What cable interconnects to use for 990?

Hi there,

I already have 990 and I am waiting my 7125 to arrive. In the future I plan to buy Oppo BDP-83. According to people in this forum, I understand BDP-83 is the best player to take most advantage of the 990 (since it does not have HDMI).

So my questions are basic ones. As long as I know the order of best quality for a/v would be:

VIDEO
1) HDMI 1.4 (near future)
2) HDMI 1.3
3) DVI
4) Component
5) Composite

AUDIO
1) HDMI 1.4 (near future)
2) HDMI 1.3
3) DVI
4) Optical
5) Coaxial
6) S-DIF
7) Regular RCA

I understand that BDP-83 has:

HDMI,Component and Composite in its Video Section, and HDMI,Optical, Coax, SDIF (7.1 and stereo) in its Audio Section....

So I wonder, which would be the BEST A/V connections to take all the advantages of 990/7125 configuration?

I would make one comment: I see no benefit in HDMI v1.4 at all. Also, I would note that DVI doesn't offer audio, I would lump coaxial and optical together (each has pro's and con's), and I would add multichannel analog as a wild card. The BDP-83's analog section and extensive decoding capabilities can put it up close to HDMI (or even better than, depending on the receiver).

If you look in my BDP-83 review (in my sig), I have a link to a set of Outlaw/OPPO setup guides that includes a detailed discussion of how to pair the 990 with the BDP-83.

990/BDP-83 setup guide

Gonk,

Thanks. Your link is quite useful.

The only thing I did not quite understand is why I should connect 7.1 analog audio (S-DIF) AND optical? Am I missing something?

7.1 analog is not SPDIF - that is the digital format used by coaxial and optical.

The reason I suggest using both analog and digital connections is this: CD and DVD can use SPDIF (PCM stereo, Dolby Digital, and DTS have been transmitted this way in home theaters since the 1990's), but SACD, DVD-Audio, multichannel PCM, DD Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and both forms of DTS-HD require either HDMI or a multichannel analog connection. As a result, you really ought to have 7.1 analog hooked up between the BDP-83 and the 990 if you want to get the most from Blu-ray, SACD, and DVD-Audio, but you can just use coaxial or optical for CD and DVD. In most cases, I recommend using a digital connection for both of those formats, but the BDP-83 has such a good analog section that many folks are using 7.1 analog all the time.

(By the way, my HDMI FAQ goes into a bit more detail on why the audio limitations exist and what the different versions of HDMI mean. You can find a link in my sig. It includes a brief rant about HDMI licensing, but I recall writing a more specific rant about HDMI v1.4 recently, probaby in a 997 thread.)

Hi everyone

I'm currently using a pair of Monster Component THX 500 cables along with a pair of Monster THXi100 ICs to connect my Oppo BDP-83 to my 990. I got them @ close to monoprice price points in Ratshack.

Anyway has anyone else used Component Video Cables as Analog ICs to connect a source to a Pre/Pro? Were there any issues in general? Right now everything seems fine for me.

Thx and advise when you can. JD

I have done it using Blue Jeans component cables without any issue.

The only issue is that you're using Monster Cable. You should burn it on general prinicple!

Agreed!!!!!!

Hi everyone.

Thanks for all your input. I know I supported the evil empire that is Monster but the price was too good to pass up and I couldn't wait the week or so to get Monoprice cables and hook up the Oppo BDP-83 to the Model 990. Next time I'll plan better. JD

Why is everyone so upset by Monster cabels?
Admittedly, they are a little over priced, but they are well made cabels, and pretty much instantly available anywhere.
What's the problem?

Overpriced, basically. Plus they are a bit lawsuit-happy (threatened Blue Jeans Cable with patent infringement a couple years ago, not knowing that the owner was a retired lawyer who publicly shot a bunch of holes in their letter).

And not just any lawyer, a federal litigator (loved the part where he asked for records of their licensing payments to their offshore shell corp to avoid taxes). Also, they sued all kinds of mom-and-pop shops with the name "monster" in the name. Also, their store displays are fraudulent. Engadget.com has tons of good stuff on them.