Clarification for a newb, DACs and other stuff too

I'm not sure what you mean about your DAC having "Signal" and "DAT" inputs - my IIIa just has coaxial S/PDIF (RCA - two provided), balanced AES/EBU (XLR), and Toslink digital inputs (not counting the digital monitoring loop input, also on RCA, and the AT&T glass option is not installed). The correct sampling rate (32, 44.1, or 48KHz) is automatically detected for any of the digital inputs.

Anyway, I'm not surprised that it won't decode DVD's - it's not supposed to (in fact, according to Theta, not all DAT inputs will be decoded, depending on the output format of the source machine) - but I don't see why it shouldn't decode CD's fed it from your DVD player used as a CD transport. If it won't do that, I'd call Theta to ask why.

P.S. - BTW, you can use the "Edit my post" link, which will appear at the bottom of your post if you view it once posted (and nobody else has yet posted after you), for making changes or corrections to your post without having to submit another one... :-)

Did I say HERE.....DOH!!!! I meant HEAR.

Dang that "submit as is" button.

Thanks everyone.

The Theta DSPro Basic I has a signal and a DAT input, but neither work with the DVD players output.

When using a 44.1khz/16bit signal from a computer music workstation it works fine.

I dont have a spare CD player around to check it.

Whe using the digital from the DVD player, at the lowest setting 48khz/16bit, in either the signal or DAT input, the result is the same. You here the music but it is loud and distorted, the more dynamic(louder) the passage the more distorted it becomes.

I am considering purchasing a low dollar CD to use as a transport, but I would like to know will any CD player with digital out do?

Thanks in advance.

DVD players have ability to output several different digital formats including standard 16/44.1 PCM data which any digital converter can use.

Many older DAC's, including my own DSPro Basic IIIa, will decode 48KHz sample-rate inputs, because that was the DAT standard. Not that I can promise yours will work with the output from your DVD player when playing DVD's (there could be other complicating factors, and I've not done this experiment), but since all redbook CD's are sampled at 44.1KHz, that will be what is supplied on the digital output from the player when playing CD's, whatever type of player it is.