Do stereo component inputs sound better than HDMI?

by JANNAS
(RSA)

I have heard that connecting stereo output from the blue ray player to the AVR (component cables) gives better quality when listening to CD, it gives a more balanced sound than HDMI. HDMI is better for DVD's and blue ray CD's. Is that correct?

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Hi

In some circumstances it may well be the case that an analog output will sound better than HDMI, but in most cases it's not going to be a huge difference and most people will probably not notice.

Firstly, it will depend on the equipment you have. The quality of the electronics in your player and amplifier will determine how the audio sounds from different connections. The quality of the DAC (digital to analog converter) in the equipment plays an important role in the resulting sound quality.

If you have a digital connection into your AV receiver (HDMI, optical), then the AV receivers DAC will convert the sound to analog. If you make an analog connection from your Blu-ray player, then the analog audio you hear will come from the player and not the amplifier.

If possible, you should connect your system so the device with the best DAC gets to convert the digital signal to the analog audio that you hear.

Therefore, some equipment may sound better over analog rather than HDMI and some may not.

Some may sound terrible over both :-)

Secondly, you will only hear any difference if you have good quality equipment. With a high quality player and amplifier, coupled with high quality speakers, then you may be in a position to notice a difference. With entry level equipment or all-in-one home cinema systems, you are unlikely to be able to hear any difference.

It's also not just analog and HDMI connections. Some people prefer to listen to music over an optical connection rather than HDMI - and in theory they are both sending the exact same digital signal!

Bottom line? Try it and see what you think. If you are an audiophile who wants to squeeze the very best performance from your equipment - and you have the gear to highlight the differences in sound quality - then connect your equipment with the different audio connections and run an AB test.

It's certainly a fun experiment for a rainy day!

All the best.

Paul (Site Editor)

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