For years I have used a Yamaha E-800 to provide its niche capability of 3.1 with the 2.0 sent analogue to my main system.
I have accepted the dramatic difference in signal between my other sources and the fact I need to turn the volume up toward 12 o'clock for the 5.1 to balance correctly. This wasn't such a hardship with my Naim amps as they had those new fangled remotee controller things. The new amp requires a personal visit to change source and volume.
My sources for film content are Amazon Fire TV (non 4K so it still has optical out which I've split with one feed to the Yamaha and one to the ND5) and a SKY box which sends digital coax to the ND5 and optical to the Yamaha. I currently have to manually configure these for 2.0 for most viewing but have to change the SKY settings to Dolby Digital and use the Yamaha setup for anything I want to hear in 5.1.
Is there a more elegant solution which allows me the convenience of switching the input via the ND5 and always provides either a native or extracted 2.0 automatically depending on the source? I'm thinking there must be a 5.1/7.1 receiver out there which does this.
Just to save a bit of time and typing later; I'd prefer not to go with the easy option of a 5.1 receiver and a second set of front speakers nor replacing the Audio Note amp with an AV receiver, it's rather lovely!
Thanks in anticipation.
Posted on: 16 February 2017 by Adam Zielinski
The easiest solution would be to use front L & R outputs from your Yamaha and feed them to a uniti-gain input on your power-amp. Can this be done with your setup?
Feeding ND5XS with a 2.0 signal, means you are essentially feeding it with a down-mixed stereo, which also contains central and surround channels. Not ideal....
Adam
Posted on: 16 February 2017 by NickSeattle
I agree with Adam. Nothing wrong with your DSP-E800. Are you running Main Output from the 800 into your NAC 102 in AV Unity Gain mode? That is what I do with my Denon 5.1 AVR.
I would run all video sound exclusively through the 800, and audio-only sources, if any, through the ND5, which connects directly to the 102 into e.g. AUX or TUNER.
Wiring sources to both DACs, and toggling the output between 5.1 and PCM 2.0 is never going to be straightforward, especially via remote control.
Unity Gain at least frees you of the need to use the Naim remote, other than to set the 102 to AV. After that, the Yamaha remote handles all the switching and Volume for video sources.
Nick
Posted on: 16 February 2017 by Dazlin
Thanks guys,
I wasn't aware of the unity gain feature all these years! I must never how gotten around to reading the manual that would have been great.
Alas, no longer an option. I've just replaced the Naim 102/180 with a new Audio Note valve amp which has an input selector and little else in the way of modern features, hence the preference to have the signal presented at the ND5 which aggregates some of my inputs currently into one place on the input selector.
I hear what you say about down mix and agree, however when I use the ND5 currently for 2 channel, I'm selecting a stereo setup on the SKY box which I believe is true rather than down mix (unless you know otherwise), similarly with the Amazon box.
What I'm reall looking for is an AV receiver/processor which can resolve a 5.1 signal normally/properly and output the true front/main 2 channels as a digital signal providing true 5.1 when it's available. Ideally when the input signal is stereo it could pass that through the same path; effectively a pre-out but digital in that scenario.
.....I may be asking too much I know!
Darren
Posted on: 16 February 2017 by Adam Zielinski
I don't think this feature exists commercially - essentially you'd be needing an amp that has a per-channel digital output. Haven't seen one of those. HDMI certainly does carry that signal - I could imagine, with a bit of tweaking / geeking you could extract Front L and Front R from it....
Posted on: 16 February 2017 by NickSeattle
Well Darren, lesson learned, eh? Been there; done that, myself.
Have a look at the Audio Note amp's manual and get the best from it, before selling it on. I've never seen or heard their products, but understand they are very special.
Unity Gain turned out to be a reason I've stayed with Naim -- plays well with others, especially integrating with AV systems, though they no longer make their own. Not everybody requires that, but I do.
Nick
