Which is BEST?..Oppo 980/981/983 ?

Amen to that, and for another reason: Since your plans also include a Squeezebox, most people find that the best way to sync your music database is to ask SB to use the iTunes database (SB's own software is extremely clunky). Problem is, iTunes will simply not recognise FLAC tags!

But more than Steve Jobs, I'm counting on a developer to write a FLAC support plug-in for iTunes. That's the way Ogg support happened, anyway..

Venkat - I found information elsewhere on the internet which points to the Oppo (at least the 980) using the Cirrus Logic - CS4361 DAC. So, both have DACs from the same company. Not sure about the exact DAC model numbers.

If you plan to play flac via your htpc , then do u still need CA DacMagic to upsample ? Also since you will be streaming a lot of music I hope you will be going in for a wireless n router. I am currently using dlink n router for all my streaming needs !!!


Googled up iTransport and that really sounds cool . My Archos is( was ) capable of digi pass thru . I used to use the dvr dock for the same.

You are correct Vortex. All three models - 980, 981, and 983 use Cirrus Logic DACs. I am sorry for that error. Cant understand where I picked up that information from. What I said, stays true though. A CDP is better than a Universal DVD Player for Redbook CD.

Well, as far as my understanding goes, HTPCs do not have good DACs unless you install a high end sound card. I want to use the HTPC as just a storage device to store and play the FLAC files. If I get a external DAC such as a DAC1 or DACMagic, I can use it for the HTPC based sings as well as through the CDP and Universal DVD Player. Killing three birds with one stone, eh?

I already have Netgear N Router working at home. I plan to replace this with a Belkin in the near future. Why? I feel Belkin is the fastest router I have ever used. I did have a Belkin before the Netgear, but that got bunt out during a lightning strike.

The iTransport is really really good. I am just waiting for version 2 to be released with all the kinks removed from version 1.

Cheers

Ok but do you really need a s high end sound card for spdif pass thru ? Many mid end mobos have onboard spdif port. Those are the best best for digi pass thrus ! Belkin Routers are good but that does not mean all belkin routers are good. In fact this logic is there for all companies be it Dlink , or Belkin. I will advise you to go for a proper review before you decide on a good router. Are you getting full 300 mbps throughput speeds currently with your netgear router? Also what is the reason to change from Netgear to Belkin ?

The Mobo's on board SP/DIF is good enough for play back. But I am also planning to use the same HTPC for ripping my CDs into FLAC files. I have been keenly following EAC and am looking at the sound card he uses which is Marian Trace Alpha. This is available in India.

The speed between my Netgear router and the laptops around the house is fast enough (I will check the exact speed), but, of course, the actual throughput for Internet is limited to 25-50 KBPS. This is because of the external connection. I have not checked the internal speeds for audio transmission.

Belkin or Netgear? This is subjective. I like the way Belkin is built, it's ease of installation, easy modifications (IP address etc). I also feel it is faster than the Netgear.

Before I chuck my Netgear and look for a new router, I will certainly do research and get the best. My Netgear is hardly a year old.

Cheers

[quote=venkatcr;19123]You are correct Vortex. All three models - 980, 981, and 983 use Cirrus Logic DACs. I am sorry for that error. Cant understand where I picked up that information from. What I said, stays true though. A CDP is better than a Universal DVD Player for Redbook CD.

Hi Venkat,

My question is more basic than the discussion going around. I have ordered for a Oppo981 and am awaiting delivery. I have a Onkyo705 and Wharfedale 5.1 speakers. What is the best connection between the DVD player and the 705 for sound quality? Is it digital, HDMI, optical or Analog. Also, depending on what your recommend, what options to set in the DVD player. For video, I am anway going to use the HDMI cable. the reason I ask is that I am given to beleive, one can only realize the full audio potential of your player if you pass the sound signal through analog out to the reciever. I am looking for good sound quality for audio CDs, SACDs and 5.1 movie sounds of SD DVDs. Thanks.

[quote=Anands123;20134]Use HDMI for audio/video both the best and most convenient option.
If you use the analogue outs you would be using the DACS on the Oppo. With the HDMI you would be using the Onkyo DACS which i think would be marginally better. The difference in SQ would be very minor.

Anand:

To answer your question, you have to understand a few things. There are two ways of sending digital multi channel data from the DVD Player to the receiver - Bitstream and PCM. Bitstream has been around for some time and you can use either coaxial or optical cable for this. The only issue with bitstream is that is a compressed format and could lose some data. PCM on the other hand is uncompressed and a good DVD can send this across as RAW format for your AVR to decode. Till some time ago, sending PCM has been a bit tricky as it needs huge bandwidth. So if you had an decent DVD Player, you allowed the player to do the decoding and sent the data in analogue form through either 6 or 8 RCA cables. But HDMI 1.3 has solved that. HDMI has enough bandwidth to carry uncompressed data in it's raw form.

With the Oppo 981 and the Onkyo 705, you can send data either through bitstream or PCM. Any of the methods of connection will work for Dolby and DTS and all it's variants. For SACD and DVD-A, there is a restriction. You cannot use coaxial or optical connection. This is copyright restriction which both Oppo and Onkyo follow diligently. For SACD and DVD-A you have to use either HDMI or multi channel analogue RCA connections. If you use HDMI, the 705 will be doing the decoding. If you use analogue RCA cables, the Oppo player will be doing the decoding.

If you are using HDMI connection, here is what you have to do in the player.

In The Speaker Setup Page.
1. Down mix to 5.1 CH
2. Front Speaker to Large
3. Centre Speaker to Large
4. Surround Speakers to Large
5. Sub Woofer to On

In the Audio Setup Page
1. Set HDMI Audio to Auto
2. Set Digital Output to Raw

If you are using the 6 or 8 analogue audio cables, here is what you have to set:

1. In the Speaker SetupPage down mix to 7.1 or 5.1
2. Set the speaker settings as per the AVR
3. Enable or select multi-channel analogue outputs in your AVR.

If you are using coaxial or optical connections, in the Audio Setup Page, set Digital Output to RAW. This will ensure the original Dolby Digital and DTS audio stream will be sent to the receiver for decoding. It will also work for transfer of digital stereo data. As I said before it will not work for SACD or DVD-A.

Cheers

Venkat, as informative as your post is, I am getting confused here. Can you help clarify a couple of things?

Regardless of how we connect the Receiver and the DVD player - if we use 'Source Direct' would not the DVD do all the work? And if we use 'Pure Direct' would not the AVR do all the work?

Also in your above example - for DVD Audio one cannot rely on HDMI connection. So how would we connect to the DVD and the Receiver? Do we need to switch from HDMI to Coaxial manually or should we have both connected at the same time?

And finally I have heard a lot about Receivers having the capability to deliver LPCM or Linear PCM - what is that supposed to do? And how do we use it? Is this relevant when listening to Audio CD's?