The issue is the SACD playback. If you want to use the processor’s DAC to play SACDs, the only solution I’ve seen is to use DSD over HDMI. This also restricts which player you can use (Oppo, PS3, the Sony XA5400ES).
And even then, it’s hard to find a processor which does DSD over HDMI. The latest Bryston SP3, the Marantz 8802 and the Emotiva XMC-1 do, but as you know, Lyngdorf and Classe do not, and neither does Anthem (AVM 60) nor McIntosh (MX122 or MX160...I believe).
If you let go of the SACD playback and go with something like a DAC that can play DSD files, that opens everything up again. Something like a Merging+NADAC multichannel streaming DAC or even a PS Audio Directstream DAC are good options you can pair with any receiver.
It’s a weird and fragmented world in HT setups right now, especially with Atmos and the new HDMI 2.0b/2.1 specification. Personally, I’ve taken my receiver out of the chain and I’ll just do stereo for a couple years until things settle down.
And even then, it’s hard to find a processor which does DSD over HDMI. The latest Bryston SP3, the Marantz 8802 and the Emotiva XMC-1 do, but as you know, Lyngdorf and Classe do not, and neither does Anthem (AVM 60) nor McIntosh (MX122 or MX160...I believe).
If you let go of the SACD playback and go with something like a DAC that can play DSD files, that opens everything up again. Something like a Merging+NADAC multichannel streaming DAC or even a PS Audio Directstream DAC are good options you can pair with any receiver.
It’s a weird and fragmented world in HT setups right now, especially with Atmos and the new HDMI 2.0b/2.1 specification. Personally, I’ve taken my receiver out of the chain and I’ll just do stereo for a couple years until things settle down.