Feature request for UHD8000: make both HDMI outputs high quality audio

(...)
Fourplay - Energy
Steely Dan - Gaucho
Steely Dan - Aja
Hiroshima - The bridge
Eric Clapton - Slowhand
Linn Records Multichannel & Stereo Super Audio CD Volumes 1-3
Concord Jazz Super Audio CD Sampler Vol. 2
(...)

 

Great list of M.Ch tunes, thank you. Anyone have experience with Apple Music Spatial Audio?

I have the same request as steveoat87. On the UHD8000, the sound quality through the HDMI Audio port is substantially better than through HDMI Main. I reached-out to Service@Zidoo.tv who confirmed the dual high-precision crystal oscillators and clock reconstruction circuit is only available for HDMI Audio.

So to get optimum audio quality for both movies and music, you need to connect HDMI Audio to your receiver, then connect HDMI Main directly to your display/projector. I tried a HDMI 2.1 switcher, but it couldn't properly display the highest video resolution of HDMI Main with HDMI Audio connected to the receiver. I've now resorted to manually plugging and unplugging the video signal when switching from Zidoo and the receiver which has all my other sources connected.

An HDMI extension (Ugreen male-female) makes this a little less painful.

 

My good old Z9X will play MCH SACD ISO perfect. My Neo Alpha even in DSD using the 2nd HDMI port.

You need to use the HDMI Audio port only in 2 cases:
- You have an old AMP not passing all HD Video signals like DV, HDR10+ , 4K or 8K you need (my AMP passes everything).
- You want to pass SACD in DSD format not converged to PCM to your AMP

The sound is better via Analog than via HDMI depends very much on the quality of the DAC circuitry used by that AMP. Using XMOS, Femtoclocks and SABRE/AKM chips for an AMP will produce the same sound as the A6ME/A8.
The SQ difference with my new Onkyo TX-RZ70 fed from my A6SE got very small.

 

It always depends on what amplifier you previously owned. For those of us who own old monsters from the past, such as my Denon AVC-A1HD, it is not easy to buy an amplifier of the same level today and I could never part with it. It is a 30-kilo monster and supported by six powerful (three per channel) Burr-Brown PCM 1796 24-bit/192 Khz DACs. With the UHD8000 it sounds divine, even a little better than the ESS9069Q integrated DAC of the UHD8000

 

Burr-Brown PCM 1796 24-bit/192 Khz 2 Channel DACs are now TI (Texas Instruments) DAC's and sold as cheap units (Around € 2/3,- per piece). Still not a bad DAC chip though after 30 years.
My previous Onkyo used these too (The normal AKM 8-channel source chip was unavailable) and was swapped amongst others by me for that.
Those old (monster) AMP's had very often very/extremely good analog amplifiers but the digital part is now mostly (very much) outdated.
My Onkyo TX-RZ70 brings 22 kg to the scale so isn't exactly a lightweight. Be aware in 2CH mode all PSU power is just used for those two channels instead of powering all 11.

Clocking comes via the HDMI port from the motherboard source. Lucky Zidoo seems to be using better crystals there than with their previous generations which helps that path.

My UHD3000 sounded better Analog than my previous Onkyo with those TI DAC's using HDMI for sure. I preferred the very common AKM chip they used before but still experienced that UHD3000 DAC sounding better.

 

Today in 2024 they cost 3/4 euros each, surely when they were created, they didn't cost so little and in any case it's not just the chip that makes the quality of the dac but above all the circuitry that is around it, in fact the same configuration was used in the high end Accuphase CD players of that time.

Yes, the digital circuitry is obsolete but it always depends on the type of use and above all on how many channels need to be amplified. For me who only have 7 channels it's more than fine.
In the end the cores for Dolby Atmos are either Dolby TrueHD or Dolby Digital Plus and the core of DTS X is usually DTS HD Master Audio so the AVC-A1HD encodes them without any problem.

I quickly switch between the dac of the UHD8000 and the dac of the Denon and I don't notice any audible differences, in some songs I prefer the dac of the Denon.