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Preamp question: mobile use
hey guys, i have sort of a strange question: is there any such thing as a preamp that can accept 5+ HDMI inputs w/4K video, but rather than having outputs for balanced line-level audio connectors, it would have standard RCA-type outputs for each pair of audio channels? preferably, it should be as small and efficient as possible. and even better would be if it was for 12vdc use, as opposed to 120vac.
so for example, the Marantz AV7705 does have regular, unbalanced RCA preamp outputs, and has 7x 4K HDMI inputs...but the thing is huge, it runs on 120vac, and i don't need all those other RCA inputs, the balanced preamp outputs, and all that stuff. i just want as many 4K HDMI inputs as possible, a volume knob, and the unbalanced RCA audio outputs...and it needs decoding for as many surround-sound audio standards as possible, but TrueHD & DTS Master Audio at a minimum.
what i want to be able to do is have some way of getting up to 7.1/7.2 audio channels and 4K video out from my HDMI devices (blu-ray, HTPC, game system, etc), and get the audio channels input into a multi-channel 12vdc car audio amplifier for use in a travel trailer. it will be fully off-grid with solar panels/battery bank (with portable generator as a backup/supplement), so i want to be as efficient as possible and avoid having to turn on a 12vdc -> 120vac power inverter for as many of my devices as i can; inverters inherently have some power loss in the conversion process, so if i could run as many things as possible directly off of 12vdc, that would help to maximize my power usage.
and being in a travel trailer, that is where the compact size (and weight, for that matter) becomes important...i don't want to have some huge honkin' preamp that's the size of most all-in-one home theater receivers (or larger), just to convert the audio from HDMI to the RCA outputs. i want to be able to hide away as much of the equipment behind walls/panels as i possibly can to keep everything nice & clean looking.
it doesn't have to be a super high-end device, i do want to lean more toward the budget end, as long as it has at least halfway decent audio quality (on par with a good budget all-in-one home theater receiver)....but i'm not opposed to spending a little extra money, as long as i actually get something for that money.
so for example, the Marantz AV7705 does have regular, unbalanced RCA preamp outputs, and has 7x 4K HDMI inputs...but the thing is huge, it runs on 120vac, and i don't need all those other RCA inputs, the balanced preamp outputs, and all that stuff. i just want as many 4K HDMI inputs as possible, a volume knob, and the unbalanced RCA audio outputs...and it needs decoding for as many surround-sound audio standards as possible, but TrueHD & DTS Master Audio at a minimum.
what i want to be able to do is have some way of getting up to 7.1/7.2 audio channels and 4K video out from my HDMI devices (blu-ray, HTPC, game system, etc), and get the audio channels input into a multi-channel 12vdc car audio amplifier for use in a travel trailer. it will be fully off-grid with solar panels/battery bank (with portable generator as a backup/supplement), so i want to be as efficient as possible and avoid having to turn on a 12vdc -> 120vac power inverter for as many of my devices as i can; inverters inherently have some power loss in the conversion process, so if i could run as many things as possible directly off of 12vdc, that would help to maximize my power usage.
and being in a travel trailer, that is where the compact size (and weight, for that matter) becomes important...i don't want to have some huge honkin' preamp that's the size of most all-in-one home theater receivers (or larger), just to convert the audio from HDMI to the RCA outputs. i want to be able to hide away as much of the equipment behind walls/panels as i possibly can to keep everything nice & clean looking.
it doesn't have to be a super high-end device, i do want to lean more toward the budget end, as long as it has at least halfway decent audio quality (on par with a good budget all-in-one home theater receiver)....but i'm not opposed to spending a little extra money, as long as i actually get something for that money.
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
so that looks promising, on all but cost. i'm just wondering what exactly makes this cost as much as it does? it certainly isn't materials cost...there's much less actual materials involved in producing this device than there is in any all-in-one AVR that costs $250 - $450, simply because it doesn't have any amplification built in, and therefore it contains tons less copper coils, etc.
obviously, some of the extra cost is simply due to the fact that this is not a mass-produced product like the brands offered in the big-box stores, like Pioneer, Sony, Yamaha, Denon, etc...but that can't account for all the price difference, so the only other thing i can think of is licensing costs...does it really cost that much to license decoding of DTS, TrueHD, etc.?
honestly, i was hoping to find something similar to this, except maybe without the balanced audio outputs, for around the $500 - $700 range at most. i mean, this looks like a very nice product and all, but i'm having trouble trying to account for $1200 worth of product in it. can someone tell me what makes this device worth $1200?
obviously, some of the extra cost is simply due to the fact that this is not a mass-produced product like the brands offered in the big-box stores, like Pioneer, Sony, Yamaha, Denon, etc...but that can't account for all the price difference, so the only other thing i can think of is licensing costs...does it really cost that much to license decoding of DTS, TrueHD, etc.?
honestly, i was hoping to find something similar to this, except maybe without the balanced audio outputs, for around the $500 - $700 range at most. i mean, this looks like a very nice product and all, but i'm having trouble trying to account for $1200 worth of product in it. can someone tell me what makes this device worth $1200?
I think your expectations are way off. This is the cheapest processor by a factor of 3+. Other than the IOTAVX AVX17 (which seems to be the same as the Tone Winner, just across the pond), there are no other processors available for anywhere close to this price.so that looks promising, on all but cost. i'm just wondering what exactly makes this cost as much as it does? it certainly isn't materials cost...there's much less actual materials involved in producing this device than there is in any all-in-one AVR that costs $250 - $450, simply because it doesn't have any amplification built in, and therefore it contains tons less copper coils, etc.
obviously, some of the extra cost is simply due to the fact that this is not a mass-produced product like the brands offered in the big-box stores, like Pioneer, Sony, Yamaha, Denon, etc...but that can't account for all the price difference, so the only other thing i can think of is licensing costs...does it really cost that much to license decoding of DTS, TrueHD, etc.?
honestly, i was hoping to find something similar to this, except maybe without the balanced audio outputs, for around the $500 - $700 range at most. i mean, this looks like a very nice product and all, but i'm having trouble trying to account for $1200 worth of product in it. can someone tell me what makes this device worth $1200?
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
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