Connecting a STR-DN1080 to a HiFi Amplifier

[AmGood]

Hello,

I have a STR-DN1080 AV Receiver and mainly to improve the music listening experience I have Bi-amped my two front speakers.

Now, in an attempt to further improve the music listening experience I've looked the handbook (page 37) and see that you can connect another Amplifier to the STR-DN1080 Receiver via HDMI.

Having chatted to Customer Support, they explained that this 'solution' can be used to connect a dedicated HiFi Amplifier.

Does anyone have any experience of doing this?

[HannahEd01]

Hey AmGood, are you asking if this is worth it? Or do you need to know how to do it? Please clarify your questions, so community members could be able to help. 

[AmGood]

The answer to your question is: Yes.

However, I've already discussed, and implemented, a solution via another forum. 

[royabrown2]

@AmGood @HannahEd01 

Can you please give us a link? I would be fascinated to read it, as I formed some opinions about what your results might be here, but as they were pure speculation, I did not post, as I didn’t think they would get you any further forward.

It’s also good etiquette, when you raise a problem and find a solution elsewhere, to post such a link to help anyone coming after with the same query.

[AmGood]

The consensus ... backed by other research I did ... was that you cannot connect another amplifier to the STR-DN1080 to improve stereo playback ... as Sony Support said I could. You can do so with AV receivers that have sufficient pre-outs. The 1080 does not.

However what was put to me is that by attaching an external DAC to the 1080 I could make a significant improvement to Stereo playback, even though that improvement is choked to a degree by the Amplifier.

Because I play my music via iPhone (CD's stored in Apple Lossless format), the recommendation was to attach a BlueSound Node by the CD /SACD RCA Connectors (this ensures that the Node uses it's internal DAC) to the 1080 and in turn connect my iPhone to the Node by Airplay.

All done.  Big improvement. It's playing now.  Much (much) more detail in the music.  

Also I'm assured that if / when I upgrade my 1080, the Node will still add sparkle.

[SkyNet404]

Honestly I also didn't see that experiment before to connect 2 amps together. Speakers and subwoofers? Yes, but 2 amplifiers? Don't know about that.

[royabrown2]

Cheers, @AmGood 

I have a Bluesound Node, and it’s excellent.

But it looks like you have spent a little more than the 1080 cost, in order to get a better DAC - is that a fair assessment?

iPhone - Airplay - 1080 digital in - 1080 DAC - 1080 analogue amps - speakers

iPhone - Airplay - Node digital in - Node DAC - 1080 analogue in - analogue amps - speakers

I don’t know what your speakers are, or how many channels you are using for this - just stereo, or some of the multi channels as well?

You also mentioned that you had a stereo amp, make not mentioned, presumably with its own pair of speakers, which you hoped to use to improve the sound you got; but as we have seen, the 1080 doesn’t support this.

Stereo amps are supposed to have better sound than AV receivers (I’m sceptical myself, and I think electronics are much of a muchness - except for DACs - and the perceived differences are down to the speakers used), so one test I’d be intrigued by the results would be if you tried an ‘absolutely purist’ approach:-

iPhone - Airplay - Node digital in - Node DAC - stereo amp analogue in - stereo amp speakers

and reported on what that sounded like?

[AmGood]

I don't fully understand your message.

The system comprises of:

STR-DN1080 AV Receiver

UBP-X800 UHD Player

BlueSound Node.

Monitor Audio Silver front and centre speakers.

SV Sound SB-1000 Pro Sub.

Watching TV and playing movies is done wholly through the 1080. As you'll know, that way you are able to utilise multi-channel speaker layouts.  In my case 3.1.

Playing stereo music still uses the 1080 ("Direct" sound field selected and "Pure Direct" set to On). But I connect to 1080 via the Node ... using the SACD / CD RCA sockets to bypass the 1080's much inferior DAC. 

IF you connect the Node to the 1080 via HDMI it means that it is the Nodes superior DAC is bypassed.  In other words having the Node connected to the 1080 via HDMI is pointless.

And Yes, using the above set up means that stereo playback of music is pretty darned good.

Also because I have mounted the Node behind my TV, receiver and player, I still have a 'clean' and fairly minimal look.

[royabrown2]

@AmGood 

In turn, I don’t fully understand your reply - I fully agree with you about HDMI, and if you reread my posting, I not only didn’t suggest HDMI, the posting doesn’t even contain the phrase HDMI, nor does it imply it in any way.

You said you had a separate stereo amplifier you had been hoping to use, and I presumed this was what we might call a ‘classic’ stereo amp, so all analogue, no digital smarts at all.

Can you please give my posting another read, and we can go from what I did say?

[AmGood]

It's OK, John.

I'm pleased with the solution I have and happy to leave things as they are.  

Have a good evening.

Best regards.