DVD Player as source - optical to DAC

[moogoob]

Hey all, just a question for those in the know: when I use my Panasonic DVD player to feed an optical signal (from a CD, that's important!) to my Headroom Ultra Micro DAC, is there anything to worry about signal-wise or is the bitstream pretty much as perfectly close to what was on the CD as possible?

Also, I don't think it matters what cable I'm using. (It's a Future Shop-purchased Rocketfish optical if anyone cares, though)

I'm just trying to reassure my internal placebo effect.

It sounds good to my ears, but I'm not totally up to snuff on how the optical connection works so I'm willing to learn.

EDIT: And one additional question, what about HDCD-compatible players? Mine currently isn't, but if I get one that is, will I need to use the player's internal DAC or can I still use optical?

 

[astroid]

You may get higher error levels as the drive is not an audio drive and spins faster and has more errors , leading to reed-solomon correction = not ideal.

 

[moogoob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by astroid /img/forum/go_quote.gif You may get higher error levels as the drive is not an audio drive and spins faster and has more errors , leading to reed-solomon correction = not ideal.

Ooh, fast on the draw.

Is there anything tell-tale to listen for so I can determine if this is a problem or not with my system?

Also, in a (very) nutshell, roughly what does Reed-Solomon error correction do to the signal?

I'll also be looking that up on Wikipedia too. Thanks.

 

[astroid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moogoob /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ooh, fast on the draw. Is there anything tell-tale to listen for so I can determine if this is a problem or not with my system? Also, in a (very) nutshell, roughly what does Reed-Solomon error correction do to the signal? I'll also be looking that up on Wikipedia too. Thanks.

My cd player and my dvd recorder sound identical to me through my DAC, nothing to worry about.

A better DAC is the next step.

 

[moogoob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by astroid /img/forum/go_quote.gif My cd player and my dvd recorder sound identical to me through my DAC, nothing to worry about. A better DAC is the next step.

Okay, so if I'm not hearing dropouts or errors then I can trust the bitstream is doing its thing. Cool.

The UM DAC sounds pretty damn good to me for now, any DAC upgrades will come after I get some better source material.

 

[astroid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moogoob /img/forum/go_quote.gif Okay, so if I'm not hearing dropouts or errors then I can trust the bitstream is doing its thing. Cool. The UM DAC sounds pretty damn good to me for now, any DAC upgrades will come after I get some better source material.

TIP = buy a cheap sony minidisc deck (je or jb series) , press record with no disc in and it acts as a dac, a very good dac.

 

[moogoob]

Sounds like a neat little trick, but would it really function better than what I've got now? *raises eyebrows*

 

[plonter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moogoob /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sounds like a neat little trick, but would it really function better than what I've got now? *raises eyebrows*

good question...personally,i don't think so. in fact,i was in your situation not long time ago whan i brought the ultra micro dac. i always wondered(and even now) if there would be deferences between my pioneer dvd and a high price cd player.
but at one point,i just stopped thinking of it. why..? because the sound is so darn good,so it doesnt make a defference to me anymore.
btw,i really dont believe that a high price transporter will improve the sound,at least not in an audible way.

 

[trains are bad]

DVD player-to DAC with digital connection is a fine solution and should sound great. I think DVD players make perfectly fine transports; if anything they should be better than a CD player because of the higher tolerances needed to play DVDs. Besides, you are passing raw digital output. I listen to my Oppo hooked up to my MicroDac and tube headphone amp all the time now that I moved my computer.

 

[moogoob]

Thanks guys.

As I said before, it certainly sounds good to me so I guess I shouldn't fret the small stuff.

It's just that I don't underestimate the power of placebo. My mother's second job is as a self-employed hypnotist, which by her very admission is more or less "applied placebo".

 

[terriblepaulz]

I have been using a cheap (less than $50) Sony DVD player as a transport for a little while. The sound is fine, because the sound of the dac is fine. The only drawback (and this might be common to cheap players) is that there is a very slight but audible mechanical noise (soft clicking) that I can notice when I stop the music playing or when there is a silent passage. For $43 what did I expect?

 

[berthoud]

Which panasonic are you using?

 

[moogoob]

Panasonic DVD-RV32. It's about five years old.