Amazon Basics 4K HDMI Extractor Review

[Monster]

This is my first 'real' post which I hope may be useful to someone.

I am using one these HDMI audio extractors to stream from Amazon Music Unlimited to a Fire TV HD stick then to my SMSL DAC over coax. This is done 'headless', casting music using Alexa cast from my android phone with no TV or display attached. When I first installed this I was finding that every three or four minutes there was an audio dropout lasting about a second.

After a lot of messing about, I noticed that when I had the output from the HDMI extractor plugged into the TV, for instance for changing settings on the Fire Stick, then the dropouts didn't occur. The solution, as I'm sure many here have already figured out, was one of these plugged into the extractor's HDMI output. No more dropouts.

I must admit, until I had this problem I didn't know these 'ghost' monitor EDID plugs existed, but then you learn something new every day.

 

[antcollinet]

The solution, as I'm sure many here have already figured out, was one of these plugged into the extractor's HDMI output.

Oh, thanks - you may just have solved a separate (not audio related) problem of mine. I've just ordered one to find out.

 

[Esque]

Anyone else experiencing unlistenable stutter with this device?

Bought this to use chromecast as a headless streamer to the digital input on my amp.
However I’m experiencing audio stutter at every second.

I’ve tried a different coax cable, toslink out. Analog out, multiple HDMI sources, a few USB power supplies.

I also tried connecting my Mac so I can manually select channels and sample rate.

All result in a similar issue, am I doing something wrong or is my unit faulty?

 

[antcollinet]

If this is also happening on analogue out, with two sources - chromecast and mac -, then it sounds like yours is faulty.

 

[Monster]

Anyone else experiencing unlistenable stutter with this device?

Bought this to use chromecast as a headless streamer to the digital input on my amp.
However I’m experiencing audio stutter at every second.

I’ve tried a different coax cable, toslink out. Analog out, multiple HDMI sources, a few USB power supplies.

I also tried connecting my Mac so I can manually select channels and sample rate.

All result in a similar issue, am I doing something wrong or is my unit faulty?

No guarantees, but this may be a similar problem to the one I described in my earlier post. The fix that I found was cheap enough to try.

 

[antcollinet]

No guarantees, but this may be a similar problem to the one I described in my earlier post. The fix that I found was cheap enough to try.

That is a good shout also.

 

[AudioSceptic]

This is my first 'real' post which I hope may be useful to someone.

I am using one these HDMI audio extractors to stream from Amazon Music Unlimited to a Fire TV HD stick then to my SMSL DAC over coax. This is done 'headless', casting music using Alexa cast from my android phone with no TV or display attached. When I first installed this I was finding that every three or four minutes there was an audio dropout lasting about a second.

After a lot of messing about, I noticed that when I had the output from the HDMI extractor plugged into the TV, for instance for changing settings on the Fire Stick, then the dropouts didn't occur. The solution, as I'm sure many here have already figured out, was one of these plugged into the extractor's HDMI output. No more dropouts.

I must admit, until I had this problem I didn't know these 'ghost' monitor EDID plugs existed, but then you learn something new every day.

Nor me. I wonder if there's anything active in there, or it just acts as a high impedance terminator?

 

[somebodyelse]

Nor me. I wonder if there's anything active in there, or it just acts as a high impedance terminator?

From the description it'll have a cheap microcontroller to send the EDID info, making it look like there's something real connected.

 

[Esque]

My Mac recognizes it as a 1920x1080 display. Ordered the dummy plugs but I’m doubtfull it will have affect.

 

[Esque]

No guarantees, but this may be a similar problem to the one I described in my earlier post. The fix that I found was cheap enough to try.

Update, connected a display to the HDMI output. Same issue, product will be returned.

 

[Monster]

Update, connected a display to the HDMI output. Same issue, product will be returned.

Shame it didn't fix it. It really does seem like the unit is faulty.