[Vedder323]

Hey, are you guys restricted the the headphone out for SACD/DVD-A? From what I understand, there is no headphone amp that has 5.1 inouts, correct?

 

[spaceman]

I think most people are using the 2 channel analog outs, or the front channel outs from the 5.1 for headphone use. OTOH, I do use my coaxial out on my 963SA for my 5.1 surround. My experience is limited, but I haven't seen a HP amp with 5.1 connections, so I may be wrong.

 

[Vedder323]

ok, so unless its a 2 channel hybrid, you really not taking full advantage of DVD-A or SACD...

 

[Born2bwire]

The 2 channel analog outs do downmix the multichannel into two channel though from my experience the downmix can sometimes be different from the two channel mix (i.e.: Police SACD's). Either way, I haven't seen any multichannel disc that didn't have a two channel mix on it as well so I don't feel people are really losing out except for the fact that you're not getting the surround effects.

 

[tortie]

My SACD/DVD player has a 5 channel & 2 channel option. I use the front channel of my 5.1 output to connect to my headphone amp. I always use the 2 channel option.

If I don't set it to 2 channel, some effects & dialogue are lost in DVD playback. I think the same will apply for SACD playback. I cant test it now though as my CDP is not with me currently.

I dont think you would miss anything with a headphone setup as the 2 channel option puts all the 5.1 signals into two channels, so nothing is lost

 

[spaceman]

All of my SACDs have the two channel stereo layer, so it is not a problem with my HP system. However, I do utilize the multi-channel layer when playing on my home theater system. Anyway, you don't really need the surround effect with headphones.

 

[Music Fanatic]

I think 2 channel sound through headphones is better than 5.1 channel sound through speakers -- the experience is quite different, but a lot of the surround sound effect comes from movements of your head.

Often the 2 channel mix is superior to the 5.1 channel mix on SACDs and DVD-As, even when one is listening through speakers.

For DVD-V, it is 5.1 through Dolby Headphone that does it for me!

 

[markl]

I don't know of any multi-channel SACDs/DVD-As that don't also have a hi-rez two-channel version. But there are many hi-rez discs that only have two-channel and no multi-channel version on them.

Most SACDPs/DVD-A players have a single stereo set of outputs *and* a separate multi-channel set of outputs that also obviously include a Main L/R set of RCAs. I reco trying the Main L/R jacks in the multi-channel section for outputing the hi-rez 2-channel layer on your SACDs/DVD-As. many hi-rez players only output a downmixed version of the multi-channel track through the 2 regular stereo outputs (but not all so it's a matter of trial and error). So if you want to hear the 2-channel hi-rez layer, you have to use the Main L/R jacks in the multi-channel section. How confusing is that?

Mark

 

[MikeM]

Quote:

Originally posted by markl Most SACDPs/DVD-A players have a single stereo set of outputs *and* a separate multi-channel set of outputs that also obviously include a Main L/R set of RCAs. I reco trying the Main L/R jacks in the multi-channel section for outputing the hi-rez 2-channel layer on your SACDs/DVD-As. many hi-rez players only output a downmixed version of the multi-channel track through the 2 regular stereo outputs (but not all so it's a matter of trial and error). So if you want to hear the 2-channel hi-rez layer, you have to use the Main L/R jacks in the multi-channel section. How confusing is that? Mark

I tried both connections on my NS500v and they sound the same to me. I'm therefore assuming I'm getting the hi-rez through the regular stereo outs. [?]

The manual also didn't make a distinction. It recommended using the multi channel only if using all of the connections.

 

[Music Fanatic]

Quote:

Originally posted by markl many hi-rez players only output a downmixed version of the multi-channel track through the 2 regular stereo outputs (but not all so it's a matter of trial and error). So if you want to hear the 2-channel hi-rez layer, you have to use the Main L/R jacks in the multi-channel section. How confusing is that?

The 2-channel and 5.1-channel tracks are on different parts of the disk, so no player can play both simultaneously. Most SACD players can be programmed to only play 2-channel tracks, and for DVD-A, 2 channel is usually on group 2.

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally posted by MikeM I tried both connections on my NS500v and they sound the same to me. I'm therefore assuming I'm getting the hi-rez through the regular stereo outs. [?] The manual also didn't make a distinction. It recommended using the multi channel only if using all of the connections.

You are getting hi-rez through the regular stereo outs. The NS500V uses different DACs for the L/R multichannel and regular stereo outs, so they may sound slightly different. The multichannel DAC is a 6-channel DAC and the stereo one is a dedicated 2-channel DAC. They're both manufactured by AKM and have similar specs, so they should sound extremely similar, but probably not exactly the same. Apparently the regular stereo outs have slightly better S/N specs, which is probably why the manual recommends them.

 

[markl]

Quote:

The 2-channel and 5.1-channel tracks are on different parts of the disk, so no player can play both simultaneously. Most SACD players can be programmed to only play 2-channel tracks, and for DVD-A, 2 channel is usually on group 2.

Not talking about playing both simultaneously. On my DVD-A player it's necessary to use the main L/R jacks in the multi-channel section to get the hi-rez 2-channel layer to play back. the two standard stereo outs give you a downmixed version. This has been discussed here before and others have noted the same thing with their players. But obviously, this is a manufacturer or model specific issue so that's why I said people should experiment.

 

[kartik]

As is, my system only has two channel SACD output, so the whole multichannel discussion, to me, is moot. However, this thread does raise the question of the need for multichannel when you listen to headphones. Since by definition the headphones are only capabe of handling two channels of music (i.e. unprocessed, of course) why would you want to channel 5 channels through two drivers? In fact I wonder what the utility of multichannel music is at all? I mean eventually all the input is sent into only 2 ears. IMHO stereo music, either 2 speakers or 2 headphone drivers if in the right setup and positioning are just as capable of generaing imaging that is as good if not better than multichannel stuff. It all boils down to the ultimate psychoacoustic effects of the music itself. If the main event is happening in the front, most times the sound from the rear is usually neglected by the brain (subliminal at best). Most multichannel systems also tend to focus everything onto the center channel, converting otherwise 2 channel stuff into a 1 + 4 (or 5) format.

 

[markl]

Well, there is a Dolby headphone that processes surround sound from DVDs into headphones, some people really like the effect. It's possible down the line, once there's a digital standard output (like Firewire) that is actually in widespread use for hi-rez, that we'll see outboard 5.1 headphone processors for hi-rez audio. DSPs that try to take all 5.1 channels and process them so the rear channel info sounds like it's coming from the rear, center channel is in the center, etc.

 

[Music Fanatic]

Quote:

Originally posted by markl Well, there is a Dolby headphone that processes surround sound from DVDs into headphones, some people really like the effect. It's possible down the line, once there's a digital standard output (like Firewire) that is actually in widespread use for hi-rez, that we'll see outboard 5.1 headphone processors for hi-rez audio. DSPs that try to take all 5.1 channels and process them so the rear channel info sounds like it's coming from the rear, center channel is in the center, etc.

Unlikely anytime soon, as I understand from talking to Dolby engineers, since the software would need to be reimplemented to handle high-resolution audio, and there just isn't the demand to justify it. It would be easier to strip everything down to 44.1/16.