Denon 3805 - digital source can't be heard in Zone 2

I

ic33

Guest
I'm using my Denon 3805 to drive a 5-speaker set-up in my main room and 2-speakers in my kitchen (by connecting these to the surround back channels and using the power amp assign to have these set to zone 2). All is fine when using analogue audio inputs, I can choose what I listen to in Zone 2 and adjust the volume independently of the main zone. Great.

But when I am listening to source through a digital input (CD or DVD) in the main room that source cannot be sent to Zone 2. There is some vague statement in the manual about this but it seems to indicate that you can't have a digital input source output at the Zone 2 pre-outs. I'm not using the pre-outs but the surround back amps.

This is all quite annoying as I prefer to have by CD analogue output sent directly to my separate stereo dedicated integrated amp (MF A3.2) and therefore this only leaves the CD's digital output to route to the 3805. I'm sure I'm not the only person who does this to avoid the 2-channel limitations of home cinema amps!

Unless I've missed something here my options would appear to be the following to get CD sound in Zone 2:
a) Route the analogue CD output to the Denon and live with the poorer quailty of playback I'll get in using the 3805 pre-amp section (kinda defeats the purpose of having a dedicated stereo integrated as I'd only be using its power amp section)
b) Find some way of routing a recording output from the stereo integrated or 3805 back into another analogue input on the 3805 and select that as the source for Zone 2 (not sure this is possible yet - can anyone see any drawbacks?).

I'm open to other suggestions? Pity about this as it marrs an otherwise very capable product.
 
No You Have Not Missed Anything. Zone 2 Will Not Outut Digital Signals,says So In The Manual And I Had It Confirmed By Their Tech Heads.
 
I have a similar set up but zone 2 is my dining room. I don't have a seperate stereo amp though. Can you buy / manufacture a set of interconnects that can run the analogue from the cd player to both the 3805 and your other amp (ie two inputs and four outputs). If you are not using the stereo amp at the same time as the 3805 then I don't see why this wouldn't work. I'm not a techy though and don't know if this is possible but it was just a thought.
 

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