AV Amp choice

[DeLuDeD'S]

Hi all,

Please tell me anything ive stated wrong/missed or that i havent got a clue about ( because i probably havent )

Looking at buying a AV amp tomorrow so i can get surround sound on my new 42" Viera Plasma, i will be mosly playing SD and BD through my PS3 for the moment as i want to get the surround sorted before buying a dedicated BD player.

I already have

PS3
Denon UD-M50 (CD/Radio) unit
A Liteon harddrive recorder (HD-A740GX)
2x Gale 3040 tower speakers and the Gale Subwoofer

I'm looking primarily at the Sony STRDG820, my main reason is it does HD audio onboard, and the price is good and i hear the ps3 cant do this onboard ?? is that correct ?

Then there is the Onkyo TXSR606, and the Denon AUR1909,and maybe some others ?? that i also looked at but considering the prices i chose the Sony, i'm not tight on money just thought the sony would suffice..

I presume i can connect my cd player to the sony amp and use it as a normal stereo, and then switch over on the amp to use the surround sound when watching tv ? (with the same gale speakers ? )

Also with the PS3, what sort of quality 5.1/7.1 sound am i going to get, not really had much time to read on what i could expect from a ps3 system as only just purchased one.. dts ? dolby etc etc ? with SD BD and Games.

Cheers and go easy on me

 

[DeLuDeD'S]

Any input on amp choice ?

 

[davepuma]

HD audio decoding in the amp isn't required with the PS3 as it has to decode the HD audio itself and output as LPCM. However, HD audio decoding has now filtered down to budget receivers such as the Sony 820. It just won't get used with the PS3, no big deal.

The other amps mentioned (plus Yamaha 763 and Sony 2400ES) would be a step up from the 820 and offer some additional features, most notably video upconversion so you could connect say your DVD recorder to the amp via component video and output via a single HDMI cable. The 820 lacks this feature. Some of the £400RRP receivers also upscale but that's not a feature I would necessarily look for. The Yamaha 763 and Sony 2400ES have preout connections for connection to a separate amplifier. This would be one way of connecting up your Denon, connecting the front pre-outs to an input on the Denon, probably a Video/Aux input. Personally I wouldn't bother. Otherwise it would mean some form of switch to switch between the two amps and the front speakers. I don't think it would be worth the expense and would sell the Denon on.

The PS3 decodes all audio formats e.g. Dolby Digital+, DTS, DTS HD MA, lossless PCM, Dolby True HD etc. etc. so you will get 5.1/7.1. It's a cracking machine and does a whole lot more than play games and blurays.