Latest High-end Pro/pro?

[dschamis]

I have been out of the market for a while, but its time for me to get back in.

I am looking for the latest and greatest choices on a high-end (>$5k) pre/pro that has the latest features (HDMI upconversion, HDMI switching, all the latest digital sound fields, etc.).

In the past I have lusted after Lexicon products, but the MC-12 seems way behind on these items. I would imagine that they have a new model on the way, but haven't seen anything about it yet.

Thanks,

David

[WonHung]

Meridian G68 has much of those features. Also their flagship Meridian 861 v4.

[dschamis]

I don't think that the either of them do HDMI switching or HDMI upconversion, which is annoying since there are products at 20% of the price that do.

[Spizz]

I would suggest you look at the Anthem D2 with Gennum VXP scaler.

Personally I am hoping Denon releases there next Flagship AVR or the much delayed Pre/Pro with a Gennum or VXP scaler as I really want the Audyssey Room EQ and Denon Link for SACD and DVD-A.

[gostan]

The only one that meets your description as of today's date is the Anthem D2 just as Spizz points out. After much experimentation and demoing and buying and selling, the Statement D2 is my pre pro of choice. Now where are the Blu-ray players and movies?

[cpu8088]

halcro logic and nad master series

wait for hdmi 1.3?

[dschamis]

[QUOTE=cpu8088]halcro logic and nad master series

wait for hdmi 1.3?[/QUOTE]

What are the major advantages of HDMI 1.3?

[neekos]

1.3 will give you 1080p capability as well as the yet to be ironed out HD Dolby Digital Audio format.

[Kal Rubinson]

[QUOTE=dschamis]I don't think that the either of them do HDMI switching or HDMI upconversion, which is annoying since there are products at 20% of the price that do.[/QUOTE]
There are two add-ons available for HDMI switching.

Kal

[sdurani]

[QUOTE=neekos]1.3 will give you 1080p capability as well as the yet to be ironed out HD Dolby Digital Audio format.[/QUOTE]Those audio formats were ironed out some time ago and in fact are already on discs and in players.

Sanjay

[Privateer]

What are the major advantages of HDMI 1.3?

Why invest in 1.1 when nothing is finalized yet? There is a possibility that 1.3 will have a physical change in the connector.

[uzun]

Probably the Anthem D2 is closest to filling those reqs right now. Still it lacks room correction which, despite what they tell you, is quite useful. I have a dedicated home theater room thats been acoustically treated, and auto room correction for level, distance, and frequency definately helps, providing a superior listening experience to a radio shack meter style calibration.

[Smackrabbit]

[QUOTE=neekos]1.3 will give you 1080p capability as well as the yet to be ironed out HD Dolby Digital Audio format.[/QUOTE]

HDMI can already do 1080p with 1.1, just no one really implements it yet. Also, the new HD formats can be passed as uncompressed PCM over HDMI 1.1 as well. 1.2 adds SACD support, and 1.3 makes it so you can pass the bitstreams for DTS-HD and DD+, but HDMI 1.1 will handle them as well typically.

[dschamis]

[QUOTE=Smackrabbit]HDMI can already do 1080p with 1.1, just no one really implements it yet. Also, the new HD formats can be passed as uncompressed PCM over HDMI 1.1 as well. 1.2 adds SACD support, and 1.3 makes it so you can pass the bitstreams for DTS-HD and DD+, but HDMI 1.1 will handle them as well typically.[/QUOTE]

So when do we think that 1.3 products will actually hit the street?

[sdurani]

David, In the past I have lusted after Lexicon products, but the MC-12 seems way behind on these items. I would imagine that they have a new model on the way, but haven't seen anything about it yet.The MC-12 is five years old, so it doesn't have the latest HDMI connectivity. Lexicon typically doesn't even hint at new models until they are shipping, so don't expect to hear from them until the last minute. I am looking for the latest and greatest choices on a high-end (>$5k) pre/pro that has the latest features (HDMI upconversion, HDMI switching, all the latest digital sound fields, etc.).You're basically describing the Anthem D-2 which, having come out just a few weeks ago, is packed with the latest technologies. The only thing missing is room correction, for which you can either wait for Anthem's solution or get an outboard unit, like the upcoming one from Audyssey (which will still bring you under the MSRP of the MC-12).

