Discussion
Silly question about how DAC works...
If I'm running audio from laptop to receiver via headphone port to RCA input, obviously thats using the laptop sound card for DAC and sending an analog signal through.
If I run HDMI from laptop to TV, then optical from TV to receiver does it stay as a digital signal until the receiver and use the DACs in the receiver instead?
My impression is that it sounds noticeably better when connected via HDMI + optical, but it could be placebo effect as I haven't done a back to back test with critical listening - just sat there and enjoyed it.
Its a ~10 year old receiver with no HDMI inputs (Onkyo TX-SR503), but the manual says it has individual DAC for each channel.
If I'm running audio from laptop to receiver via headphone port to RCA input, obviously thats using the laptop sound card for DAC and sending an analog signal through.
If I run HDMI from laptop to TV, then optical from TV to receiver does it stay as a digital signal until the receiver and use the DACs in the receiver instead?
My impression is that it sounds noticeably better when connected via HDMI + optical, but it could be placebo effect as I haven't done a back to back test with critical listening - just sat there and enjoyed it.
Its a ~10 year old receiver with no HDMI inputs (Onkyo TX-SR503), but the manual says it has individual DAC for each channel.
HDMI is digital only, so your laptop will most likely be decoding the audio and sending it as linear PCM to the TV. Optical is obviously digital to the Onkyo, where it will be converted. I would assume the HDMI > optical passes the LPCM digital signal straight through, but sometimes these inputs and outputs are on discrete cards and so god knows what happens between them in reality.
I'd apply the Linn tune dem principle: if it sounds better, it is better.
I'd apply the Linn tune dem principle: if it sounds better, it is better.
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