Amazon Basics 4K HDMI Extractor Review

[Kevinfc]

Amirm, You have very eclectic choices for your reviews, always interesting.

 

[Morla]

I just wished those de embedders could remove sound from hdmi output

 

[nick-v]

Can anyone recommend a similarly cost effective, high performance eARC extractor (w/ coax digital output)?

Is this any good?

For some reason the Toslink output on my Samsung OneConnect box and the Toslink input on my miniDSP SHD don't always play nice.

 

[Lambda]

As expected.
Digital is perfectly fine, Analog is crap comaprd to proper DACs but still good enough for the average Joe

 

[daclogic]

Does anyone think you could use this to convert DSD that's output on HDMI out to COAX?

According to this user on another site, yes, the device (or such devices) can output a DSD signal over coaxial (via DOP, which in theory makes no difference to the sound, but is simply a packaging system). Surprised me too.

Article: At Long Last! Listen To Your (Physical) SACDs Through an Outboard DAC

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audiophilestyle.com

 

[capslock]

After reading long articles on why HDMI PCM audio is flawed and Amir testing loads of AVR, even high priced ones or from reputable companies like NAD, showing us that the best of them were barely at the level of 16 bit PCM on ther pre outs, I had come to believe that HDMI audio is really beyond redemption. Apparently, it is just the implementation we get in AVRs...

 

[voodooless]

After reading long articles on why HDMI PCM audio is flawed and Amir testing loads of AVR, even high priced ones or from reputable companies like NAD, showing us that the best of them were barely at the level of 16 bit PCM on ther pre outs, I had come to believe that HDMI audio is really beyond redemption. Apparently, it is just the implementation we get in AVRs...

AVR performance has little to do with HDMI audio. Most will have similar performance with SPDIF as well. Some just have bugs. Don’t blame the format for the incompetence of the engineers.

 

[capslock]

AVR performance has little to do with HDMI audio. Most will have similar performance with SPDIF as well. Some just have bugs. Don’t blame the format for the incompetence of the engineers.

Well, for obvious reasons, an AVR will not have S/PDIF out, at least not for multichannel. I remember seeing analog pre-out that had both analog and digital gremlins. It is hard to imagine how designers can mess up DAC output to cinch out without even a volume control or source switch in between.

 

[voodooless]

Well, for obvious reasons, an AVR will not have S/PDIF out, at least not for multichannel. I remember seeing analog pre-out that had both analog and digital gremlins. It is hard to imagine how designers can mess up DAC output to cinch out without even a volume control or source switch in between.

Well, you lack imagination . Multichannel or not is quite irrelevant. This review shows that you can output a bitperfect digital signal from HDMI. There is no reason to think multichannel is any different. Source switches and volume control? When are they not present in an AVR?

 

[Mal]

I have one of these for extracting audio from my Firestick, since Amazon don't do digital outputs on their streaming sticks/players these days. I plug the stick into this box, and the HDMI pass through connects to my old plasma TV. Meanwhile the digital out goes to my DAC/amp. Modern TV's have ARC and all sorts of connections but for those of us with old tellies, this is a godsend.

Thanks @amirm for confirming it is doing a good job!

I'm extracting audio from my Firestick but using the optical pass through to connect to KEF LSX I speakers. I was really disappointed with aux out and Bluetooth into my speakers (as you might expect...) and this litte device solved all my problems, lifting my sound from "only just bearable" to "wonderful". The Amazon Basics Extractor was quite expensive on Amazon UK so I took a chance on one that looked similar: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08P7CHQYF. Best £16 I spent this year!

 

[capslock]

Well, you lack imagination . Multichannel or not is quite irrelevant. This review shows that you can output a bitperfect digital signal from HDMI. There is no reason to think multichannel is any different. Source switches and volume control? When are they not present in an AVR?

Not what I wrote. There is no AVR or AVR-pre with multiple S/P-DIF out for 8ch PCM. I'm not even sure an AVR with a single S/P-DIF exists.

Now a mulitchannel analog out exists in many devices. These tend to go from the DAC to the output, maybe with an analog 8 ch volume control inbetween which can sometimes be bypassed.

 

[voodooless]

Not what I wrote. There is no AVR or AVR-pre with multiple S/P-DIF out for 8ch PCM. I'm not even sure an AVR with a single S/P-DIF exists.

Now a mulitchannel analog out exists in many devices. These tend to go from the DAC to the output, maybe with an analog 8 ch volume control inbetween which can sometimes be bypassed.

Your missing the point! Your argument is that HDMI is shit (paraphrasing). Clearly that is not the case, since perfect digital output is possible. So what is shit is the processing and analog output stages. Blame the AVR design, not the HDMI standard.

 

[PeteL]

AVR performance has little to do with HDMI audio. Most will have similar performance with SPDIF as well. Some just have bugs. Don’t blame the format for the incompetence of the engineers.

Wow. Has SINAD now become a measurment of engineers competence? You really believe that Engineers at Sony or Yamaha don't know what they are doing? Did you actually look at what their design specification task book looked like to be the judge of that?. You really think that these guys would be incapable of doing a simple 2 channels DAC reach 110+ dB SINAD?

 

[antcollinet]

Your missing the point! Your argument is that HDMI is shit (paraphrasing). Clearly that is not the case, since perfect digital output is possible. So what is shit is the processing and analog output stages. Blame the AVR design, not the HDMI standard.

If you re-read his first post, he said he used to believe HDMI was bad, but now realises it is just the implementation in AVRs that is bad.

 

[voodooless]

Wow. Has SINAD now become a measurment of engineers competence? You really believe that Engineers at Sony or Yamaha don't know what they are doing? Did you actually look at what their design specification task book looked like to be the judge of that?. You really think that these guys would be incapable of doing a simple 2 channels DAC reach 110+ dB SINAD?

Fair enough. They have to work within the constraints that is given to them. I still think they can do better within those constraints though. Looks like that is simply not a priority.

 

[PeteL]

Fair enough. They have to work within the constraints that is given to them. I still think they can do better within those constraints though. Looks like that is simply not a priority.

Yep, question of priorities.

 

[voodooless]

Yep, question of priorities.

Still, not even getting 100 SINAD with a 120 SINAD capable chip should be questionable. Clearly the chip is being used as a marketing instrument, because there are plenty cheaper alternatives out there that would yield similar practical performance.

 

[PeteL]

Still, not even getting 100 SINAD with a 120 SINAD capable chip should be questionable. Clearly the chip is being used as a marketing instrument, because there are plenty cheaper alternatives out there that would yield similar practical performance.

The last Denon AVR review, they choose a chip performing less and it showed in the measured performance.

 

[voodooless]

The last Denon AVR review, they choose a chip performing less and it showed in the measured performance.

Sure, because otherwise they won’t even get to the bare minimum. But it does show they can actually make a decent implementation given the constraints. Why can’t they do that in the high-end models?

 

[PeteL]

Sure, because otherwise they won’t even get to the bare minimum. But it does show they can actually make a decent implementation given the constraints. Why can’t they do that in the high-end models?

Sorry I don't understand, Denon High end models have always been top performers as far as I know. I all AVR's you don't get the full performance of the chip low end or high end, If the chip has more noise it will show, DSP limits how far away from the noise you can be (even disengaged you still need the headroom). Now that's just the basics, there are tons of other considerations and they put the engineering where it matters to them on what they feel would matter. 100 dB+ SINAD may not matter according to their design goals. They assume most don't hear the difference is my guess.