Sanjay

[LEVESQUE]

[QUOTE=dschamis]
I am looking for the latest and greatest choices on a high-end (>$5k) pre/pro that has the latest features (HDMI upconversion, HDMI switching, all the latest digital sound fields, etc.).
[/QUOTE]

The Anthem D2 can do up to 1080p60 and up to 8 channels of PCM over HDMI 1.1, and is then fully ready for the new HD-DVD and Blu-ray players, and HD audio formats.

Also. It's not plain upscaling to 1080p. The Gennum VXP chip of the D2 can perform true inverse telecine and per-pixel motion adaptative de-interlacing of 1080i signals.

There is not a single pre/pro or high-end receiver out there on the market right now that can do what the D2 can do with a 1080i signal. Only dedicated external scalers (and only a few..) can do it...

[dschamis]

[QUOTE=LEVESQUE]The Anthem D2 can do up to 1080p60 and up to 8 channels of PCM over HDMI 1.1, and is then fully ready for the new HD-DVD and Blu-ray players, and HD audio formats.

Also. It's not plain upscaling to 1080p. The Gennum VXP chip of the D2 can perform true inverse telecine and per-pixel motion adaptative de-interlacing of 1080i signals.

There is not a single pre/pro or high-end receiver out there on the market right now that can do what the D2 can do with a 1080i signal. Only dedicated external scalers (and only a few..) can do it...[/QUOTE]

What is the MSRP/street price for the D2?

[neekos]

[QUOTE=sdurani]Those audio formats were ironed out some time ago and in fact are already on discs and in players.

Sanjay[/QUOTE]


which pre/pro currently incorporates DTS HD or DD+ decoding ?

[omegaGray]

[QUOTE=sdurani]The only thing missing is room correction, for which you can either wait for Anthem's solution or get an outboard unit, like the upcoming one from Audyssey (which will still bring you under the MSRP of the MC-12).
[/QUOTE]

Whence comes this tidbit, if I may ask? I wouldn't consider Audyssey's installer-only product relevant to this dialogue...

[sdurani]

[QUOTE=neekos]which pre/pro currently incorporates DTS HD or DD+ decoding ?[/QUOTE]What does that have to do with "yet to be ironed out HD Dolby Digital Audio format"? The Dolby audio formats for HD are ironed out, available on HD discs, with decoding chips in HD players. What's not ironed out about those formats? Do you have specific examples?

Sanjay

[sdurani]

[QUOTE=omegaGray]Whence comes this tidbit...[/quote]T'was from CEDIA and from discussion (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7533848#post7533848) here at AVS. I wouldn't consider Audyssey's installer-only product relevant to this dialogue...OK, don't. But that won't stop it from being installable in an Anthem D-2 based home theatre, allowing the OP to have the video features he wants without sacrificing room correction, for around the price of other processors mentioned in this thread.

Sanjay

[gostan]

[QUOTE=dschamis]What is the MSRP/street price for the D2?[/QUOTE]$6700.00, but it can be purchased at decent discounts.

[neekos]

[QUOTE=sdurani]What does that have to do with "yet to be ironed out HD Dolby Digital Audio format"? The Dolby audio formats for HD are ironed out, available on HD discs, with decoding chips in HD players. What's not ironed out about those formats? Do you have specific examples?

Sanjay[/QUOTE]

I was originally speaking about processors which was the original question from the OP. You started discussing HD discs and HD players ?

What's not ironed out is, not one processor is able to implement the technology yet pertaining to DD+ and DTS HD. Hence "yet to be ironed out" in the pre/processor world in terms of implementation.

[sdurani]

[QUOTE=neekos]...yet to be ironed out HD Dolby Digital Audio format[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=neekos]I was originally speaking about processors[/QUOTE]Do you routinely refer to a processor as an "audio format"? They're two different things. The only reason I posted a reply to your comment is for the sake of clarity: the HD audio formats have been ironed out. They may not be implemented specifically in processors yet, but they have already been implemented in other hardware and software.

Sanjay

[neekos]

[QUOTE=sdurani]Do you routinely refer to a processor as an "audio format"? They're two different things. The only reason I posted a reply to your comment is for the sake of clarity: the HD audio formats have been ironed out. They may not be implemented specifically in processors yet, but they have already been implemented in other hardware and software.

