“When the fourth-generation Apple TV came out, the complaint I expected least was the lack of an audio output port,” Glenn Fleishman writes for Macworld. “That’s because I own a relatively new receiver that handled HDMI audio and video switching; while not rare, it’s nowhere near common. Many people rely on older receivers that can’t switch HDMI and extract the audio, use stand-alone powered speakers that require a separate audio signal, or prefer receivers that omit digital video functions.”
“Kanex has a solution for everyone who fits that description, the Digital Audio Adapter for Apple TV,” Fleishman writes. “The only downside is its $60 price tag — although far cheaper than getting an HDMI-switching receiver.”
“Kanex’s Digital Audio Adapter for Apple TV is elegant and comes with the backing of its reputation for managing technical support and manufacturing problems,” Fleishman writes. “For a plug-and-forget it device you want to work reliably, the extra price likely doesn’t work out to extra in the long term.”
Read more, and see the photos, in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We have these Kanex units – they deliver as advertised.
It would be nice if Apple just included an analog or at least an optical audio out connector. You can run it through the TV but that means you need to power on the TV and waste more electricity. The Kanex solution sounds helpful.
I just hope Kanex made them better than the HDMI to VGA adapters. I ordered 14 of the VGA ones and had to return them all and recommended some changes on the internal design. Luckily they redesigned them and shipped me new ones. Been pretty stable now. So hopefully lesson learned!
Here’s one @ Amazon $29.95. Works great.
ViewHD HDMI Audio Extractor | Optical Toslink + L/R Stereo Analog Converter Outputs | VHD-H2HSAs
That is the one I purchased. Works great for me.
I just connect the HDMI cable to the HDTV. Instead of using the TV’s mediocre built-in speakers, the HDTV has audio output, which I connect to my old-school (but still excellent sounding) analog audio receiver system.
I do the same but use the optical audio feed from the TV to my A/V receiver. I have never yet found a TV with speakers worth listening to.
Sounds nice but not everyone can do this so easily. Think about the needless cost for doing this if you have a projector or if your A/V component stack isn’t next to your TV?
Bad choice to not have analog and digital audio outputs on Apple TV, period. It shows Apple is losing their attention to detail.
HDMI to VGA adapters only work on devices that have an analogue signal coming from the HDMI port. If there is no active conversion done by the adapter, then you won’t get a signal. The 3rd gen Apple TV works with HDMI to VGA adapters, the 4th gen Apple TV does not.