There are two DACs in the HD-AVP/AVA.
The DAC used for Dolby decoding is very good and from Analog Device (I will find out the model #). Home theater decoding is different from USB Audio decoding so the DAC chip can not be shared.
The USB Audio DAC used is 9018K2M, a newer and more commonly used chip than 9018S.
But the main L and R channels are shared. The USB Audio DAC output goes to DAC RCA outputs as well as main L/R outputs. The manual explained how to switch between home theater or USB audio decoding.
I studied the manual and according to the information for 7.1 Pre Out multi-channel output on page 23, I have to use only the RCA connectors.
Questions:
1.) If I use this setup, will the HD-AVP use a different DAC than the "Stereo Speaker output/Balance XLR output" configuration?
2.) If the answer for question #1 is yes, what will be the limitations and the impact on sound quality?
3.) Does this multi-channel configuration still support DSD256 encoding over the USB-B port of the HD-AVP?
4.) Will it be possible to use Balance XLR output for L/R channels and RCA output for C/RS/LS channels in a multi-channel configuration?
The idea behind question #4 is to have a solution that works well in a multi-channel environment while watching movies and also to use the full stereo potential of the NuPrime combo when listening to music.
Sorry for all these questions, but the manual is not really clear here.