Is HD audio a big enough difference to warrant upgrading my receiver?

[OhioGuy25]

I have a 15 year old Yamaha HTR-5150. http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/htr/htr-5150_black__u/

I originally made a thread inquiring about lossless but now I've been made aware of HD audio as I will be watching BluRays exclusively. Is this the same thing? If so I apologize, just want to make sure I'm covering all of the bases.

I'm kind of on a budget and would like to save where I can. If I can continue using my receiver, which is in excellent condition, without noticing a huge difference in audio quality that would be great. Thanks!

 

[Warpserver]

I don't see a reason to unless you want HDMI switching. If the Bluray player has S/PDIF (whether coax or optical) your receiver already has inputs for that, which is digital. The connections for these are on the back right to the left of the "Yamaha" logo and labeled "Digital Signal".

If the player doesn't have a S/PDIF output for some reason there are HDMI audio extractors however it's probably easier at that point to find another AVR.

 

[OhioGuy25]

I don't see a reason to unless you want HDMI switching. If the Bluray player has S/PDIF (whether coax or optical) your receiver already has inputs for that, which is digital. The connections for these are on the back right to the left of the "Yamaha" logo and labeled "Digital Signal".

If the player doesn't have a S/PDIF output for some reason there are HDMI audio extractors however it's probably easier at that point to find another AVR.

It does have both coax and optical- does that mean I'll get HD audio from the BluRay?

 

[Duane]

It does have both coax and optical- does that mean I'll get HD audio from the BluRay?

If you're referring to DTS MA or Dolby True over the digital inputs, then the answer is no. But, you'd still be able to get DTS and or DD via the digital input.

If you have a Blu ray player that has analog, multi channel outputs, then you'd be able to use those outputs to your receiver's multi channel inputs and have the the HD audio because the player does the decoding and will send that over those multi channel analog outputs.

 

[thaxman]

Since you mentioned you are on a budget, one thing to remember is that HDMI signaling is constantly evolving. A 5 yr/old HDMI receiver can't process everything that is coming out of a 3 mo/old Bluray player. So even if you get a TOTL HDMI receiver today, it won't be able to reproduce "the net big thing" coming in through the HDMI ports.

 

[Raynald]

HD soundtracks on well produced Blu Rays do sound quite a bit better than the regular tracks. To get them you will need a receiver with HDMI inputs. The good news is that it does not need to be a new one. Many people are dumping excellent home theater receivers with HDMI and HD decoding in order to get the latest tech like 4K or 3D which are of no use to most of us. There are bargains to be had.

You can even get an older receiver that does not have HD decoding. As long as it has DD/DTS and HDMI inputs and your Blu Ray player can decode the HD tracks, almost all can, you can let your player do the heavy lifting and send the decoded signal to your older receiver via HDMI for amplification. Some of these older receivers go for a song.

And to answer your question, HD soundtracks are lossless which is why they are much better sounding. There were some early Blu Rays that did not have HD soundtracks, merely the lossy DVD tracks carried over so not every Blu Ray is an improvement sonically. And as usual, the original production values matter. A poorly recorded and engineered soundtrack will not sound good just because you play it back in HD mode.

What Blu Ray player are you using?

 

[bare]

Dohhh! gotta Get HD sound So you can hear Sex in The City movie soundtrack in enhanced quality... through the Walmart speakers.:yes:

 

[Raynald]

Try "Master and Commander" instead. From Sound & Vision:

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
(20th Century Fox)
This is among the bestsounding films ever made. You feel a surreal sense of the atmosphere, from every creak of the hull to the gentle lapping of the sea. Combined with intense battles, blistering explosions, and unnerving cannon fire, this is a dynamic tour de force. The soundfield is one of the best we’ve heard; its imaging extends around and over you. Master and Commander’s soundtrack defines the state of the art.

 

[hjames]

Yep - for movies, its my go-to test disc (bluray)!
Just played the "out of the fog attack" scene Sunday after I hauled the smaller UREI 809s
down to the multimedia room to compare them to the Vandy 3As!
(UREIs win!)

Try "Master and Commander" instead.
From Sound & Vision:

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (20th Century Fox)
This is among the bestsounding films ever made. You feel a surreal sense of the atmosphere,
from every creak of the hull to the gentle lapping of the sea. Combined with intense battles,
blistering explosions, and unnerving cannon fire, this is a dynamic tour de force.
The soundfield is one of the best we’ve heard; its imaging extends around and over you.
Master and Commander’s soundtrack defines the state of the art.