mud_shark Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 I have my CD player hooked up to my integrated amplifier - works great. I'd like to add a DVD player & TV into the system. As I don't have a AV receiver, and only a 2.0 speaker setup, I would like to see if I can stick with my integrated amp. In order to have the sound from the DVD player go through the amp, and the picture go to the TV, is a HDMI splitter the item I need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david j Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 There is a couple of ways the simplest hook DVD to tv with hdmi and if y o ur taking optical from the tv to the amp you will have sound if your Amp doesn't have digital inputs then a small dac needed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnL Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, mud_shark said: I have my CD player hooked up to my integrated amplifier - works great. I'd like to add a DVD player & TV into the system. As I don't have a AV receiver, and only a 2.0 speaker setup, I would like to see if I can stick with my integrated amp. In order to have the sound from the DVD player go through the amp, and the picture go to the TV, is a HDMI splitter the item I need? A player with HDMI and stereo analog outs would be ideal....... Would have to recommend a used OPPO as best bang for buck and a potential one box solution regardless of them not doing players anymore. Most of the used Oppo's out there play great upscaled DVD's and also BD's plus other formats should you want to experiment/upgrade. They may also play your CD's to a higher level than your current player. I have had most OPPO models over the years and they have all performed superbly. In your case I would think something like a used BDP 95 would be ideal. Check out moddels that match your budget. A HDMI splitter won't help unless your integrated has HDMI inputs which I doubt. Good luck Edited February 15, 2020 by JohnL 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mud_shark Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 (edited) 17 minutes ago, JohnL said: A HDMI splitter won't help unless your integrated has HDMI inputs which I doubt. You're right, THIS is what I've got: https://www.intl.onkyo.com/products/hi-fi_components/amplifiers/a-9030/rear.html No HDMI anything... Edited February 15, 2020 by mud_shark clarity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnL Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, mud_shark said: You're right, THIS is what I've got: https://www.intl.onkyo.com/products/hi-fi_components/amplifiers/a-9030/rear.html No HDMI anything... Well most stereo integrated's don't have any digital inputs as that would require an onboard DAC. Further to my earlier post.........the absolute cheapest and easiest solution for you would be to buy a used DVD player with HDMI and analog outs from Ebay.......... Doesn't get much cheaper than this!!!.... https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Laser-DVD-Player-HDMI-Composite-USB-REPACK/123883565685?epid=17012340727&hash=item1cd8093275:g:TPUAAOSwQhNdX3dv My earlier post would only come into play if you have a larger budget and are also looking for decent .......if not noticeably improved........sound quality across the board. Other options apart from OPPO if you had concerns about their future support. Edited February 15, 2020 by JohnL 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mud_shark Posted February 16, 2020 Author Share Posted February 16, 2020 10 hours ago, JohnL said: Well most stereo integrated's don't have any digital inputs as that would require an onboard DAC. Further to my earlier post.........the absolute cheapest and easiest solution for you would be to buy a used DVD player with HDMI and analog outs from Ebay.......... Doesn't get much cheaper than this!!!.... https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Laser-DVD-Player-HDMI-Composite-USB-REPACK/123883565685?epid=17012340727&hash=item1cd8093275:g:TPUAAOSwQhNdX3dv My earlier post would only come into play if you have a larger budget and are also looking for decent .......if not noticeably improved........sound quality across the board. Other options apart from OPPO if you had concerns about their future support. Thank-you. Upon reflection I think I need to broaden the scope of my requirements here, which will likely impact how I proceed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy8 Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 53 minutes ago, mud_shark said: Upon reflection I think I need to broaden the scope of my requirements here, which will likely impact how I proceed When you post your requirements, please let us know your budget. It would help if you give more details of requirements eg. listen to music and occasional movie, 1 box solution, stay only with 2.0 stereo etc. etc. There are not many DVD/Blu Ray players with analog outputs and they are either cheap generic ones or more likely targeting the higher end e.g. Oppo as @mud_shark has mentioned or Panasonic (UB820, UB9000). Similarly, there are not many stereo receivers with hdmi; Marantz NR1200, Onkyo TX-8270. These will do music much better than AVRs. There are lots of AVRs at all budget levels, but music will be compromised to some extent. AVR brands considered better for music are Marantz, Arcam, Anthem, NAD but people do find AVRs from Yamaha, Denon acceptable for music. Suggest you bring along your favorite music to audition with some AVRs. If AVRs are acceptable, then it opens up many more options. If budget is limited, then consider something from the Classifieds. