CAMWAY Digital to Analog Audio Converter,ARC Audio Extractor Audio Return Channel,Digital Optical SPDIF Coaxial and Analog 3.5mm L/R Stereo Audio Converter,Coaxial to 3.5mm and RCA

I wanted to replace a soundbar that had an hdmi arc input. Although the soundbar and sub woofer combo were one of the leading brand names, it still didn't have the lively sound I was looking for. I had a bookshelf speaker with built-in amps, which I thought, and know for sure that had much better sound and lively presence. It didn't have the HDMI Arc input though instead had other inputs one of them being stereo RCA female Jack's. Just adding a stereo RCA connector to the kit and voila. The sound comes out with better precision than my older setup.Things to know from reading other reviews:1. You can still control volume from the Roku stick when using the HDMI ARC adapter. I've read other users saying they have lost this ability.2. The kit comes with optical audio connectorand USB 5 volt power converter cords. I had to use a power outlet that incorporated a USB out as I already used the TVs USB out to power my Roku stick.3. Although a little bit off from this topic, i will be staying away from soundbars, period. The sound quality is just no much for better quality separate speaker systems... an amplified bookshelf speaker in my case.4. The build quality of this particular unit is excellent: solid aluminum enclosure and looks and feels high quality. The only thing that I can't say is if the functional life of the device whether it would last. I just have been using the setup for a few hours and there is nothing to indicate ane electronic issue. The unit didn't even have any rise In temperature. So that to me is nice.Overall this is an excellent unit : Build quality is excellent, setup is straightforward and easy as plug and play. Manual included comes with the English language... and other languages as well, and comes with other outputs as well... optical audio connector, RCA stereo audio out and 3.5 mm jack which you can use if you prefer. This is a recommended unit to use and one of the better ones I've seen. For its functionality, I think the cost of the unit is just right on.

I have a 6-7 year old Sony 65" TV that still looks fantastic. But as with all TV's, the built in speakers just sound little and cheap. So I decided to connect the TV to an "old" preamp & amplifier that I use with my Magnepan speakers. Musically this combination sounds really nice. But when I connected the Sony TV to the preamplifier using the headphone 3.5mm jack on the back of the TV, oh was it bad. Lots of humming, noise, and static - no way I was going to listen to this. (The TV does not have an rca plug audio connection of any kind?) So I ordered this CAMWAY converter and connected it to the TV using the ARC hdmi output connection on the back of the TV. (The TV does not have eARC because it's too old.) Then I ran an rca audio cable from the CAMWAY converter to an input on my preamplifier, and set the sound output on my TV from dolby digital to the pcm setting. WOW - what a difference! Crystal clear audio going from the TV to the large Magnepan speakers. No humming, no noice, and no static. I highly recommend this converter; just make sure to use the ARC slot on the back of your TV, and not eARC (which is a newer standard).

I am writing this review to not only point out what this unit can do, but to notify its manufacturer that they need to do a better job explaining it.For years I have run stereo speakers from various TVs I have owned. Sometimes in the past, I have had surround receivers and used the digital out on the TV to connect, but that's generally a pain because the TV remote could never run the receiver (and its connected speakers') volume so one always had to keep track of and fiddle around between the two remotes.So, I gave up on surround and just used the headphone out connected directly to stereo powered speakers (I am a musician, so I typically use powered monitors one finds in recording studios). At least in this set-up, the TV remote runs the volume on the speakers, so no 2nd remote needed.But that set up has sometimes been problematic depending on my location because a Y-cable with a 1/8 inch stereo plug on the TV headphone-out end and two mono 1/4 inch plugs on the other ( speaker) end was needed to connect to the speakers and sometimes such a cable, especially depending on length would pick up RF noise in the neighborhood. Also, my experience with these Y cables is that it is hard to find really good quality cables that are long enough to get from the TV to the speakers and deliver great sound quality.I stumbled across the fact that ROKU TVs like my TCL (and many other modern TVs) have a third audio connection capability—it's a digital connection (and thus RF interference-proof) and allows one to control speakers via the TV's remote!On my TCL TV with built in ROKU, that connection is referred to as "eARC" and utilizes an HDMI cable. This eARC connection also invokes a protocol called "CEC" which I have come to find out stands for "Consumer Electronics Control". CEC is the "magic" that allows the remote for your CEC-enabled TV to run the volume on your HDMI-connected speakers. One important note, one must use the analog audio out connections on the Camway (either 1/8" out (not recommended for the reasons previously noted). Purchase a good quality stereo heavily shielded RCA to 1/4" cable (assuming your speakers take a 1/4 cable) to connect the Camway to your speakers.There are some set-up steps on your TV to get all this working. Consult your TV's manual.Another issue with the Camway: while the manufacturer provides you a USB A to USB Micro cable, they do not provide a power converter to plug it into (which converter than plugs into wall power). Moreover, reading their manual, they tell you the unit uses a "maximum operating current" of 100 mA which sounds potentially troublesome as most 5v converters (like the ubiquitous white Apple iPhone 5v type) put out 500 mA.I'm not an expert on this, but my understanding is that devices pull what they need from converters, not the max the converter can put out. So as long as the converter exceeds the device's rated mA, you're good (as in this case). In any event, I used an Apple 5v converter and it worked fine. Camway's owners manual ought to make all this clear.My final thought for Camway: you should PROMINENTLY feature the fact that your device is CEC-enabled. But for one oblique reference to CEC, I would not have stumbled onto this unit. I bought two other ARC devices that I thought would work (and did not) which I had to return to Amazon before I found this one.So, to sum it all up, great unit. Does exactly what I expected it to do. Have not really used enough to comment on sound quality, but seems fine so far. I may weigh in later on that topic.

I bought this because it was claimed it could convert a digital signal to analog as well as pass through the digital signal. The pass through worked fine with both HDMI/Optical.Analog headphone & RCA outputs did not work. I bought a first unit (it didn't work) and requested a replacement from Amazon. The replacement had the exact same problem. JunkBoth units have been returned to Amazon. It's a shame because if the units worked they would be a very affordable solution. Haven't seen anything in that price range that claim those capabilities (pass through & conversion.