How to connect a  

Thank you!

That’s is correct. I am going to do an entire video on analog, use of DAC, Audyssey, etc. I don’t like converting analog to digital and then again to again to analog because that’s what would happen if audio mode was stereo. That’s why I use Pure Direct because that bypasses the Marantz DACs and Audyssey all together. That’s a lengthy discussion and deserves a dedicated video.

Pure Direct I don’t believe does in fact bypass the DAC in the Marantz receiver. I could be wrong but I don’t think that is the case (and I am virtually certain both the speaker distances and delays remain intact and active (albeit the room correction aspect of Audyssey is disabled)). Where did you read this?

@@ts6640 Kal Rubinson on AVS had previously confirmed that on the old 8802A/8805 and on his review for stereophile.com.

@@ts6640 here is the discussion on AUDIOSCIENCE REVIEW: kal does say on here that the XLR, 7.1 inputs and RCA inputs bypass D/A and A/D/A. Post in thread 'Review and Measurements of Marantz AV8805 AV Processor'

Excuse me

Lol

Thanks for the comment. 1) Connect HDMI from the Blu-ray player to your TV and optical from the Blu-ray player to the Bose optical input. Optical should be on all the time but if there is no sound then change the audio output in the Sony to output sound via optical. 2) External DAC can be connected to the any of RCA inputs on the Bose. I would use the Aux input.

Great question. Yes, I always engage Pure Direct when using an external DAC. My Marantz 8805A has a separate 2-channel setting where I can set the speaker size and crossover separately. No eq or DSP is applied to Pure Direct like you said but the subwoofers are engaged without applying EQ. I have PEQ on the SVS SB16 Ultra and SB3000 which I engage if I really need to enjoy the music properly.

Yes you can connect DacMagic to the Onkyo using any of the available RCA inputs. For speakers depends on the what you are looking to setup. Are you thinking about a Dolby Atmos setup? If yes, then how many height speakers can you do? How many subs are you thinking of having?

@@magnoliamo thank you for your response. I am looking for 7.1 Dolby Atmos Setup.

Thanks for the question. You can go really crazy with DACs and the prices. Take a look at the digital signal processors that are recommended by Stereophile.com. There is a Topping DM7 for $599 which is great value and performs really good in actual tests. My preference is the Project Pre Box S2 which was a class A recommended product back in 2022. XLR is great to have but not a must have. I also like the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M with XLR that is on sale on crutchfield.com for $499. Here is the latest stereophile list. www.stereophile.com/content/recommended-components-2024-edition-digital-processors

No the USB-C power input is for the power input for the supplied power supply only. There is separate USB (B) input for a PC/MAC that should be used for best resolution. The USB (B) also supplies power to the DAC and that’s how I use it. I don’t use the separate power supply.

Pure Direct bypasses all DSP and EQ in Pioneer, Denon, and Marantz AVRs. If you want to use a subwoofer then you may want to connect the subwoofer left and right RCA input to the left and right RCA preout on the AVR. That will send the analog signal to the sub and will enable you to utilize the sub in Pure Direct mode.

Thanks for comment and question. Yes Denon X8500H, X6700H, X3600, X3700X, Arcam AVR850, Pioneer Elite LX504 all have better or higher than 97 Signal to Noise and Distortion Ratio SINAD. X8500H has 103 SINAD, the best among receivers per AUDIOSCIENCEREVIEW.com. If you want to use room correction then that’s the way to go. But, I will caution you that by engaging room correction Denon and Marantz will limit the resolution to 24 bit / 48 kHz. If you want to listen to high resolution 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 KHz, 192 KHz, and higher then you would need to engage pure direct mode on the receiver which will forgo room correction.

@@magnoliamoAny difference in Direct mode and Pure Direct mode on Pioneer AVR? Also Denon AVR? Pure Direct mean pure anolog input, signal doesn't go through internal DAC? But there's no subwoofer? :( I want to use sub but aware that internal DAC will process one more time the signal in Direct Mode, so I will not get the best audio signal from my external DAC :( TKS

@haivu-ph6sv Denon and Marantz have the 2-channel setting. Pioneer Elites will run the front speakers as large with no subs engaged in Pure Direct. I used to have Pioneer Elites years ago and still have the VSX-52. I got around that by utilizing the front left and right preout. You can connect front left and right preout from your AVR to the RCA Left and Right inputs of the subwoofer. That will ensure full range output to your subs and utilize them that way without having to eq the sound.

