C1 not recognizing a SACD ? help please

[misterdoggy]

I've got a DV 868 avi Pioneer that does SACD (listed on the website, but not on the front of the player) and the C1 is not getting any signal.

If I put a DVD in the player it works fine, but I put in a SACD and no signal ?

I have a digital cable going into Coax1 and its all set up right because it works fine with DVD. Any ideas ?

Any help would be greatly appreciated !

[Peter Nielsen]

Did you try to hook up an analog connection beteen the C1 and the CD to see if you get a signal that way?

It seems like the DV-868 is only outputting DVD-A and SACD over firewire:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.audio.opinion/browse_frm/thread/54a625fdb9ae20a8/2b28b531794ebf62?q=pioneer+DV-868+SACD+coax&rnum=1&hl=en#2b28b531794ebf62

"If your dvd player is a DVD-A or SACD player or universal player, unless
your dvd player and av receiver have a common compatible digital
Multi-channel interface, like i-Link, or firewire, you HAVE to connect the
5.1 analog outputs to properly listen to DVDA/SACD titles. "

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.video.dvd.players/browse_frm/thread/8bb601293550355/0beefe6ce9459e13?q=SACD+DVD-A+digital+coaxial&rnum=7&hl=en#0beefe6ce9459e13

Peter

[misterdoggy]

Peter,

Thanks again. So for SACD listening I will have to 5.1 analog connect the DVD player to the inputs for 5.1 Will that affect the C1's choice making when watching movies. It complicates things a bit as the DVD palyer is the SACD player and the "source" only allows one default.

Bruce

[Peter Nielsen]

Bruce,

If I'm not mistaken, the C1 will always use the digital signal if it sees one, so this should not complicate anything...

Peter

[misterdoggy]

I will have to get good quality analog cables then

Another expense. Maybe I should think about a SACD player that sends digital.

[Kingdaddy]

The Halo won’t accept a Digital signal for Hi-Rez audio, not enough throughput, you have no choice but the analog connections. I made my own for less then $40 for all six, sounds wonderful, no need to by snake-oil RCA cables.

[Peter Nielsen]

Maybe I should think about a SACD player that sends digital.

The iLink (firewire) is digital. To my understanding, there's nothing wrong with your DV-868. The fact appears to be that Toslink and coax media are not adequate for SACD/DVD-A (insufficient bandwidth?). IMHO, what you need to do is send Parasound an e-mail requesting an iLink input card upgrade option for the C1/C2 :B

FWIW, I'm questioning how "standard" the iLink really is. At this moment, it appears to be a de-facto standard. However, this will probably change if the manufactures unite on an official standard... (I think Parasound is also waiting for a standard, so I'm guessing that they're not keen on providing an iLink card at this time).

Peter

[misterdoggy]

Sounds like 5.1 analog is the answer.

[nicholtl]

Yeah, just get yourself 3 pairs of well-constructed, good quality analog RCA connects and you should be golden.

[Chris D]

Yes, this is standard--NO player will output DVD-A or SACD over optical or coaxial digital cable. At this point, the only way to output DVD-A or SACD from select new players with the capability is through Firewire, (which still isn't fully accepted) DVI version 1.1, or some proprietary brand name-specific connections, such as Denon Link.

As Peter said, though, you must have a receiver/processor that can receive the signal with the same connection. Seeing as how Parasound to date has no DVI switching, (keep your fingers crossed for the next few weeks!) (but don't hold your breath) no firewire, and Parasound will likely never create a proprietary connection, (which is fine by me) no Parasound processors, Classic or Halo, can receive hi-res digital audio, much less have the capability to decode it.

I'm really hoping for DVI switching with DVD-A and SACD decoding capability hardware updates any day now. (among other things) We'll see!

Oh, yes, back to you point--yes, use your digital connection for all DVD's on your player. For DVD-A/SACD, you must use your player's analog 5.1 outputs and your C1 7.1 analog inputs. (leave the rear surround inputs unused) It's not a big deal and doesn't screw up your DVD player use, as you use the separate 7.1 input button for the analog inputs.

What I did is create two separate "devices" on my MX-700 remote. One is the standard DVD player. The other one, when I select it from the main menu, starts by emitting a macro switching to the 7.1 analog inputs and then goes to the same DVD player controls so I can control the disc while I listen.