The *NOT BORING!* Hi-Fi faff chat and sales

It's Help the Idiot Time #1 folks, the first of at least a few, if not many...

Starting with a very simple one!

Currently this is how I'm getting sound from my PC to amp:


Which I assume means the PC's sound card does the DAC and it's not great, so I figure I should be using this:


And then the amp does the clever conversion bit and it all sounds a lot meatier...

So am I talking bollox, and if not (and this is embarrassingly dim bit) how/where does it go into the amp? The PC seems to be a single phono out :? so I tried a single phono lead to the only digital in I can find which is COAX-1 IN, but I assume that's video!

Is it as simple as a one into two phono (by phono I mean an interconnect, hope that's right)?


All abuse and mockery happily recieved if it helps get the best out of this stunning bit of kit!



More on the amp here:
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=217495


Thanks!

Help the Idiot Time #2

Whilst I'm at it...

Picture this time.
Currently using S-video cable for monitor OUT (amp to screen), and component for DVD IN (ie yellow/red/white). PC is currently direct to the screen with a D-Sub.

Anything glaringly daft/improveable there? Component to the screen maybe to give better coherence, not that it's been a problem so far?

Ta!

digital is usually orange to orange - the 'coax' in on the bottom left of the Denon is your input from the PC and DVD.

you should really use component out to your screen for the best picture quality, you are down converting if you use s-video.

Had one in hand yesterday, knew I should have bought it! :facepalm:

So that COAX is an audio in? Is the orange lead different to a red, white or yellow (which I believe to be all the same), other than the colour?

Thanks

Oooo!
PC sounds better now, always been very disappointed with it, excellent, cheers! Just tried again with a phono lead (don't know what I missed last time), is it worth upping the lead quality for a digital connection?

The PC picture is direct pixel for pixel so I'll leave that for now. So it's just the DVD that will benefit from the S-vid to component upgrade I guess, it is a nice Cambrige Audio jobby though so I will get it done, try to keep ironing out the weak links...

Thanks again!

from memory, 'digital' leads are 75 Ohm, 'yellow' is composite video, 'red & blue' is you left and right analogue audio

about 2m is your max for coax cable, 10 to 20 metres for analogue


...from memory.

if you run out of inputs, try an optical cable from the DVD or Sky box (if you have one). this frees up one of the orange coloured sockets for other stuff

Hmm, it's a ten metre I just plugged in to try it out, still a big improvement though, too much so to be placebo I think but hard to be 100%...


Afraid I can't get away with much less either, maybe a five metre if I really try (under the carpet ). I'll have a Google for an orange jobbie and see if I can bag that component too.

Um, just to check, it was a fat something like red/green/blue (ish, possibly), not red white yellow, three leads in a bundle just for image not audio, are we talking about the same thing? Sorry to make it difficult by not knowing the names!

'component' is red green blue - the sockets correspond with the colours at each end of the connection. green to green etc.

random google image:

Was just getting images, beat me to it, Handy one that, cheers!

So component is as good as I'll get


And composite is mmmkay



Currently composite from DVD to amp and then Svid to monitor so I'll change the latter to component. Makes sense that the former will need doing as well I suppose, although it is a lot shorter at least! Will be as short as possible for the DVD to amp as they're next to each other, monitor screen needs 2m tops.

This is great, thanks!

Not 100% on the quality difference now I've played it some more so will have to see what I can do with a shorter orange lead.

On the plus side it does sound as good or better that anything that's gone before, I'm sure of that at least!

Thanks again.