doveman
New Head-Fier
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- Apr 8, 2013
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I need something that will allow me to connect my PC, Raspberry Pi, Xbox360 and STB HDMI outputs and decode all audio formats (DTS, Dolby Digital, etc) to 5.1 (maybe 7.1) analog line level outputs.
I bought a pair of self-powered X-mini Max speakers http://www.amazon.co.uk/XMI-Portable-Speakers-Compatible-Smartphones/dp/B00B47CTI4/ref=pd_sim_23_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0G2TVMSCR5RVKFV2ZV4V&dpID=41Ks9-sOm7L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_ which are fine for my rear speakers, despite only being 3W, as they'll be just behind my head on the rear wall. I also have an X-mini Uno which is currently connected to my TV and I use sometimes when watching movies, as it has better presence and clarity than my Panasonic Plasma TV speakers, so makes it easier to hear the dialogue, whilst the TV speakers provide the bass/body of the soundtrack, so I could use that for a centre speaker and it's loud enough for my purposes. That would just leave the front L and R speakers and I have a decent Tripath amp that I can use to power them, so I'll just need to buy some reasonable front speakers, maybe some Diamond 9.1s.
So whilst buying a receiver might seem like the easiest option, I live in a flat with very poor sound insulation and my living room isn't very wide, so I have no use for more than a few watts and certainly couldn't use a subwoofer, thus spending £200+ on a receiver doesn't seem sensible. I also don't really want a bulky, power-hungry, heat-producing piece of equipment that isn't necessary for my purposes.
So I had a look for HDMI to analog converters and found some on e-bay like this for under £40 (I'd need to buy a decent PSU as well, as the one's I've received with other equipment I've bought from China have been decidely dodgy):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1080P-Digital-Multi-Channel-Audio-Decoder-HDMI-TO-HDMI-VGA-SPDIF-5-1CH-RCA-DSP-/351515018477?hash=item51d7ed84ed:g:emoAAOSwEetV9ncA
but I'm not sure that will decode all the possible audio formats. It says in the specs:
"Digital audio decode format
olby Digital (AC3)/DTS/LPCM 2CH"
so it doesn't appear to do DTS-HD/Dolby-TrueHD/LPCM 5.1/7.1/DSD
There's this more expensive converter that does LPCM 2/5.1/7.1 but nothing else (it appears to decode the other formats to stereo but not surround). It also includes an HDMI amplifier which I don't need and which obviously pushes the price up: http://www.allaboutadapters.com/hdautorcasts.html
So I'm wondering if there's either something ready-made I could buy that will decide all digital audio formats to line level analog surround, or if not whether there's a way to put something together myself? Ideally I'd want something in kit form, rather than building the circuits from scratch but if it's not too complicated I'd consider doing that.
I already have a 7 input HDMI switch with remote, so a single HDMI input and output on the converter box will be sufficient and help keep the size and complexity down.
I bought a pair of self-powered X-mini Max speakers http://www.amazon.co.uk/XMI-Portable-Speakers-Compatible-Smartphones/dp/B00B47CTI4/ref=pd_sim_23_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0G2TVMSCR5RVKFV2ZV4V&dpID=41Ks9-sOm7L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_ which are fine for my rear speakers, despite only being 3W, as they'll be just behind my head on the rear wall. I also have an X-mini Uno which is currently connected to my TV and I use sometimes when watching movies, as it has better presence and clarity than my Panasonic Plasma TV speakers, so makes it easier to hear the dialogue, whilst the TV speakers provide the bass/body of the soundtrack, so I could use that for a centre speaker and it's loud enough for my purposes. That would just leave the front L and R speakers and I have a decent Tripath amp that I can use to power them, so I'll just need to buy some reasonable front speakers, maybe some Diamond 9.1s.
So whilst buying a receiver might seem like the easiest option, I live in a flat with very poor sound insulation and my living room isn't very wide, so I have no use for more than a few watts and certainly couldn't use a subwoofer, thus spending £200+ on a receiver doesn't seem sensible. I also don't really want a bulky, power-hungry, heat-producing piece of equipment that isn't necessary for my purposes.
So I had a look for HDMI to analog converters and found some on e-bay like this for under £40 (I'd need to buy a decent PSU as well, as the one's I've received with other equipment I've bought from China have been decidely dodgy):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1080P-Digital-Multi-Channel-Audio-Decoder-HDMI-TO-HDMI-VGA-SPDIF-5-1CH-RCA-DSP-/351515018477?hash=item51d7ed84ed:g:emoAAOSwEetV9ncA
but I'm not sure that will decode all the possible audio formats. It says in the specs:
"Digital audio decode format
olby Digital (AC3)/DTS/LPCM 2CH"so it doesn't appear to do DTS-HD/Dolby-TrueHD/LPCM 5.1/7.1/DSD
There's this more expensive converter that does LPCM 2/5.1/7.1 but nothing else (it appears to decode the other formats to stereo but not surround). It also includes an HDMI amplifier which I don't need and which obviously pushes the price up: http://www.allaboutadapters.com/hdautorcasts.html
So I'm wondering if there's either something ready-made I could buy that will decide all digital audio formats to line level analog surround, or if not whether there's a way to put something together myself? Ideally I'd want something in kit form, rather than building the circuits from scratch but if it's not too complicated I'd consider doing that.
I already have a 7 input HDMI switch with remote, so a single HDMI input and output on the converter box will be sufficient and help keep the size and complexity down.