Sanjay[/QUOTE]

How far does sarcasm get you ? :rolleyes:

Again, the original question was about processors. I stated that no processor exists that decodes the new HD Audio formats.

Let's move on, this is getting boring.

[DreamCatcher]

[QUOTE=neekos]How far does sarcasm get you ? :rolleyes:

Again, the original question was about processors. I stated that no processor exists that decodes the new HD Audio formats.

Let's move on, this is getting boring.[/QUOTE]
The processor doesn't have to do the processing of the new HD audio formats.
This is done in the source units, HD DVD, BluRay players......... and passed on via HDMI (1.1) cable to the processor, at least that's my understanding :)

The OP should take the advise of others in this thread, and many others, and audition the Anthem D2..........

dc

[neekos]

[QUOTE=DreamCatcher]The processor doesn't have to do the processing of the new HD audio formats.
This is done in the source units, HD DVD, BluRay players......... and passed on via HDMI (1.1) cable to the processor, at least that's my understanding :)

The OP should take the advise of others in this thread, and many others, and audition the Anthem D2..........

dc[/QUOTE]

In that scenario, it is not full HD, but down rez from what I understand it to be. You can always use the multi channel outputs of the player for the HD audio signal.

[sdurani]

[QUOTE=neekos]I stated that no processor exists that decodes the new HD Audio formats.[/quote]If you had stated that originally, I would not have posted a reply. In that scenario, it is not full HD, but down rez from what I understand it to be.Decoding in the player and transmitting via HDMI 1.1 is still full resolution, not down-rezzed. At some point the HD codecs have to be decoded/unpacked into PCM digital audio. It doesn't matter whether that step occurs in the player or processor, you get the same results.

Sanjay

[neekos]

[QUOTE=sdurani]If you had stated that originally, I would not have posted a reply. Decoding in the player and transmitting via HDMI 1.1 is still full resolution, not down-rezzed. At some point the HD codecs have to be decoded/unpacked into PCM digital audio. It doesn't matter whether that step occurs in the player or processor, you get the same results.

Sanjay[/QUOTE]

first point, enough of your BS.

second point, if you use HDMI 1.1 , how is the result the same when the codecs turn the DD+ into PCM digital ? isn't that down rez? I'm just trying to understand your logic, so respond in a civil manner.

[BobDole]

[QUOTE=neekos]first point, enough of your BS.

second point, if you use HDMI 1.1 , how is the result the same when the codecs turn the DD+ into PCM digital ? isn't that down rez? I'm just trying to understand your logic, so respond in a civil manner.[/QUOTE]

The DVDp decodes the DD+ soundtrack and sends it UNCOMPRESSED over HDMI 1.1 to the pre/pro. All the decoding, bass managment, etc. is done in the DVDp - the pre/pro only controls the volume (although some pre/pros may apply bass management - not 100 % sure on this). Using HDMI 1.1 will yield the same results as using the 7.1 analog inputs of your pre/pro. Down-rezing only occurs if you use the coax/optical digital outpit.

[neekos]

[QUOTE=BobDole]The DVDp decodes the DD+ soundtrack and sends it UNCOMPRESSED over HDMI 1.1 to the pre/pro. All the decoding, bass managment, etc. is done in the DVDp - the pre/pro only controls the volume (although some pre/pros may apply bass management - not 100 % sure on this). Using HDMI 1.1 will yield the same results as using the 7.1 analog inputs of your pre/pro. Down-rezing only occurs if you use the coax/optical digital outpit.[/QUOTE]


Thank you. That was the missing information I was looking for.

[BobDole]

[QUOTE=neekos]Thank you. That was the missing information I was looking for.[/QUOTE]

You're welcome. HDMI is indeed a mess - a little confusion is to be expected. Since it will likely be years until we see pre/pros that actually decode DD+ and DTS-HD better than the players, I will be using the 7.1 inputs of my pre/pro with a good HD or blu-ray player once this mess gets sorted out.

[omegaGray]

[QUOTE=sdurani]T'was from CEDIA and from discussion (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7533848#post7533848) here at AVS. OK, don't. But that won't stop it from being installable in an Anthem D-2 based home theatre, allowing the OP to have the video features he wants without sacrificing room correction, for around the price of other processors mentioned in this thread.

Thanks for the permission. I won't consider audio room correction features relevant to the discussion about video processing. Nor to what drives my enjoyment of this hobby--or, for that matter, what appears to be a fairly broad consensus of the posters in that thread. I appreciate your desire to put me in my place, though.