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betty boop Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 generally the quality of 2ch analog output on a player is going to be what pay for. generic players is going to be utter trash... be better off using optical connection. if spend more you can get a pretty decent player but to do that you might have to spend a quite a bit more. there arent many players left with 2ch analog a priority. usually in this case what is best to do is plug hdmi into TV and most TVs tend to have a optical out. you feed that to an affordable dac (new or second hand) and use the L&R 2.0 out to feed your integrated amp. the beauty of this is ... its not just what comes from the blu-ray player that can listen to in 2.0 via your integrated but if want everything that watch on TV including FTA tv, streaming source netflix and such... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnL Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 1 hour ago, mud_shark said: Thank-you. Upon reflection I think I need to broaden the scope of my requirements here, which will likely impact how I proceed FWIW............This is the exact thing I was originally thinking of for you... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david j Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 I have a project dac box e spare here you are welcome to try if your not far from me 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Rock Puppy Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 Would this be any good? https://www.jaycar.com.au/concord-hdmi-audio-extractor/p/AC5030 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david j Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 (edited) Small dac is the way to go Edited February 16, 2020 by david j 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mud_shark Posted February 16, 2020 Author Share Posted February 16, 2020 7 hours ago, betty boop said: usually in this case what is best to do is plug hdmi into TV and most TVs tend to have a optical out. you feed that to an affordable dac (new or second hand) and use the L&R 2.0 out to feed your integrated amp. the beauty of this is ... its not just what comes from the blu-ray player that can listen to in 2.0 via your integrated but if want everything that watch on TV including FTA tv, streaming source netflix and such... THIS. This was the trick... Thank-you. I've had some success. I found an old DacMagic. Ran an Optical cable from the TV to the DAC, and RCA from the DAC into my integrated amp.. So now with the HDMI going direct from my DVD/BD player into the TV, and the new - I've got sound and vision from the disc player - and am delighted! PRO: I didn't have to buy anything to make it all work CON: Too many components (Amp, CD player, DVD/BD Player / DAC) - When I eventually upgrade, I can reduce 4 into 2. WEIRD: As a bit of a test, I played the same album on the CD and Blu-Ray audio at the same time, switching between inputs on the amp to see if there was a difference... There was a significant difference in favor of the Blu-Ray. Perhaps not surprising given that BD has way more data than CD. But the weird thing for me was that the CD has a direct connection to the Amp by RCA cable. BD audio has a much longer path: BD to TV via HDMI, then TV to DAC, then amp... Much longer path yet sounded significantly better to the CD. This seems odd to me - is this an unusual outcome? Am I missing something? If my inexpensive Panasonic BD sounds better the supposedly decent CD Player (Marantz CD5004), does the CD player have a place in my setup? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david j Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 Could try digital out of the marantz into the dac if it has a digital output 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mud_shark Posted February 16, 2020 Author Share Posted February 16, 2020 15 minutes ago, david j said: Could try digital out of the marantz into the dac if it has a digital output Will try that and see how it goes. And yes, that OPPO you linked to earlier looks very nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratbob Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 Hi Mud Shark, I’m pleased to hear the connection is working. However, if you are thinking about “upgrading?” to less components, if you use your Tele as a centre speaker and the stereo for a bigger sound at the same time, (as I used to do with component connections) it might not work. In my experience running an HDMI from a BluRay to the Tele and RCA from the BluRay audio out to an amplifier (if used simultaneously) does not work because the Tele audio will be out of sync with the sound from the stereo. I’ve tried using the sync function on my players, Pioneer LX58 and Oppo 105 without success. Hopefully another member will have a solution before you spend. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mud_shark Posted February 16, 2020 Author Share Posted February 16, 2020 26 minutes ago, Ratbob said: In my experience running an HDMI from a BluRay to the Tele and RCA from the BluRay audio out to an amplifier (if used simultaneously) does not work because the Tele audio will be out of sync with the sound from the stereo. Interesting. When setting things up earlier I had the volume on the TV turned down to zero, and only had sound coming through my 2.0 floorstanding speakers. No delay, but need to give it a proper test to see how it all sounds over the course of a song/film Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratbob Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 23 minutes ago, mud_shark said: No delay, but need to give it a proper test to see how it all sounds over the course of a song/film Yeah as your current set up is running audio (albeit digital) from the Tele via a DAC to the amp you won’t have a sync problem. It’s only when you run the analog out from the BluRay to the amp that it gets out of sync with the tele’s audio. Well, that’s what I’ve found so I’m thinking for now your set up will work fine. Would like to hear how your test goes though. Cheers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DrSK Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 (edited) I have two TV systems, 2.0 upstairs and 4.0 downstairs and don't use an AVR. Using my old $90 Sony Bluray as an example you might do the following. Stick with 2.0 and use the coaxial digital output and feed it into a Klein III DAC ($650) then into your amp. Leave the sound on TV turned down. Set the downmix and delay options in the Sony menu. The quality you can get doing this is rediculous for the money. With the TV turned down I didn't need to adjust any delays etc. The Klein III has a USB option or a combined coaxial/optical input option when you purchase. With the latter you could take coax off the Bluray and Optical off the TV. On a 2008 Panasonic TV I had delay issues with the optical from the TV. No issues with 6yo Panasonic TV. The above option was much better than my first attempt. I first attempt started with an older (12yo) flagship Panasonic Bluray using the downmixed 2.0 analogue out into an analogue amp. This however still smashed a $2400 AVR in 2.0 for audio quality when the AVR was connected via HDMI to the Bluray. I'm running Lenehan speakers and Metaxas power amp and been through a few pre options. Then went the Oppo route (with either a Klein III or Konverter external DAC) for functionality which with the right models are Swiss army knives capable of HDMI in, ARC, USB (for HDs or synchronous), digital inputs and HDMI outputs plus digital and analogue outputs (5.1 or more). They also usually have trim and distance/delay adjustments like an AVR. I have a 205 and a 103. With the Oppo. You need a 204 or 205 if you want 4k if my understanding is correct. Good luck buying a 205. While the Oppos are generally reasonably well regarded audio analogue wise my system showed them up. There are also after market mods people do to bump up the output stages. Edited February 17, 2020 by DrSK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DrSK Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 (edited) On 16/02/2020 at 9:11 PM, mud_shark said: THIS. This was the trick... Thank-you. I've had some success. I found an old DacMagic. Ran an Optical cable from the TV to the DAC, and RCA from the DAC into my integrated amp.. So now with the HDMI going direct from my DVD/BD player into the TV, and the new - I've got sound and vision from the disc player - and am delighted! PRO: I didn't have to buy anything to make it all work CON: Too many components (Amp, CD player, DVD/BD Player / DAC) - When I eventually upgrade, I can reduce 4 into 2. WEIRD: As a bit of a test, I played the same album on the CD and Blu-Ray audio at the same time, switching between inputs on the amp to see if there was a difference... There was a significant difference in favor of the Blu-Ray. Perhaps not surprising given that BD has way more data than CD. But the weird thing for me was that the CD has a direct connection to the Amp by RCA cable. BD audio has a much longer path: BD to TV via HDMI, then TV to DAC, then amp... Much longer path yet sounded significantly better to the CD. This seems odd to me - is this an unusual outcome? Am I missing something? If my inexpensive Panasonic BD sounds better the supposedly decent CD Player (Marantz CD5004), does the CD player have a place in my setup? It appears that your DACMagic may be a better DAC than what is in your CD player. I don't think you will hear your Bluray player in this test. All things being equal I suspect the music is being resampled to 48kHz from 44.1kHz which normally drops quality. I always get a quality drop on music if passed through HDMI and I think this may be the reason as my understanding is they are at different rates. If the CD player has digital out, try sending this to the DACMagic. You may be surprised. I was, when my old 5.1 USB sound card from 20 years ago provided better quality analogue output than a recent $2400 AVR. Bought the 20yo card new in 2000 for lab testing work when it was better than dedicated lab cards costing 10 times as much. Edited February 17, 2020 by DrSK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mud_shark Posted February 17, 2020 Author Share Posted February 17, 2020 8 minutes ago, DrSK said: If the CD player has digital out, try sending this to the DACMagic. You may be surprised. Yep. That's the plan for this weekend. I'm very curious to see how it sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tab74 Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 On 16/02/2020 at 8:47 PM, Ratbob said: Hi Mud Shark, I’m pleased to hear the connection is working. However, if you are thinking about “upgrading?” to less components, if you use your Tele as a centre speaker and the stereo for a bigger sound at the same time, (as I used to do with component connections) it might not work. In my experience running an HDMI from a BluRay to the Tele and RCA from the BluRay audio out to an amplifier (if used simultaneously) does not work because the Tele audio will be out of sync with the sound from the stereo. I’ve tried using the sync function on my players, Pioneer LX58 and Oppo 105 without success. Hopefully another member will have a solution before you spend. i just mute sound on tv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratbob Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 10 hours ago, Tab74 said: i just mute sound on tv Yeah but with brilliant speakers in my Loewe Tele I do like that centre sound. While the tele’s audio out to the amp fixes the sync issue, it isn’t great. I just don’t get why there’s a sync problem between the different outputs, my old Panasonic DVD player synced ok, it just seems to be the newer models that have the problem. Maybe it’s an hdmi thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DrSK Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 (edited) On 15/02/2020 at 6:12 PM, mud_shark said: Edited March 17, 2020 by DrSK Duplicate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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