very basic question about ARC (1 Viewer)

[alasdairm]

hello,

i’m moving in to a new place and i’m going to upgrade my tv/receiver/surround set up. i don’t need any earth-shattering 9.2 setup - just a half-decent 5.1 setup. i have one question.this is what i’m looking at doing:

i have yamaha receiver already (HTR-6230BL) but it does not - as far as i can tell - support ARC and i think that’s the crucial piece of this puzzle...as long as I have a TV and receiver which support HDMI ARC this should work, correct?

thank you.

alasdair

 

[JohnRice]

The real question is... "Do you need ARC?" The answer is, "Most likely, no." If you're never sending audio from the TV to the receiver, then you definitely don't. If you are, then the issue can be avoided entirely by simply connecting an optical digital audio cable from the TV to the receiver.

ARC is a 99% useless pain in the ass.

Not everyone agrees, but in my opinion it's a virtually useless feature.

 

[JohnRice]

...and it does appear your receiver is NOT ARC compatible anyway, so an optical cable will solve the problem.

 

[alasdairm]

thanks @JohnRice

i guess that's where i'm confused. i understand the current receiver is not ARC compatible and was willing to replace it.

so if i stick with the current receiver i have, firestick goes into the hdmi input in the receiver, receiver connects to tv via hdmi, tv connects back to receiver via optical and i'm good?

or can i just do: firestick goes into the hdmi input in the receiver, receiver connects to tv via hdmi and i'm good?

i thought there was some audio passthrough limitation with hdmi which required the optical cable (or arc-compatible tv and receiver)?

alasdair

 

[alasdairm]

ok @JohnRice i think i've been overthinking this. assuming i have a suitable receiver (ignore the yamaha receiver) i can just plug the firestick into the receiver which will decode the audio directly. the tv is then connected to the receiver HDMI out and i'm all set?

e.g.

alasdair

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Exactly!

 

[alasdairm]

thanks @Josh Steinberg

alasdair

 

[Josh Steinberg]

thanks @Josh Steinberg

alasdair

Welcome to our forum! You’re in good hands with John Rice, he knows his audio stuff!!

 

[JohnRice]

ok @JohnRice i think i've been overthinking this. assuming i have a suitable receiver (ignore the yamaha receiver) i can just plug the firestick into the receiver which will decode the audio directly. the tv is then connected to the receiver HDMI out and i'm all set?

Exactly!

The ONLY reason you need to get audio from the TV to the receiver is if the TV itself is the source of your media. Such as, streaming apps or the terrestrial tuner for good old over-the-air broadcast television. If you don't use the TV that way, then nothing is needed. If you do need to send audio from the TV back to the receiver, then you can use an optical cable. At least, most TVs have an optical audio output.

So yeah, connect your sources to the receiver, and you're done.

 

[Todd Erwin]

I would seriously consider upgrading the receiver anyway. Many are at rock bottom clearance prices as retailers make room for the newer models. This will make you truly 4K ready, increase your number of HDMI inputs (at least double them), and allow your Firestick to transmit Dolby Digital Plus rather than the older Dolby Digital, plus it will decode the lossless codecs DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD.

 

[alasdairm]

hey @Todd Erwin - yep! that is my conclusion, especially due to the 4k issue. thank you.

if you have any specific recommendations i'd love to hear them. i'm seeing some great candidates from denon and onkyo.

i also discovered this site which makes side-by-side comparisons of receivers incredibly easy: https://www.zkelectronics.com/receivers/

thanks for all the help.

alasdair

 

[JohnRice]

Do you have a target price range?

 

[Todd Erwin]

Depending on your budget, I'd look at the Denon AVR-X2500 for $349 from various third party sellers on Amazon. Just make sure it is a new unit from a reputable dealer, like World Wide Stereo (an authorized Denon reseller). It is a 7.2 receiver, but has a bit more power than the much older 5.2 AVR-S540BT (which Denon has held over now for two years). It also gives you the flexibility to add Dolby Atmos/DTS: X later on down the road.

 

[alasdairm]

^ thanks.

i have budgeted $400 and see plenty of options at that price.

alasdair