What is an HDMI to Audio Extractor and How Does it Work?

This HDMI audio extractor won’t degrade your audio quality. Because the HDMI is a digital signal, it will remain roughly the same quality unless you degrade it via things like HDMI couplers. Your sample rate capabilities of the HDMI audio extractor, the version of HDMI your devices support, and even the length of cable can all impact audio quality. A lower sample rate can mean two things for your sound. First, it may mean you won’t be able to reproduce higher frequencies (whether or not your speaker system can broadcast them or your ears can hear them is another story). Second, it means the minor timbres in the sound will be slightly dulled. And if you don’t know what those things mean, then you don’t need to worry about this.

Maximum Sample Rate

Although HDMI has had the same sample rate capabilities since its invention, the HDMI protocol allows for a variety of sample rate specifications that devices can be designed to handle. As such, your sound quality will always be governed by the least capable device in your chain which may or may not be your HDMI audio extractor.

Dolby Digital True HD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Linear PCM 7.1 channel audio up to 192 kHz. Does not support ARC.

Signal Path Length

The other major factor affecting sound quality is cable length, or more precisely, the length of the signal path. This is because, upon connecting, HDMI-capable devices engage in a digital handshake that transmits information that establishes the parameters of the connection between the two devices. One of these things is the sample rate.

Choosing Your HDMI Audio Extractor

Generally speaking, new HDMI audio extractors should come equipped with HDMI 2.0 or later (the latest version is 2.1 which was released November 2017), so sample rates for 7.1 sound or less shouldn’t be a worry. There are plenty of budget models, like AOEYOO AY83, which support 5.1 channel extraction.

The AOEYOO HDMI Audio Extractor original function is to extract the digital audio embedded in HDMI source and convert it through 3.5mm analog stereo output or SPDIF optical output. It also has extra features - 4K scaling, CEC bypass, and IR pass back.