[sdurani]

[QUOTE=neekos]first point, enough of your BS.[/quote]Like I said, I only responded originally because you used "audio format" to mean "processor". if you use HDMI 1.1 , how is the result the same when the codecs turn the DD+ into PCM digital ? isn't that down rez?All codecs have to be decoded/unpacked into PCM digital audio at some point. This is even true of current DD and DTS codecs. The bass management, time alignment, surround processing, room correction, etc, in receivers and processors are all applied to PCM audio. D/A conversion means converting PCM to analogue; there are no, for example, DD or DTS to analogue converters.

HDMI 1.1 is able to transmit up to 8 channels of 96/24 (maybe even 192/24) audio, so the resolution of the various HD lossy and lossless codecs don't have to have to be reduced. So if you decode the signal in the player and send it as PCM to the processor via HDMI 1.1, it will be no different than transmitting the native bistream via HDMI 1.3 and decoding in the processor. In both cases, you end up with the same resulting PCM digital audio.

Current HDMI 1.1 has the bandwidth to carry the full resolution of the HD codecs. When HDMI 1.3 shows up, the HD codecs will be able to be transmitted in their native bitstreams. But that won't give you any better sound. I'm just trying to understand your logic, so respond in a civil manner.It's not my logic, just the way the HDMI interface works. Once in digital form, you can transmit it without loss.

The other way to get full resolution into your receiver is to use the multi-channel analogue connections. This is a valid alternative if you don't have HDMI connections. However, the multi-channel analogue inputs on most receivers and processors are straight pass-throughs, so you lose the ability to apply surround processing, time alignment, bass management, room correction, etc.

And finally, I am being civil. You used the wrong term earlier and are apparently angry at me for calling you on it; not the other way around, so I have no reason to be uncivil.

Sanjay

[sdurani]

[QUOTE=omegaGray]Thanks for the permission.[/quote]What did you want me to do? Disagree with you? I won't consider audio room correction features relevant to the discussion about video processing. Nor to what drives my enjoyment of this hobby--or, for that matter, what appears to be a fairly broad consensus of the posters in that thread.Looking over the posts in this thread, I don't see the discussion limited to video processing.

The original poster said that he was looking for a "pre/pro that has the latest features", video and audio. The D2 is the only pre-pro that currently covers the video side of what he wants. The audio features are almost there, missing only room correction, which is one of the more useful "latest features" (included in the Meridian processors mentioned earlier, as well as in the MC-12 that the OP himself mentioned).

Rather than sacrifice that feature, I suggested a way he could have one of the better room correction systems and have the D2 in his system. That would cover pretty much everything he said he was looking for.

BTW, since my post was in reply to the original poster, what does your enjoyment of this hobby have to do with suggestions I was making to him?

Sanjay

[neekos]

Sanjay:

You come across as obnoxious and rude. Just trying to point that out if you don't already know it. You are taking words out of context. I started my response to the OP by talking about PROCESSORS, not players or discs, so please do us all a favor and drop that issue.

Now for this quote from you:

Current HDMI 1.1 has the bandwidth to carry the full resolution of the HD codecs. When HDMI 1.3 shows up, the HD codecs will be able to be transmitted in their native bitstreams. But that won't give you any better sound.
How can you make this comment about the sound not being any better when you can't back it up with any evidence or fact ?

[sdurani]

[QUOTE=neekos]I started my response to the OP by talking about PROCESSORS, not players or discs, so please do us all a favor and drop that issue.[/quote]The OP asked: "What are the major advantages of HDMI 1.3?"

You replied to him with: "1.3 will give you 1080p capability as well as the yet to be ironed out HD Dolby Digital Audio format."

Both parts of that reply were factually incorrect, at least as written (I can't know what you were thinking). I corrected the part about the Dolby audio format and another poster corrected the part about 1080p capability advantage. Nothing more complicated than that.

No where in the above quote (which constitutes your entire first post) was there a mention of "PROCESSORS". If there had been, I wouldn't have bothered replying to begin with.

