Avrs in general (at least the amp sections) started regressing after HDMI came out. Low cost HDMI audio extractors solve that problem.
[Note: Partially Cross-posted on my center channel thread.]
I am an older audiophile and film lover (not quite as old as Dobri Dobrev, the gentleman who is my new avatar). I am an American expatriate - a retiree on a modest pension - and in a little mountain valley tourist town in Western Panama. My office-A/V room is very small, but I like good audio and and enjoy watching videos on a 1080p, 40" Samsung LED TV using my 2-channel audio system for the soundtracks. My A/V source is an older Intel NUC5CPYH mini-PC, and my music is digital audio files that range from low bitrate MP3 to 24/96 FLAC. Videos are mostly MP4 or MKV files with up to 1080 resolution and 5.1 audio. No way am I going to invest in a full 5.1 system with separate electronics and speakers - not even a used AVR.
I am basically happy with my audio system in spite of its limitations (see my signature for details), but decided to potentially stretch my budget and "upgrade" my audio by replacing my little 2-way Paradigm Atom bookshelf speakers (no sub) with the larger 3-way Wharfedale Evo 4.2 speakers, and add a matching Evo 4c center speaker for watching movies and documentaries, which is something I do 4-5 nights every week.
And therein lies the problem. The above discussion includes the difficulties of implementing multichannel sound without buying a separate AVR or AV Preamp, and no one does 3.1. Even the original 5.1 surround system is becoming less common. Simply extracting and doing a simple DA conversion for a video-only center channel signal from HDMI to improve dialog clarity is not easy for a 2-channel audiophile.
Appropriate to this thread and its subtopic of multichannel audio technology is the fact that, after hours of searching the internet, I found only one promising multi-channel HDMI Audio Extractor/DAC, the
Evolve II-4K HDMI v2.0 / Multi-Channel DAC. It is a $299 unit from Essence Audio in Florida - a real company with real people to contact. The Evolve looks simple, is reasonably priced, and has no frills. It was the only one I found from a known company that appears to be a reseller, but not a re-labeler of generic cheap-electronics.
Amir
tested another Essence HDMI DAC, the $699 Essence HDACC II-4K HDMI/USB DAC, and found it to be a decent produts. Like many of its cheaper current generic ChiFi counterparts, the HDACC II-4K only extracted and converted the front L/R channels from HDMI. The architecture seems to be more of a conventional 2-channel DAC with a limited 2-channel HDMI signal extractor added.
For el-cheapo multichannel HDMI extraction, there are a couple of similar appearing "families" of multi-channel DACs with slight variations in configuration and labeling appearing at a multitude of internet seller sites. The one below is the one I chose to purchase and have drop-shipped to
@amirm for testing. If it is decent, I will use it, switching to it for L/R/C to feed 3-channel audio for video viewing, while leaving the surround channels unconnected. If it doesn't perform decently in testing, I will save my money and get the Essence unit - and I hope another ASR member will buy the Essence Evolve II unit and send it to
@amirm for testing.