BDP-S1 and would like to know the best way to connect it to my Yamaha DSP-A5 AV receiver, I currently use an optical lead, which has always sounded great with dvd.
But I have been reading threads where people say that with Blu Ray to get the best quality sound out of my type of receiver, which doesn't have a HDMI connection, I'd need to use the 5.1 RCA cables, is this right?...

Plus if I did connect the Blu Ray to the amp via the optical cable would that be uncompressed still. And will the DD 5.1 be from the Blu Ray sound the same as the DD 5.1 from a DVD?...

Thanks in advance everyone

[WickyWoo]

5.1 analog RCA

Opticla or Coax will result in the smae 5.1 you'd get from DVD. You need to use the analogs or HDMI for uncompressed audio

[devils3023]

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

Opticla or Coax will result in the smae 5.1 you'd get from DVD.

Not true. Blu-ray movies use full bit rate of dolby digital which is 640kbps so you will get better sounding dd compared to a standard dvd. For best sound however, uncompressed audio, you will need to use the 5.1 channel rca's.

[hank_marvin]

Thanks for answering guys, right so a few more queries about it then if you don't mind.

First a dumb ass question, I've looked for RCA 5.1 cables and can't find any, does this just mean that I need to buy 3 sets of regular RCA cables. Or do they actually sell 5.1 sets?...be kind I know it's a stupid question but I genuinely don't know.

Next it seems strange to me that old style analog RCA's will deliver a better sound than the newer optical cables. Why is this?...is it similar to HDMI 1.0 not being able to deliver True HD etc?...

[hank_marvin]

Originally Posted by devils3023

Not true. Blu-ray movies use full bit rate of dolby digital which is 640kbps so you will get better sounding dd compared to a standard dvd.

Is this still true using the optical cable or will I need the RCA's for that?...and on that subject would these be suitable for uncompressed PCM?...I hope so because I just bought 2 pairs (I already have a sub cable).

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[hank_marvin]

Originally Posted by devils3023

For best sound however, uncompressed audio, you will need to use the 5.1 channel rca's.

To add to my confusion I just read this;

RCA cables only allow for Dolby Pro Logic. It “simulates” having surround sound without actually providing true tracks for each speaker.

I really hope that isn't the case as I have three sets of RCA's on their way!.

And then stating the opposite is this;

Multichannel Analog Connection

A next-generation optical player may also include line-level audio outputs sourced from the multichannel mixed PCM signals passed through digital-to-analog converters. The advent of SACD and DVD-Audio in recent years has led to the incorporation of 5.1 and even 7.1 external inputs on many A/V receivers. If your A/V receiver is equipped with 5.1 or 7.1 external audio inputs, the selection of an optical player equipped with 5.1- or 7.1 channel line-level outputs will provide full-bandwidth reproduction of the audio signal originating from your HD player.

Can you understand my frustration?...

[WriteSimply]

While it is true that stereo RCA cables (left + right) connected to a DPL receiver will give DPL sound, what you're doing is making discrete connections from your player to your receiver. That is, left speaker output to left speaker amplification, and so forth.

Unless your home theater is big and you need to run long cables, or you have a high end setup, normal but quality RCA cables would do just fine.


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[hank_marvin]

Thanks a million