As for dropping the issue: gladly. But you bring it up in every subsequent reply to me, so I end up having to re-explain why I initially posted. And now you've even resorted to ad hominem attacks. Your actual desire to drop the issue will be evident in your next post. How can you make this comment about the sound not being any better when you can't back it up with any evidence or fact ?Because the decoding process in the player is no different than the decoding process in the receiver or pre-pro: the decoded PCM data is identical.

Now, IF the digital connection from the player didn't have the bandwidth to transmit all the decoded PCM data, THEN you would have to down-rez the signal. This is the situation with the S/P-DIF connection, where the decoded PCM signal has to be re-endcoded using lossy DD or DTS compression in order to fit through a coax or Toslink optical connection.

However, this is not the case with the currently available HDMI 1.1 connection, because that interface has more than enough bandwidth to transmit the decoded signal without the need to down-rez. When that PCM data arrives in the receiver, it is identical to the PCM data that the receiver's built-in decoder would have spit out. No difference.

So when HDMI 1.3 eventually allows you to send the HD audio bitstream natively to a receiver for decoding, the end result will be identical in sound quality to what you were getting currently with a HDMI 1.1 interface.

The bottom line, for someone like the OP, is that he could connect a currently available Toshiba HD-DVD player to a currently available Anthem D-2 via HDMI 1.1 and get the same audio quality as with a HDMI 1.3 connection that will be available in the future. Some folks want to wait for HDMI 1.3 to arrive but, as far as sound quality goes, there's really no reason to.

You can confirm this by doing a search on the topic or taking a look at some of the information in the HD-DVD and BD forums.

Sanjay

[neekos]

The OP asked: "What are the major advantages of HDMI 1.3?"

You replied to him with: "1.3 will give you 1080p capability as well as the yet to be ironed out HD Dolby Digital Audio format."

again, you are playing with words. Read the OP's title "LATEST HIGH END PRE/PRO"

why would I talk about anything but the processor ?

my statement merely states that in the processor world, the processing of DD+ or DTS HD currently does not exist in the processor itself.

and now for this....

I thought you Californians were supposed to be laid back. So here is my olive branch to you..."Dude, you gotta chill" :cool: Take your 5k posts and put them away for now. You don't have to be right all the time. I know I'm not :)

[omegaGray]

The D2 does seem to be all that and a bag of chips, absent the room correction available in the 4806 and other processors. A "standalone" Audyssey that doesn't stand alone for someone who does not have ready access to or wish to be held hostage by the man with the stuff may or may not be an acceptable substitute. To blithely toss it out as an easy fix while failing to mention the limitations on its flexibility does a dis-service to those you would like to think you're advising.

[uzun]

If the D2 actually had good room correction built in and well integrated into its digital data path, I would say "it's all that and a bag of chips", as the saying goes.

I find it a very worthwhile feature in actual practice, and far superior when done right to calibrating sound levels with a Radio Shack meter.

[omegaGray]

Agreed, uzun. If the D2 had it, I'd already have one in a box sitting in my closet waiting for the house to be finished. It's attractive enough to have me debating between that and a 4806.

Or other options, should anyone have suggestions to further complicate the decision... :cool:

[sdurani]

[QUOTE=neekos]my statement merely states that in the processor world, the processing of DD+ or DTS HD currently does not exist in the processor itself.[/quote]Except that's not what you originally said. Now you say that "HD Dolby Digital Audio format" means "DD+ or DTS HD". And you say I'm playing word games? I thought you Californians were supposed to be laid back.And I thought you wanted to "drop that issue". Apparently we both thought wrong.

Sanjay

[sdurani]

[QUOTE=omegaGray]A "standalone" Audyssey that doesn't stand alone for someone who does not have ready access to or wish to be held hostage by the man with the stuff may or may not be an acceptable substitute. To blithely toss it out as an easy fix while failing to mention the limitations on its flexibility does a dis-service to those you would like to think you're advising.[/QUOTE]I never characterized the Audyssey unit as an "easy fix", only that it was one of the better room correction systems currently available and a feature that the OP would not have to sacrifice should he opt for the D2. Not that there's anything particularly difficult about having it in a system.

I also didn't outline specific strengths nor limitations because those are up to the OP to decide, IF he chooses to persue the suggestion. Is eight channels a strength or a limitation? Depends on whether the user is running a 5.1 or a 9.3 speaker set-up. So I didn't impose my ideas of strengths and limitations on the OP, simply suggested a workable solution.

