[peterpa]

Hi, this looks like a great site for HiFi info. I have a decent setup: Rotel preamp RC1572, Rotel power amp RB1552, Rotel cd player RCD1572, Denon deck with Ortofon Red cartridge, Monitor Audio Silver Series speakers. I recently signed up for MetOpera On Demand and I currently get the sound into my system from the optical TV o/p to a preamp optical i/p. Is there a better way?

[FullRangeMan]

Welcome tô AC 

[avta]

You're going to use the Met Opera app on your TV?

[Phil A]

Welcome!

[ArthurDent]

Greetings & Welcome to AC peterpa   

[peterpa]

Thanks for welcoming me. I'm not sure if I'm now replying to a particular post, how does this work?
I'm using Roku to get MetOpera to my TV. I'm not sure how or if I can get the best sound signal into my sound system.

[FullRangeMan]

Thanks for welcoming me. I'm not sure if I'm now replying to a particular post, how does this work?

To reply a particular post click QUOTE at the right in the post you want reply.

[artur9]

I'm using Roku to get MetOpera to my TV. I'm not sure how or if I can get the best sound signal into my sound system.

We have that setup as well. 

On one TV it's HDMI from the Roku into the TV and then optical out from the TV to a stereo amp.  That TV only does stereo out.

Similar for the other TV except that TV can do multi-channel out from its optical.

Both sound very good.  I think the connection method matters less than having good amplification and speakers/headphones.  It takes very sensitive amps/transducers to hear that level of difference, IMO.

[peterpa]

Thanks for the reply. I wondered just how good TV optical outputs are. It sounds good to me. I suppose being digital it must be.

[peterpa]

But I don't even know if this is a digital output, I started on HiFi stereo 60 years ago and recently came back to it. Modern tech and gear is a different animal completely. When I started, stereo was pretty new.

[toocool4]

Welcome to AudioCircle peterpa

[avta]

I think your current setup is what is required and should be fine. Another option which is what I was referring to in my initial response is to see if you TV has the ability to download the Met Opera app from its app store. For example I have a Sony TV and its possible to download the Met Opera app from its app " store". That way you wouldn't have to use Roku.

[peterpa]

I'm a Newbie who recently posted a message about getting input from TV to HiFi system for MetOpera On Demand. I received helpful info but now have a more fundamental question about modern HiFi.
Please help me understand the modern situation. I was a HiFi Stereo enthusiast 60 years ago, everything was analog, there was nothing else. After a hiatus of 40 years I have returned to my old interest and bought new equipment. During the interim Digital happened. Here is my understanding of the digital/analog situation, please educate me:
Analog persists where digital isn't possible - e.g. microphones produce an electrical analog of sound waves; pre-amps condition or amplify this and pass it (still analog) to a power amp: power amps send the analog to speakers which turn the analog into sound waves which are another analog of the original.
The storage and transmission medium is digital.
Digital recording or transmission is decoded by special circuits and passed as analog to pre-amps or power amps.
Quality of reproduction depends partly on conversion circuitry between digital and analog and partly on quality reproduction in the analog circuits: Easy and cheap at signal level but harder and more expensive at power levels with low distortion (to speakers). I need help to know where the analog/digital divides are. Are the inputs to my pre-amp (Rotel RC-1572) all analog, including optical signals from the TV? Is the TV optical output as good as it gets for MetOpera On Demand? I'm assuming my TV has to transcribe a digital signal to send it to my pre-amp.
I'm really lost. Any recommendations for a book or other source?

[JLM]

Digital systems all need a DAC (Digital Analog Converter).  Signals transferred via USB, ethernet, AES/EBU, coax, or optical are all digital and come from a CD transport, computer, server, etc.  DACs are normally freestanding but can be built into preamps, receivers, or all in one boxes and will have USB, ethernet, AES/EBU, coax, and/or optical inputs.  Signals transferred via RCA (unbalanced) or XLR (balanced) are low level analog (into/out of preamps or into power amps). 

[charmerci]

This reminds me. I thought a number of years ago, Naim(?)/Meridian (?) had an all digital system. I think that the digital amp was built into the powered speakers.

[toocool4]

charmerci not Naim, but Meridian and yes Meridian are still doing it. It's all kept in the digital domain until the very last point, It still has to come out analogue as that is all our ears / brain understands.

[charmerci]

charmerci not Naim, but Meridian and yes Meridian are still doing it. It's all kept in the digital domain until the very last point, It still has to come out analogue as that is all our ears / brain understands.

Thanks!

[FullRangeMan]

Hi,
The Starting Block Circle is really for people to introduce themselves.
As this your second topic seems dont fit any Circle I can see for now,
I will merge it with the topic you created in 18AUG21.

[Doublej]

An opera is an 'analog performance". The audio and video capturing devices that are recording the performance are likely converting the performance to digital format as part of the capture process. It does this with chips called video and audio ADCs (Analog-to-Digital Convertor). The performance is stored in digital format. When you request the performance through the MetOpera on Demand application on your Roku device, it is sent in digital format to Roku device. The Roku device then sends it in digital format to your TV using the HDMI interface protocol.

The TV then converts the signal to analog video and audio format using video and audio DACs (Digital-to-Analog Convertors). Using video and audio amplifiers built into the TV you then can see and hear the performance on the TV.

Except in your case you told the TV not to play the audio on the TV speakers but instead to send a digital format audio signal to the optical digital input on your Rotel preamplifier. Your Rotel preamplifier then uses its built in audio DAC to convert the digital information to analog format and send it to your power amplifier.

The analog level that is sent to your power amplifier is controlled by the volume knob on the Rotel preamplifier.

Is the Rotel receiving the maximum quality signal available for the MetOpera on Demand? It depends. In order to determine if the answer is yes, the following questions must be answered:

1. Is the MetOpera on Demand application on the Roku device capable of receiving the maximum quality signal available from the Met?
2. Is the Roku device set to always receive the maximum quality signal available?
3. Can the Roku device transmit the maximum quality signal to the TV?
4. Can the the TV accept the maximum quality signal from the Roku?
5. is the TV set to always receive the maximum quality signal available?
6. Can the TV output this maximum quality signal to the Rotel receiver?

If the answer to each one of these questions is yes, then yes the Rotel is receiving the maximum quality signal available from the Met. If the answer to any one of these questions is no then you may not be receiving the maximum quality signal available. But we have one more question to determine if you are hearing the maximum quality signal available.

7. Can the Rotel convert the audio signal it receives without any quality reduction?

in the digital domain, signal quality reduction can be defined as when the output produced by a thing (could be a hardware device or software program) contains less bits than the upstream thing is capable of sending. As an example, in the digital audio world if the source file is 96kHz/24bit format but your playback device is capable of only 16-bit/44.1kHz, the playback device will either not be able to receive the file or it's playback will be reduced in quality from the maximum available quality.