[/quote]Anyone else out there with an 886 and a BDP-83 using the multi-channel analog inputs? If so, how are you doing your setup? And do you find it to be an improvement over using HDMI for for High resolution audio like SACD?[/quote]

My 886 was delivered on Tuesday and I'll be setting it up tomorrow/Saturday. I plan on trying it with multichannel analog and HDMI so I'll let you know what I find out. Probably my fault, but I'd assumed that the 886 would apply Audyssey to the multichannel inputs too...that may mean I don't hang onto it as I'd wanted to use the 83SE's DAC's over the 886's but still be able to apply room correction via Audyssey. Guess I'll see.

I use the BDP-83 for Bluray and CDs. I have it connected via 5 analog channels and HDMI. As I understand it, Audyssey applies its magic to the analog outputs just as it does in HDMI mode otherwise it would sound completely different than the HDMI mode. I don't find a big difference between the two but I don't have SACDs or DVD-As. I can't see anything in the manuals that say Audyssey is not applied.

XenonMan,
Good to know. I saw a response over in the 886 thread at AVS that stated Audyssey wasn't applied to any analog inputs. I didn't see anything referring to it in Outlaw's Guide to the 886 either, though the Audyssey section is pretty brief in that.

In direct and in pure audio mode, audyssey is not applied. But I don't know if all A>D>A steps are removed. What I don't know is how speaker level settings are maintained (and they are) in these modes.

What my (885) manual says is that in direct mode "minimal processing" is applied, which I assume to mean distance and level matching. In pure audio, it says "the display and video processing circuitry are turned off" to minimize noise sources in the unit.

Nowhere does it say all DA steps and processing are turned off completely. So my guess is they are not.

I'm buried at work right now, but I'll try to pop back in here later and offer what insight I can muster on this subject. For the moment, suffice to say that the 885, 886, and 950 do not have any A/D/A conversion for the multichannel analog inputs. That's why Audyssey is impossible with the 885 and 886 using the multichannel analog, and why digital bass management is impossible with all of them. Stereo analog inputs are a whole different matter, but I don't think we're talking about that here.

That's what I was afraid of. Guess that kind of defeats the purpose of getting the 83SE over the standard 83.

The 83SE is not of benefit unless you are using the analog output, that is correct.

Thank You Gonk, any additional comments will be appreciated as well.

You have cleared up one of my questions about how the analog inputs are handled by the 886. Therefore, as I stated at the beginning of this thread, any processing of the signal will have to be done by the BDP-83. However, a closer look at the BDP-83 shows that it really has limited capabilities in this regard, i.e. 80Hz fixed crossover for small speakers, speaker distances must be set the same for left/right pairs, etc. I suppose something like an ICBM-1 could be used to improve the bass management. But, this still is no where near the capabilities of the 886 with or without Audyssey.

In the end the question (obviously a theoretical question) comes back to will this yield better SQ than using the HDMI outputs and letting the 886 do all the processing and DAC? How about the BDP-83SE are its DACs enough of an upgrade to make it worth while to use the multi-channel analog?

My personal experience so far has been limited to the HDMI connection. I have just gotten it fully configured using the Audyssey and the SMS-1. When I tried the analog inputs it was very clear that they are in need of additional setup, i.e. distance, sound level, and bass management. Before I go through all that trouble I was wondering if at least in theory it was going to be worth my while. Or should I just go ahead and jump and get the BDP-83SE? My goal is to get the best SQ I can for my SACD and stereo CD listening.

I'm wondering if the 83SE is worth keeping using it just for cd playback via analog with an 886, as I can't get Audyssey via the multichannel analogs. I really noticed an improvement on cd's with the 83SE and my 970, and multichannel music was very good, but my room layout is a sonic nightmare, and thus I wanted Audyssey to help out. I'm not sure at this point if I should even unbox the 886 as it won't work the way I want with the Oppo I have, or sell the SE and go with the standard model? I'd be giving up some sq on 2 channel analog, but I wouldn't be 'wasting' the DAC's on the SE if I have to use HDMI to get Audyssey.

For CD listening (or any other two-channel audio you might want to play with), the stereo analog output is certainly worthwhile. I'd suggest experimenting a bit: set the 886 up so you can compare multichannel analog output to HDMI output, see what benefit you are getting from Audyssey, and what you prefer. If you settle on the HDMI as providing the better sound, you could sell the SE then and get a stock 83.