@@haivu-ph6sv Pure Direct bypasses all DSP and EQ in Pioneer, Denon, and Marantz AVRs. If you want to use a subwoofer then you may want to connect the subwoofer left and right RCA input to the left and right RCA preout on the AVR. That will send the analog signal to the sub and will enable you to utilize the sub in Pure Direct mode.

@@magnoliamo tks so much for your commentS :D i'm now using the Y split RCA cable to connect 1 Preout sub out port to SVS subwoofer, so i only have to switch to use a pair of RCA to connect to both Preout Sub on Pioneer then connect again to SVS right?

Yes 100%. I am assuming you love the movie soundtracks in your setup. Your AVR/Processor uses DACs for multichannel audio already. So for 2-channel music an external DAC would bring out the nuances in music.

@@magnoliamo so only for music?

@ernsttech5255 Yes 2-channel DACs are meant for a stereo system. There are multichannel DACs available as well but those cost more 💰. Primary purpose is 2-channel or Multichannel music. For movie soundtracks featuring Atmos/DTSX these stereo and multichannel DACs will not work.

@@magnoliamo thanks

Thanks for the comment. I would connect the analog output to the CD input of the Denon X4700 using unbalanced RCA cables. Then engage Pure Direct by pressing the Pure button on your remote until the display shows Pure Direct. In Pure Direct mode Audyssey MultEQ is turned off in addition to all the secondary processing. It is pure sound from the DAC that you will be listening to. The speaker distances, crossovers, and size are maintained. In addition, you can set the speaker crossover, size, and levels independently for 2-channel playback in the speaker menu. Let me know if you have any questions. Happy listening!

@@magnoliamo Thanks for your prompt response. So, my front tower loudspeaker should be connected to the AVR receiver if I understand you correctly, since I would be using the receiver's internet streamer for streaming music via Tidal. I believe that an external DAC will sound better than the AVR internal DAC. I am an audiophile. 😊 In case I am interested in the Pro-Ject Audio system pure CD transport, and the Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital DAC. How would I connect them to the Denon AVR-X 4700H? Because the receiver is rated at 125 Watts/channel, I still want it for bass purposes. Thanks, once again.

@@ogunrotimifemi6388 You shouldn’t use the internal streamer in the receiver. If you do then you are limited to the receiver’s built in DACs. I have the Project Pre Box S2. In order to make use of the internal DAC of the Project, you will need to connect a PC or a laptop to the Project via USB. Install the Project drivers on the PC or laptop. Then select the Project as the audio output device. Then follow the instructions in my reply above, that is, connect the Project via the analog output to an available RCA input of the receiver. Select Pure Direct as the mode. In Pure Direct, the analog signal is not being processed by the Denon’s DAC, audyssey is not engaged, but bass management remains intact. Sorry I didn’t understand your original question.

@@magnoliamo I just ordered a Musical Fidelity M8xi integrated amplifier. Which music streamer will you recommend? How will I connect it to use the internal DAC and amplifier of the integrated amplifier? Thanks.

@ogunrotimifemi6388 That’s a nice integrated amplifier but the built in DAC is limited to 24 bit 192 KHz sample rate. No DSD or MQA. Music Fidelity themselves recommend using an external DAC. But if you still want to stream music to it, you would connect using the USB input on the back of the M8xi. You would still need to stream using a laptop or PC as I described above. In the sound output settings of the PC/Laptop you would select Music Fidelity as the output device. Download Tidal/Spotify/Qobuz app on the computer and select Music Fidelity as the output device within the app as well. Hope this helps. Ask me more questions. What speakers are you driving.

