12-25-2022, 09:23 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-27-2022, 05:11 PM by nosferatu_cat.)
I recently saw reviews of a couple of HDMI audio extractors on Audio Science Review. Both had RCA analog outputs and a TOSLINK output. Not surprisingly the measurements for the analog outs were not so hot. The interesting thing to me was that the TOSLINK measurements were at the theoretical maximum for an optical device.
I decided to try one. I received it yesterday. I used the HDMI out from a Pi 3A+ as the input and connected the TOSLINK out to my bedside speaker. The DAC in the bedside speaker isn't so hot and the audio was like other optical sources I've tried with the speaker. Connecting the extractor to a reasonable quality DAC produced results similar to HATs with optical output that I've tried previously. I'm thinking that this could be a budget solution for someone who wants a transport.
As long as you have a DAC you can plug the extractor into you'll have an under $30 transport. The two devices I saw reviewed were from Amazon Basics and Monoprice. There's a huge number of imported extractors ranging in price from under $10 to maybe $70. The main risk looks to be the manufacturing quality. As long as the PC boards are good and the connectors are solid you can get a surprisingly good device.
In Amazon reviews I've seen complaints on some models that to get the audio you need to have the HDMI output connected to a display. I spent some time searching Amazon reviews looking for specific mention of audio only use. There are quite a few extractors that work this way. The one I bought cost about $20. The Amazon Basics model I saw reviewed costs a little under $25. The Monoprice model is close to $40.
I decided to try one. I received it yesterday. I used the HDMI out from a Pi 3A+ as the input and connected the TOSLINK out to my bedside speaker. The DAC in the bedside speaker isn't so hot and the audio was like other optical sources I've tried with the speaker. Connecting the extractor to a reasonable quality DAC produced results similar to HATs with optical output that I've tried previously. I'm thinking that this could be a budget solution for someone who wants a transport.
As long as you have a DAC you can plug the extractor into you'll have an under $30 transport. The two devices I saw reviewed were from Amazon Basics and Monoprice. There's a huge number of imported extractors ranging in price from under $10 to maybe $70. The main risk looks to be the manufacturing quality. As long as the PC boards are good and the connectors are solid you can get a surprisingly good device.
In Amazon reviews I've seen complaints on some models that to get the audio you need to have the HDMI output connected to a display. I spent some time searching Amazon reviews looking for specific mention of audio only use. There are quite a few extractors that work this way. The one I bought cost about $20. The Amazon Basics model I saw reviewed costs a little under $25. The Monoprice model is close to $40.
