Why do you use an external streamer with an Expert Pro with CI?

[hardcore]

@hardcore
Very useful info. Thanks.

I'm also interested about your HT setup.

If I understood well, you use digital input on Devialet for this purpose.
What Pre-Pro / AVR you use which has digtal outputs for decoded surround signal?

With my Anthem MRX 720 I can only use analog connection, since digital output works only when S/PDIF input is used and only when it's PCM - so basically it works only as PCM pass-through without decoding the bitstream.

Hi @Delija. My source for my HT setup is also the computer (PC). The decoding and down-mixing of any DTS/Dolby/Other codecs is done on the PC. For movies my PC outputs PCM only, via USB-AES/SPDIF converter to the Devialet. For music, it outputs either PCM or DSD (the Devialet accepts up to DSD64 on the digital inputs).

My secondary source of video is directly from the TV's optical output. The TV can usually be set to convert to PCM on the SPDIF output. Also optical sounds very good actually, and is galvanically isolated.

In your case depending on the Anthem, it looks like you may be limited to using the analog input (I assume for the L&R channels) if you're unable to do the decoding to PCM on the SPDIF outputs.