Low Cost 2.1 AMP with HDMI in/out (UK)

[cancunia]

Not sure where the best place is to post this, so if it's in the wrong place my apologies.

I'm looking for a low cost basic amp that will allow extraction of audio via HDMI from my Roku, then audio out to speakers and video/audio back out via HDMI to my TV. I have an HDMI audio extraction box with analog audio out but am not too impressed with the sound quality and thought that an amp with the necessary interfaces in one box might be better. I've looked at various amps from the likes of Fosi & Nobsound etc but not seen anything that matches so far and thought I'd ask if anyone has suggestion?

Thanks

 

[staticV3]

If your TV supports HDMI ARC, then consider a WiiM Amp or Amp Pro.

Slightly more expensive, but the built-in room correction and sub integration features will pay dividends.

The connection would be Roku->HDMI->TV->HDMI(ARC)->WiiM->Speakers.

The WiiM Amp would play audio from both the Roku and any other source connected to the TV, plus any App running natively on the TV.

It supports many streaming services, so if you feel like listening to music, you could do so without turning the TV on.

HDMI-CEC is supported as well, so you can control volume using the TV's own remote.

The WiiM will automatically switch inputs to the one with a signal and you can apply different EQ to each input.

 

[cancunia]

If your TV supports HDMI ARC, then consider a WiiM Amp or Amp Pro.

Slightly more expensive, but the built-in room correction and sub integration features will pay dividends.

The connection would be Roku->HDMI->TV->HDMI(ARC)->WiiM->Speakers.

The WiiM Amp would play audio from both the Roku and any other source connected to the TV, plus any App running natively on the TV.

It supports many streaming services, so if you feel like listening to music, you could do so without turning the TV on.

HDMI-CEC is supported as well, so you can control volume using the TV's own remote.

The WiiM will automatically switch inputs to the one with a signal and you can apply different EQ to each input.

My TV does not support ARC or CEC, so I need a device that will pass the HDMI through and extract the audio. Ideally the HDMI out will also still include the audio stream too.

 

[Matt_Holland]

…. consider a WiiM Amp or Amp Pro.

/end of thread

 

[Matt_Holland]

My TV does not support ARC or CEC, so I need a device that will pass the HDMI through and extract the audio. Ideally the HDMI out will also still include the audio stream too.

Oh wait. Not end of thread

You need a new TV.
Or use a different audio output from the TV like optical or analogue.

 

[staticV3]

My TV does not support ARC or CEC, so I need a device that will pass the HDMI through and extract the audio. Ideally the HDMI out will also still include the audio stream too.

The only Amps that support video output are AVRs, so that's the device category you'd have to look into.

You could expand your options using an HDMI extractor like this, since then you could use any Amp with SPDIF input.

SPDIF output on this extractor is bit-exact (see the last graph in the review), so you would not lose any fidelity.

 

[cancunia]

The only Amps that support video output are AVRs, so that's the device category you'd have to look into.

You could expand your options using an HDMI extractor like this, since then you could use any Amp with SPDIF input.

SPDIF output on this extractor is bit-exact (see the last graph in the review), so you would not lose any fidelity.

It's been a couple of years since I last looked into this, so ARC is a new concept to me and my TV is way older than that standard. It may well be an AVR is what I need, any suggestions?

 

[staticV3]

It's been a couple of years since I last looked into this, so ARC is a new concept to me and my TV is way older than that standard.

FWIW, ARC made its first appearance circa 2009/2010, so about 15 years ago

It may well be an AVR is what I need, any suggestions?

Not from me, sorry.

 

[Astoneroad]

It's been a couple of years since I last looked into this, so ARC is a new concept to me and my TV is way older than that standard. It may well be an AVR is what I need, any suggestions?

Amir's recommended list of AVR's. I'm not sure if these fit your specific needs or budget, but you can check out the reviews to get some answers and many more questions, I suspect. Good luck.

 

[cancunia]

Thanks for the links, I'll keep a look out for a low cost AVR and think about a new TV. But to be honest, I'm happy enough with my 2009 Toshiba TV. It's some (not all) of the streaming services with what seem to me a rubbish audio downmix that I'm trying to get around. I like the idea mentioned above by @Matt_Holland of using the audio out from the TV, maybe that would help..

 

[Matt_Holland]

Thanks for the links, I'll keep a look out for a low cost AVR and think about a new TV. But to be honest, I'm happy enough with my 2009 Toshiba TV. It's some (not all) of the streaming services with what seem to me a rubbish audio downmix that I'm trying to get around. I like the idea mentioned above by @Matt_Holland of using the audio out from the TV, maybe that would help..

One benefit of HDMI ARC is if it has CEC as this means your TV remote can control volume of the amplifier that has HDMI input with CEC. Otherwise you are just as well off using an alternative digital audio output if the TV (typically optical). Analogue out from TVs is usually a pretty low quality one, so avoid if possible.

A product like the Wiim Amp or Amp Pro has signal sense on all of its inputs and auto standby so it’s just volume control that won’t be integrated with the TV. But if you don’t mind using the Wiim remote or the Home App, then I still highly recommend it. Then if you do upgrade your TV in the future you can take advantage of CEC using an HDMI connection.

 

[cancunia]

Thanks for all the replies, I've put the HDMI splitter I bought a while ago back into use for now. It is for sure an improvement, the main difference from when I first tried it is the Roku 3 box I'm using which is a step up from the old streaming box I had before. I also have a Roku Express4k to check out at some point in the future. The HDMI splitter looks very similar to the box linked above by @staticV3 and may even have the same insides. I'll keep my old TV for now as it works fine for most of my uses and perhaps keep a look out for a slimline AVR.

 

[cancunia]

Thanks to @Matt_Holland for suggesting the Optical Out on the TV. I'd forgotten about that, and old as my TV is, it does have Optical Out. So, I bought an SMSL A50 Pro from Amazon UK which has all the inputs that I need. The sound is very good on both Optical for the TV and USB for my RPi with Moode Audio. I wrote a quick first impressions here about the Amp. It's not great but I didn't find anything better for the sub 100GBP price.