Am I really missing anything from not having an hd audio capable amp?

[yoda313]

This is just a passing curiosity so off topic is fine for this.

I am not in the market for a new amplifier so this is just a passing interest of mine. I have an old sony 5.1 dd/dts receiver that is just fine and has no issues whatsoever. It only has one fiber optic and one coaxial input so I've had to add a fiber optic switcher for my ps3 and xbox 360. Other than that the thing has been humming along just fine for almost 10 years now I think.

I was just watching my dvd of THE DARK KNIGHT last night and was amazed by the surround sound. This was plain old sd dd 5.1 audio. But man did it pack a punch or what! Even the ending of the movie when they are chasing Batman around the booms of the bass really caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting it to come off so well on a regular dvd.

I've loved my amp since i've owned it. dvds sound great and bluray through my ps3 via fiber optic is just fine too.

I am using an older sony 50 watt subwoofer. It was about the same time as my amp - its new enough to have the single subwoofer jack and that is how it is connected to my amp. To my ears the sub is plenty powerful enough. Though I think it does seem to struggle on some of the super explosions - it doesn't get distorted but it doesn't seem quite as impactful as it should be.

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Am I really missing anything by not having a newer 5.1 hdmi or 7.1 hdmi receiver with true hd/master audio?

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Again I am not in the market for a new one. I will probably keep this one until it dies. Whenver that is (I love Sony for that endurance ).

But to those who have gone from sd audio via 5.1 dd/dts to hd audio for bluray is the difference really that noticeable?

I've heard it mentioned often enough hear for bluray backups that converting to 640kpbs dd is fine for 720p backups. That is not considerably more than 448khz. In that light is the hd audio not THAT much of a difference?

Or is it the same kind of thing as upconverting dvds? Where to some people a upconverted dvd looks just as good to them as a bluray but techphiles would demand the full 1080p?

I guess I'm somewhere inbetween. I do want the best but what I already have is very good. I do have bluray and an hdtv but it is not a 1080p set (1360x768 native res 32inch).

So is this something I won't really miss because I don't have it already? Should I be content with my audio setup that I have now? Movies still sound very good. I'm just wondering how much better hd audio really sounds.

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Last thing - I guess this is kinda like asking which is better - dolby digital or dts? Is it in the eyes (or ears) of the user?

[yoda313]

No comments?

Like I said I'm not really in the market for a new amp but I'm interested in peoples upgrade experiences.