HELP! Do I need to replace my amp? Options

[sawdin]

I have a Denon AVR 3806 which I bought about 4 years ago, thinking I was going to do a home theatre set-up. I've never set up a HT system, and probably won't in the near future. My focus now is on computer audio. The Denon spec sheet notes that it has true 24-bit/96-kHz Digital Input Capability, but not 24-bit/192-kHz Digital Input Capability unless using 1394 connector or a 'Denon Link' (which looks like an ethernet cable that can be attached a Denon Source that uses the Denon Link). The 3806 does not have a 1394 input (4806 does) and I do not have a Denon source that uses the Denon Link. What happens if I connect a 24/192 DAC to the 3806? Will it play at all? Will it convert to 24/96 and sound like crap? If I use the analog outs from a DAC, doesn't that by-pass the DAC's in the receiver? If so, will the receiver send out 24/192 to my speakers?

Thanks...it's been awhile and I haven't kept up to date on digital audio.

The specs note that the 3806 has :
24-bit/192-kHz DACs – Burr-Brown PCM-1791 2/8ch

Analog-to-Digital Conversion - Bit Depth/Sampling Rate 24-bit/192kHz; BB PCM-1804

Digital Inputs: Coaxial 2
Digital Inputs: Optical 5
Digital Outputs: Optical 2

Complete Specs:
http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/623.asp

Does it make sense to sell the 3806 and purchase something like the 24/192 matrix-mini DAC and an integrated 2-channel amp (focusing on audio) that accepts digital inputs? If so, who makes a decent amp that is designed for digital input under $1,000. My system info is listed below.

THANKS!
===============
Senn HD 650, Perreaux Sihoutte SXH1 amp,
Denon AVR 3806, Denon DVD 1920, Revel Concerta F12 speakers
Dell XPS 8100 Realtek HD Audio SC w/ Tru Studio PC software (Creative/THX)
Swann D1080 Mk II speakers
Monster HTS 3500 Mk II and various cables.

This post has been edited by sawdin: Mar 6 2010, 21:30

[alexeysp]

The 3806 does not have a 1394 input (4806 does) and I do not have a Denon source that uses the Denon Link. What happens if I connect a 24/192 DAC to the 3806? Will it play at all? Will it convert to 24/96 and sound like crap?

DAC, as you could guess from the name, is a digital to analog converter. It's output is an analog waveform, and it does not possess such characteristics as bitdepth or samplerate. "24/192" is a characteristic of the DAC's input capabilities, and it says virtually nothing about the quality of its output, whatever you might mean by "quality".

You can only connect the DAC to the analog inputs of the reciver. Of course it will play just fine, but since the receiver already has the built-in DAC (actually four of them), it makes little sense to use an external DAC unit.

If I use the analog outs from a DAC, doesn't that by-pass the DAC's in the receiver?

Yes, exactly.

If so, will the receiver send out 24/192 to my speakers?

It will send the amplified analog signal (voltage varying with time) to your speakers. Analog signal can not be described as "24/192" or anything like that.

It seems that you are confusing the DAC's input format with the quality of it's output. These are different things.
Or maybe you think that the DAC's output is still "digital" in some sense. No, it is not - it's just as analog as the output from, say, a tape recorder.

Does it make sense to sell the 3806 and purchase something like the 24/192 matrix-mini DAC and an integrated 2-channel amp (focusing on audio) that accepts digital inputs?

If your receiver is working well, I don't see any reason to replace it with anything. Just connect the optical out from your computer to the optical input of the receiver, that's it. No extra components required.

Even if the receiver does not accept the 24/192 digital signal, the chances to actually encounter audio material encoded in this format are quite low, and even then you can always resample to lower samplerate in software. And no, lower samplerate does not mean "lower quality".