Your personal disdain for the Audyssey unit and custom installers aside, it remains a viable consideration; especially since it allows choosing a pre-pro to not be limited to ones with room correction built in. I find that liberating rather than being "held hostage".

Sanjay

[LEVESQUE]

The next thing coming for the Anthem D2 is room-eq. They are working on it.

The scaler with HDMI 1.1 switching and Gennum processing was the top priority for HD-DVD and Blu-ray compatibility. Next in line is room-eq.

And I think they just proved they can do anything they say they will do, particularly when they came out with a Gennum VXP scaler even BEFORE the dedicated external scalers companies were able to put one on the market... And the D2 is the first pre/pro on the market fully ready for HD (8 ch of PCM over HDMI 1.1 and video processing up to 1080p60 with 1080i true inverse telecine and per pixel motion adaptive deinterlacing)

[bkwong73]

Sorry guys, what is so great about the Gennum VXP scaler's? I understand it can upconvert to 1080P, and in a preamp/processor, which I think is great.

But how does it compare to Faroudja's DCDI, which I currently have the Faroudja NR Scaler, which only does 720p.

Thanks, BK

[chelliot]

Don't know much about it but 6 HDMI in and one out...nothing in the announcement about scaling except a cryptic comment about scaling composite and s-video signals to component (???).

[sdurani]

[QUOTE=chelliot]nothing in the announcement about scaling except a cryptic comment about scaling composite and s-video signals to component (???).[/QUOTE]I don't think it does any scaling (as in video processing), just transcoding between composite, s-video and component.

Sanjay

[LEVESQUE]

[QUOTE=bkwong73]Sorry guys, what is so great about the Gennum VXP scaler's? I understand it can upconvert to 1080P, and in a preamp/processor, which I think is great.

But how does it compare to Faroudja's DCDI, which I currently have the Faroudja NR Scaler, which only does 720p.
[/QUOTE]

The Faroudja is doing inverse telecine and per-pixel motion adaptive de-interlacing of 480i only. DCDi is working only with a 480i signal, and NOT with a 1080i signal.

The new generation of chips like the Realta HQV and Gennum VXP are doing all this for 480i, but ALSO for 1080i, and even the equivalent of DCDi. So if using an HD-DVD player, a satellite HD stb, or anything outputting a 1080i signal, then you need those new chips. With 1080i, your Faroudja is doing "bob" and vertical interpolations, and you are then losing vertical resolution. And there is no DCDi with 1080i in video mode.

[omegaGray]

[QUOTE=sdurani]I never characterized the Audyssey unit as an "easy fix", only that it was one of the better room correction systems currently available and a feature that the OP would not have to sacrifice should he opt for the D2. Not that there's anything particularly difficult about having it in a system.

Sanjay[/QUOTE]

So it's available? Hadn't heard about any extended real-life experience with it yet, only speculation--to which I am contributing based on reports this will be an installer-only device.

Sanjay, your arguments are tendentious. You didn't characterize it at all; just offered it up as a magic bullet implying it was an even-steven swap for built-in correction, with no qualifications whatsoever. As with many manufacturers who value volume over quality, your post count appears to be built on some shortcuts.

I agree the Audyssey represents an interesting option, and appreciate you pointing it out. I had checked out the link you listed in your post, and read it again when you waxed so enthusiastically. Even went to the source materials as best Google could pull them up, and was disappointed that the comments on the board--and on other forums--as well as the marketing limitations of the product itself fell short of the blunt assertion you made that it would be a good substitution. I believe we agree it would, in limited and specific situations.

Proprietary solutions rarely are the best choice in the long run, and certainly not for someone who likes adding a few spices to the soup mix him- or herself. I am leaning towards the D2. The Audyssey, however, is a non-starter. I would never contemplate installing a product that would require professional attention if we were to make adjustments to the system or the environment. I'm well-prepared to adjust levels myself the old-fashioned way--hey, it's just hours in the day, and when I spend this much on a hobby, I'd just as soon it be an interactive one.

Audyssey appears to be targeting the user who doesn't mind calling an HVAC service to turn the thermostat down every spring. Good for them, and based on how she-whom-I-treasure-beyond-all-mention-of-her-idiosyncracies-that-NEVER-shall-be-characterized-as-faults handles the thermostat, they may have hit on something. You should get a cut if the OP buys one.

