Chad,
There are alot of variables here. Your Rotel processor probably has some pretty decent DACs in it to begin with, and there's no guarantee that an external unit will outperfom what you already have.
The first step would be to listen to some music through the 2 channel analog inputs and compare it to the sound listening through the digital input of the processor.
If you are satisfied with the sound through the digial input, just do it that way. If you're not, you might consider an external DAC.
Using an external DAC for music, you will need to have two digital outputs on your DVD player, one going to the DAC and the second running directly to a digital input on your processor for the surround sound. The DAC will have to be connected to an analog input on the processor. I don't know of any reasonably affordable external DACs that will "pass through" the digital stream.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
T.H. Salmon
There are alot of variables here. Your Rotel processor probably has some pretty decent DACs in it to begin with, and there's no guarantee that an external unit will outperfom what you already have.
The first step would be to listen to some music through the 2 channel analog inputs and compare it to the sound listening through the digital input of the processor.
If you are satisfied with the sound through the digial input, just do it that way. If you're not, you might consider an external DAC.
Using an external DAC for music, you will need to have two digital outputs on your DVD player, one going to the DAC and the second running directly to a digital input on your processor for the surround sound. The DAC will have to be connected to an analog input on the processor. I don't know of any reasonably affordable external DACs that will "pass through" the digital stream.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
T.H. Salmon