Need help on Blu-Ray Player integration with Audio

[FauxHall]

I've long resisted getting a TV but my wife could use one to watch Pinay shows and I think can I avoid the worst dreck and only spend time with quality video of my choosing. I've been away from TV for many, many years.

I've got a Sony HAP-S1 and Sony SS-HA1 speakers for the audio and I'll still use it for music listening in my living room. I want to stay with Sony products just out of deserved brand loyalty but I guess that's not a hard rule.

Here in the UAE, the TOTL Sony Blu-Ray player offered is a UBP-X700. It has no analog outputs but it does have a a coax digital output and an optical digital output and a pair of HDMIs. I'll probably get a Sony X90F series TV with a digital output too. Would it be worth getting something better like a UHP-H1 which does have analog out?

With the presumption that the HAP/SS sound system will sound better than the the speakers integral to the TV, I'm thinking I should run a digital coax from the player to the HAP-S1 and the optical digital from the TV to the HAP-S1. That way I can get the HAP to play directly from the Blu-ray player (including the one SACD I still own) and from the TV for the tabletop box and whatever I get on the network.

So that's my thinking - Am I right in my planning or did I guess wrong?

 

[Yamaki]

What I would do is connect the BluRay digital out (optical or coax, your choice) to the HAP-S1 and run the BluRay HDMI out to the TV directly. Turn off the TV speakers in the setup menu and that should work very nicely.

 

[FauxHall]

And the set-top box? It has a optical digital out that I'll also run to the HAP-S1 but that is more digital inputs (TV, player, and desk-top box - 3) than the HAP-S1 has (2).

I'll have to see if the TV can pass-through the audio signal it gets from the set-top box once I get it up and running. The on-line manual doesn't get into that level of detail.

 

[GChief]

I'll have to see if the TV can pass-through the audio signal it gets from the set-top box

It should, you’ll just need to dig through the audio menu until you find it.

 

[charles 1973]

Here in Canada most TV optical digital audio outputs will only pass Stereo, But will send DD 5.1 from the TV's tuner and video apps like Netflix with smart TV's.

We must use a HDMI DD 5.1 extractor with devices with no digital audio output or connect the Blu-ray player to the receiver to get DD 5.1 or better.

 

[robert_kc]

OP: Am I correct that you are not interested in surround-sound (i.e., 5.1 or 7.1)?

I’m not an expert. Following are the questions I would ask based on my experience. (I use modern Oppo players in multiple systems with vintage tube amps. Separately, last year I helped a friend buy a reasonably-priced 2 channel system for music and movies, based on a modern 2 channel AVR.)

Assuming stereo (not surround-sound), I think there are 2 issues:

1. What will work – i.e., pass audio.
   
   
2. What will deliver the best quality audio. For example, will the player output the SACD layer of an SACD through the coax or TOSLINK output, or will it only play the CD layer of a Hybrid SACD through the coax or TOSLINK output? Will the player output DTS-HD MA 5.0 (i.e., full Blu-ray audio quality) through the coax or TOSLINK output, or would some “reduced resolution” audio be sent through the coax or TOSLINK output? Depending on the player, copyright restrictions and/or bandwidth limitations may come into play when using coax or TOSLINK. (Additionally, in general, an outboard DAC might have limitations.)

It’s unfortunate that your Sony HAP-S1 does not appear to have an HDMI input. (My understanding is that a DAC with an HDMI input potentially could support any type of digital audio at full quality.)

I generally don’t advocate buying an AVR, but that’s a versatile option. There are a few stereo (not surround-sound) modern AVRs that support HDMI, and are inexpensive. (E.g., the Onkyo TX-8270 that I coached my friend to buy. They’re satisfied with it.) You could use the stereo analog line-level outputs from your Sony HAP-S1 to the AVR (i.e., using the AVR’s amp instead of the HAP-S1’s amp). HDMI from a universal disc player to the AVR. HDMI from cable box to AVR.

Another option is to get a universal player that supports all modern digital audio and video formats (e.g., Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, Pure Audio Blu-ray, SACD, CD), and has analog audio outputs. (Connect the audio output from the universal player to your Sony HAP-S1 via RCA red & white analog line-level audio connections.) Examples of Ultra HD Blu-ray players that have stereo (not surround-sound) analog audio output include the Sony UBP-X1000ES and Pioneer UDP-LX500. (Or, a used Oppo player.) Using the universal player’s built-in DAC might result in fewer problems than using an outboard DAC for hi-res audio. And, you’d free up a digital input on your Sony HAP-S1.

Bottom line, you may have to experiment to see what you find satisfactory. The most prudent approach would be to buy a Blu-ray player from a retailer with a liberal return policy, and try it in your system. If that doesn’t work, return the player and try a different configuration. My guess is that the configuration described in earlier posts involving coax audio between a universal player and your HAP-S1 might work OK – depending on your requirements. Audio/video synch might be a problem if you use an HDTV’s TOSLINK audio output connected to your HAP-S1. Again, I think you’ll have to experiment.

Please let us know what you discover.

 

[KrisM]

Here in Canada most TV optical digital audio outputs will only pass Stereo, But will send DD 5.1 from the TV's tuner and video apps like Netflix with smart TV's.

We must use a HDMI DD 5.1 extractor with devices with no digital audio output or connect the Blu-ray player to the receiver to get DD 5.1 or better.

That's not true out west.
I got 5.1 from my Starchoice Satellite/Shaw Satellite for years. I've been with Telus Optik for about 6 years and they've also always been able to pass a 5.1 signal straight out of the box