I've noticed when I play any discs if I check the decoder output on my soundbar, it is not showing DD+ and so on. Everything is PCM. I wonder if this is affecting AC-3 from my.APD-2 as well.

The RCA goes to my Framemeister and audio is spat out over HDMI to the soundbar. The APD-2 does not, it goes straight to the soundbar coaxial input.

If I try an AC-3 disc it still shows as PCM, same with RCA if I pull the RCA cables out of the Framemeister.

Is something wrong? It seems like audio is not passing through or decoding correctly. I would have thought at the very least my Yamaha YSP-2700 would decode DD properly? My Sky Q box displays DD+ for example on that PCM for everything on my LD output just seems strange.

Would I be better off getting something else for VP and replacing the Framemeister? Is it messing with the audio? It would be a shame as the Framemeister spits out a whopper picture and works with everything.

Well, honestly your setup confuses me so I can’t give an answer.

Why are you sending AC-3 to a sound bar? Does it have satellites that hook up to it? If you’re on a two channel setup you have zero use for AC-3.

And am I reading this wrong or are you expecting a device to ID a signal from analog outputs as DD (which is impossible)? The XRGB can’t mess up a DD signal because it can’t even see it. It only does analog sound.

Well EAC-3 or DD+ is not supported on Coax or Optical. It is supported on HDMI profile 1.3 and newer. It is likely a compatibility issue. Most video processors predates HDMI profile 1.3. These below are the only ones I know that pass DD+.

DVDO Edge/duo
Lumagen Radiance XE/XS 3D and newer

Thanks for the info all.

My soundbar is a 7.1 DP so not your typical soundbar so to speak. No contest for the proper AV setup I used to have but a good 'family' compromise. It decodes everything except DTSX and Atmos (which imho are pointless for a soundbar). It has digital coax input and optical too.

Anyway, a bit of progress.

If I disconnect the RCA on the Framemeister, I get no audio.

If I then swap out the digital coax output to a spdif optical on my APD-2, it works and the soundbar shows DD in the decoder display. Take out the spdif optical output and reconnect the digital coaxial out to the APD-2 and I get no audio but the red AC3 light stays on on the APD-2.

I wonder is my demodulator at fault?

Excuse ignorance if it is something stupid I am missing.

Also, I see why I was having issues in my first post. Looking at the.owners manual for the soundbar, it states that to use the coax output on Aux2 you connect the playback device directly to the TV and the coax or spdif to the soundbar. Doh!

Just coming back to this and Dr. Stupid here has figured it out, I think. A case of RTFM!

I read through the APD-1 manual and didn't spot that the optical out on the APD-1/APD-2 spits out the Dolby Digital signal too. Which makes sense when I look at my findings in the previous post.

https://manuals.lddb.com/AC3RF_Demodulators/Yamaha_APD-1.pdf

It makes me wonder if I have a bad digital coax cable connected to the APD-2 output because when I use that I get no sound at all (despite the coaxial input from the LD player triggering the demodulating LED). Or if the coaxial output is fecked in some way? Now that I know the optical output on the APD-2 spits out the AC-3 track and my soundbar is displaying DD in the decoder LED display correctly, then that is good enough for me.

EDIT: Also, is it worth looking at a SPDIF optical splitter? My soundbar only has one optical input, so I'd like to run the optical output from the 925 and the APD-2 up to the soundbar. Perhaps Instead of a SPDIF switch I'm thinking a splitter may be better so as I select between audio tracks on a disc, it will just do it automatically without the addition of another piece of kit?

This looks like what I am after, sadly it's another bit of kit to plug in, I was hoping for a simpler solution:

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/LiNKFOR-Swit ... 07KGQ5NLK/

Thanks all and sorry to melt any heads due to my stupidity!

Then check https://www.lddb.com/help_ac3rf.php and the "pass-through" RF demodulators like the RFD-1 or the DEM-9991D.

They take both digital in + ac3rf in and output digital out if there is no ac3rf signal, or the decoded AC3 bitstream over the same coax or toslink output.

Julien

"Compromises were made on dynamics and frequency ranges to make sure your Death Star final explosion in Star Wars does not make "plop" on your speakers."

Thanks Julien. I'll look in to that. I've just purchased that toslink switch so hopefully that will do until I can get another demodulator.

EDIT: I wish I'd read your guide first now!

I’m never getting a new home theater again. I can’t even follow what your issue is never mind the fix.

I have to ask though, how is a soundbar “7.1”? Is it like massive donut that surrounds your entire living room?

It gives you a discreet 7 channel front field. Super-Left, Left, Left-Center, Center, Right-Center, Right, Super-Right all happening 4” apart from each other.

Ditch the rf demodulator, problem solved

Ah, I can see why Atmos would be a step too far then.

(But seriously, they'll put an Atmos badge on a guitar amp if the market is right for it. Its meaningless. )