You hook up this particular DAC using RCA cables to any RCA input on your receiver. The PC or laptop is connected via the USB input. If you are looking for a comprehensive video on hooking up a DAC then please checkout this video: How to connect a #dac to a receiver and a PC | Computer Audio Setup ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3tkcvH9RRA8.html

Depending on the Blu-ray player you can connect the optical or digital coaxial to the DAC. Set the HDMI output for video out only. I have a Panasonic UB820 and have tried to connect it that way. The sound does get better for music but I lose the ability to bitstream 3D audio, such as Dolby Atmos and DTSX.

Thanks man! In that case I believe that I should connect the HDMI directly to my TV and send the audio (via coaxial) to the DAC and from the DAC to my Receiver. Then set the TV to the Blueray HDMI input (set as video only) and the receiver would feed the audio, right?? That is the only way I can figure out how this would work. I hope I made myself clear haha @@magnoliamo

@@alfredogomezluna9368 what you describe should work. Btw, what receiver, TV, and Blu-ray you have? I’d like to confirm. Thank you.

I have a DENON DRA 800, an LG Blue Ray with only HDMI out and Coaxial, and LG TV (a modern one I don;t know the exact model) haha I will try it and let you know@@magnoliamo

You can also maintain the current connection into the receiver, but on the Sony input to which you have connected the LG Blu-ray specify audio input a analog. The LG Blu-ray player should be connected to the DAC via optical and the RCA from the DAC into the RCA input that corresponds to the HDMI input on the receiver. That should also work.

Thanks for the comment. It highly depends on your receiver and processor. I know Denon and Marantz bypass the analog to digital in Pure Direct mode. With a DAC you need to use pure direct to bypass the ADA conversion. I agree it’s counter productive. What receiver do you have. You may want check what it’s doing in pure direct. If converting analog back to digital in pure direct then a DAC provides little benefits.

@@magnoliamo I have Denon so it might work. Thanks, I will check what's happening in pure direct mode 👍

Thanks for the video. I have everything hooked up to my Marantz sr7015. Fire stick, Blu-ray and other items I cast to. How do I go from pre amp back to pre amp?

@francismunoz2437 Thanks for the comment. You have all your devices connect to the SR7015. Are looking to connect a DAC to the SR7015 or another preamp?

@@magnoliamo looking to connect a Dac to the preamp.

You mean the RCA on the Pre Box S2? If so, then I am sorry I cannot assist with that. You will need to contact Project. Thank you.

@@magnoliamo yes but maybe a hard reset will get it going

Hi. At the 7:01 min mark I show and tell which RCA input I connected the DAC to on my Marantz. You can use any RCA inputs on your AVR or processor. I prefer CD input or media player. MQA DAC is worth it in my opinion. I have the AudioQuest dragonfly red which is an MQA renderer and the Project Pre Box S2. Both sound great. Tidal and Qobuz both have a huge MQA library. Whoever says MQA is not worth it hasn’t listened to MQA or believes FLAC is better.

Thanks I'm sorry I was getting annoyed because I wanted to use tidal and I bought a daq for it with mqa and I asked people on Reddit and they all where giving me the dimishing return line and long explanations on why I don't need it so I was getting aggravated because I really wanted to try it. But thank you I really appreciate it.

@@BostonMike68 no worries. Once you have it hooked up, make sure you listen to it in Pure Direct Mode. Bypass analog to digital and then again to analog conversion in the AVR. The DAC will unfold the MQA file to it maximum resolution and perform the digital to analog conversion and then pass the signal in analog form over the RCA connection. All you do is engage PURE Direct on your AVR and enjoy.

@@magnoliamo thanks for your help I appreciate it i can't wait to it gets here its coming today on amazon. I build speakers and I want to get the best quality music for them and I realize an AVR isn't the best for music and I want to get separates eventually but for now I'm looking forward to hearing the DAC!

@@BostonMike68 one last question. Which DAC did you get. And nice to know that you build speakers.

Really! Looking back on this video now, I think it’s too long. Thanks for the feedback.

This follow up video would be very helpful for you. I get straight to the point in this one. I apologize for wasting your time in this video. I thought it would be helpful to provide some background information. How to connect a #dac to a receiver and a PC | Computer Audio Setup ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3tkcvH9RRA8.html

Yes. My preference is balanced. I used to have an Oppo 205 and loved having the XLR connection. Not on this DAC unfortunately. I’m in the market for a DAC with Balanced output.