Regards

[rnrgagne]

[QUOTE=LEVESQUE]The next thing coming for the Anthem D2 is room-eq. They are working on it............. (8 ch of PCM over HDMI 1.1 ...................)[/QUOTE]

I know this is a scaler thread, and that has got me interested in the D2, but I've got a quick question on the audio side;
I don't know if there's a long shelf life ahead for SACD but out of curiosity does the D2 have the ability to accept and apply processing of DSD signals thru HDMI or i-Link? The i-Link is my favorite feature of my 59AVi / Z9 combo. I would assume that HDMI would be similar or better in all respects, but does that mean upgrading to a D2 means bye bye to the 59 if I want a DSD transferred digitally?

[sdurani]

[QUOTE=omegaGray]You didn't characterize it at all; just offered it up as a magic bullet implying it was an even-steven swap for built-in correction, with no qualifications whatsoever.[/quote]It's not an even swap for built-in correction because the D2 has none. That's the only reason I suggested an outboard solution. It's not a choice between Anthem room correction vs Audyssey room correction. It's a choice between having room correction vs not having any. I had checked out the link you listed in your post, and read it again when you waxed so enthusiastically."Waxed so enthusiastically" where? Earlier you said I "didn't characterize it at all". ...the marketing limitations of the product itself fell short of the blunt assertion you made that it would be a good substitution."Substitution" for what? There is no room correction in the D2 to substitute for. I would never contemplate installing a product that would require professional attention if we were to make adjustments to the system or the environment.But I never asked you to contemplate anything of the sort for your system. Considering how you feel about custom installers, this is not the room correction solution for you. Again, my suggestions were to the OP; who can investigate the D2 and the Audyssey and decide whether they are for him. I'm well-prepared to adjust levels myself the old-fashioned way--hey, it's just hours in the day, and when I spend this much on a hobby, I'd just as soon it be an interactive one.But, again, those are your priorities. IF the OP has hours in the day to adjust levels the old-fashioned way and turn music listening and movie watching into an interactive hobby, then he may decide that the Audyssey unit doesn't offer the level of interactivity he needs.

Likewise, my priorities are different. I use a MC-12 with built-in room correction, because I extensively customize the audio and have no need for HDMI. But you don't see me making suggestions to the OP based on my priorities.

Since I don't know the OP's priorities, all I can go by is what he originally posted. If he feels that built-in room correction is important, then he won't take my suggestion for the D2. If he doesn't like a custom install product, then he won't take my suggestion for the Audyssey. Audyssey appears to be targeting the user who doesn't mind calling an HVAC service to turn the thermostat down every spring.They're targeting customers that want Audyssey room correction. Customers will decide whether they want a custom installed set-it and forget-it solution or something built into a Denon receiver that they can tinker with. You should get a cut if the OP buys one.And you should throw a party if he doesn't.

Sanjay

[jheoaustin]

[QUOTE=rnrgagne]I know this is a scaler thread, and that has got me interested in the D2, but I've got a quick question on the audio side;
I don't know if there's a long shelf life ahead for SACD but out of curiosity does the D2 have the ability to accept and apply processing of DSD signals thru HDMI or i-Link? The i-Link is my favorite feature of my 59AVi / Z9 combo. I would assume that HDMI would be similar or better in all respects, but does that mean upgrading to a D2 means bye bye to the 59 if I want a DSD transferred digitally?[/QUOTE]

Unfortunately no, AFAIK. D2 has HDMI 1.1 but no i.link, and stuffs with HDMI 1.2 are now being developed/designed. I am not sure if D2 is easy to upgrade the HDMI chip to 1.2 or 1.3 ones.

I wonder if there would be any SACDP converting DSD to PCM and transmit it as 88.2kHz/24-bit/6-ch PCM over HDMI... This could be a pretty good niche product for audiophiles.

[omegaGray]

Sanjay, your priority is to be right.

The point remains that you suggested a product as a solution that is--at best--a situational one. I'll drop the pretense of worrying about the OP's intentions and say flat-out you led me up a dead-end path. Not your problem, mine.

I appreciate the effort on your part to point out the options--after research I understood whether or not it made sense for me, exactly as you suggest the OP must do. I understand the rules of the forum now: you dangle your wisdom, we scale the mountain and uncover its meaning.

I bow in admiration of your rectitude. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, cryptic and narrowly-focused it may be.