RCA to HDMI converter?

[Raigmore]

I am building my main Home Cinema system in the new flat based on the Samsung Q90R Soundbar. One big disadvantage with that system is that it has no analog input and so if one wants to connect a quality CD player like the Marantz CD6006, an optical connection has to be used. This'll work of course, but bypasses the Marantz's highly rated DCA and reduces it to a mere transport. I don't want that.

One possible solution could be to use an RCA to HDMI adapter like Gaxiog AV to HDMI converter. I'll be using only the audio connections of the adapter but as the RCA end is connected to the CD player, the Marantz's DCA should then come into play. But will using the adapter reduce the audio quality?

[LV426]

This is just an educated guess, really.

Starting with the digital signal from the CD, and ending with what is necessarily an analog out (speakers in the soundbar) your choices are:

1: CD optical out to soundbar. No conversion. Soundbar does D>A conversion for speaker output. Net = 1 conversion.
or
2: CD analog output (one D>A conversion). Adapter converts to HDMI (digital) (one A>D conversion). Soundbar does D>A conversion for speaker output. Net = 3 conversions.

My guess is that as any conversion is likely to result in some loss, regardless of how "good" it is, (1) would produce a better result. In either case, you remain dependent on that last D>A conversion in the soundbar. If it's flawed, it will be flawed equally in both scenarios. So feeding it with the purest source in the first place would, I suspect, be optimal.

[Raigmore]

Thanks. You helped me to make up my mind.

I decided on a sideways solution. Hook-op the Marantz CD6006 with RCA cables to an amp and stereo speakers in one room. I can have my old turntable there as well. Call it mainly the listening room.

I'll get a quality CD Transport like the Cambridge Audio CXC at Black Friday time and connect it by Optical cable to the Samsung Q90R's unoccupied optical input.

Forget about converters.