Best 2 Channel Audio from 4K Blu-ray PCM Coax Digital to MSB DAC or Analog Output


I've recently started buying 4K Blu-ray discs again to try and get the best quality video for my new 97" OLED that is coming. I am about to get my old 4K Blu-ray player connected back up to my system and have some audio question. Trying to get the best possible audio from 4K Blu-ray discs on my 2 channel hifi setup.

Do I let the player decode Dolby TrueHD 2.0 or other surround format and send out analog to my setup? or do I have the player decode and send PCM audio digital coax out to my MSB DAC?

Originally I was thinking use the MSB DAC! But I'm a little concerned about the conversion from dolby to pcm and things like jitter, changes in sample rates or bit depth and clock differences between the player an external DAC. Seems like the MSB would clean up the signal and wouldn't be as affected by jitter and use it's own clock.

I'm sure I will try both audio paths once I get everything connected up but my engineering brain is telling me I should just be able to say before hand which is going to be better.

Thank you for all your help!


Player - Currently Sony UBP-1100ES looking into a Magnetar UDP900. Also have an Oppo BCP-103D.
Display - On order! LG 97G4
DAC - MSB Discrete
Preamp - Audio Research Reference 6SE
Amp - Dan D'Agostino Momentum S250 MxV
Speakers - Wilson Audio Alexia V
Future thinking about one or two! of those new SVS SB17 for some extra bass.

chauncey

Cable box is a 4K Xfinity network based not Coax so less of a chance of grounding.  The future!

I'd try all three , they are all viable connections.    Some systems with cable boxes can have ground loop issues.   

Option 1 will pass all video to your preamp from TV. 

Option 2  should be the best in theory.    If you get noise go Tos.  

@oddiofyl  Oh man i figured toslink would be the worse....with jitter I thought coax was always the preference?

Just got it connected and have three audio paths.

1. HDMI out to TV, Optical out of TV into DAC, XLR out to Preamp

2. Coax out of Blu-ray to DAC, XLR out to Preamp

3. RCA analog out of Blu-ray directly to Preamp.  

I would just connect via Toslink to avoid any hum and call it a day.  Connection via a coax may cause hum or noise.   Best to optically isolate video from your system.  

That's a great DAC , the last thing I'd worry about is jitter with TV/ Video sources.