The box that reconciles a new television with an old amplifier

The best audio converters and DACs for 2026

This shelf exists because televisions removed their analogue outputs and amplifiers kept their analogue inputs. A converter bridges the two, and the specifications that decide are unglamorous. What goes in and what comes out: optical, coaxial, HDMI ARC on one side; RCA, a 3.5 mm jack, headphones on the other. Supported sample rates, since a unit limited to 48 kHz will simply stay silent on a 96 kHz source rather than resample it. And format handling, which is the failure people actually meet: a converter that accepts stereo PCM only will produce nothing at all when the television is set to output Dolby Digital, and the fix is a menu setting rather than a return. We compare input and output types, supported sample rates, format handling and downmixing, volume control, and power supply.

What we recommend

1. 

   Fokky 192 kHz digital-to-analogue converter with cables

   The complete purchase: a converter, an optical cable, an RCA cable and a volume control, for less than most converters alone.

   Conversion

   192 kHz / 24-bit digital to analogue — stated

   Input

   Optical Toslink — stated

   Output

   RCA left and right — stated

   Volume control

   On the unit, adjustable directly — stated

   Supplied

   1 coaxial RCA-to-RCA cable, 1 Toslink cable 1 m, 1.1 m stated for the RCA lead

   Weight

   80 g — stated

   Drivers

   None required — stated

   Format handling

   Not stated — see the note on PCM below

   Amazon reference

   B0F8HBYCZ8 (same reference on 4 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   6974426753397

   • Both cables supplied, which is unusual and removes two separate purchases
   • A volume control on the unit, so the level can be matched to the amplifier
   • Format handling is not stated, and a converter that accepts PCM only is silent on a Dolby Digital source

   Best for: A television with no analogue output feeding an amplifier that has no digital input.

   ≈ 8 €

   Check price on Amazon
2. 

   CAMWAY 192 kHz DAC, optical and coaxial to RCA and 3.5 mm

   An amplifier chip on the output so the level reaches an amplifier properly — and the maker states, in its first bullet, the setting that otherwise silences it.

   Conversion

   192 kHz / 24-bit digital to analogue — stated

   Input

   SPDIF optical Toslink — stated

   Outputs

   RCA left and right, plus 3.5 mm — stated

   Output stage

   Built-in audio amplifier chip to lift the RCA output level — stated

   Volume

   Not adjustable on the unit or by remote; set in the television's audio settings — stated

   Supplied

   1 m optical cable and a USB power cable — stated

   Weight

   120 g — stated

   Amazon reference

   B07D7X8FCW (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0731717871026

   • An amplifier chip on the output, which fixes the weak-signal complaint common to this shelf
   • A 3.5 mm output as well as RCA, so headphones or powered speakers work directly
   • No volume control of its own — the level has to come from the source

   Best for: A run to an amplifier where the converter output has previously been too quiet.

   ≈ $13 / £11 / 13 €

   Check price on Amazon
3. 

   PROZOR DAC01s converter, optical and coaxial to RCA and 3.5 mm

   The one listing on this shelf that says what it cannot do — 5.1 is not compatible, set the source to PCM — which is precisely the failure everyone meets.

   Conversion

   32 kHz to 192 kHz, 24-bit S/PDIF input bitstream — stated

   Inputs

   1 × Toslink optical, 1 × RCA coaxial — stated

   Outputs

   2 × RCA (left and right), 1 × 3.5 mm headphone — stated

   Format handling

   Uncompressed 2-channel LPCM or PCM only; 5.1 explicitly not compatible — stated

   Direction

   Digital to analogue only, not reversible — stated

   Power

   USB 5.5 mm cable; the mains adapter is NOT included — stated

   Interference

   Electromagnetically interference-free transmission — stated

   Amazon reference

   B00KNNSKV0 (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0738759979185

   • States the format limit explicitly, which is the single most useful sentence on this shelf
   • Two digital inputs — optical and coaxial — rather than one
   • No volume control on the unit

   Best for: Anyone who has already had a converter go silent and wants to know why before buying another.

   ≈ $14 / £12 / 14 €

   Check price on Amazon
4. 

   VEDINDUST HDMI audio extractor to optical and RCA

   An extractor rather than a converter — it pulls audio out of an HDMI run — with three modes selected by a switch rather than negotiated automatically.

   Function

   Extracts the audio from an HDMI input and passes the video on — stated

   Outputs

   HDMI, optical Toslink, RCA left and right, 3.5 mm — stated

   Mode 5.1

   Optical output only, 5.1 format supported — stated

   Mode 2.0

   Optical and L/R both work, stereo PCM only — stated

   Third mode

   Pass-through — stated

   Stated resolution

   4K at 60 Hz in the specification bullet; the title states 4K 30 Hz

   Colour depth

   24-bit, 30-bit and 36-bit deep colour — stated

   Amazon reference

   B09QMM57ND (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0798610310663

   • Three modes chosen by a switch, so the behaviour is deliberate rather than negotiated
   • Solves the specific problem of a streaming stick or player with no separate audio output
   • The title says 4K 30 Hz and the specification bullet says 4K 60 Hz

   Best for: A Chromecast, a Roku or a player with no audio output of its own, feeding an old amplifier.

   ≈ 20 €

   Check price on Amazon
5. 

   eSynic professional HDMI audio extractor with SPDIF, L/R and 3.5 mm

   A well-specified three-mode extractor carrying two incompatible resolution claims in the same listing — and the specification bullet is the one to plan around.

   Function

   HDMI to HDMI, with SPDIF, RCA L/R and 3.5 mm audio outputs — stated

   Modes

   Audio pass, 2CH, 5.1CH — stated

   RCA output

   2-channel PCM stereo — stated

   SPDIF output

   2-channel PCM and 5.1 digital — stated

   Claim in the title

   4K HDMI optical adapter — stated

   Claim in the specification

   HDCP 1.3, input resolution up to 1080p 50/60 Hz — stated by the same maker

   Formats named

   PCM 2.0, Dolby, DTS 5.1 — stated

   Amazon reference

   B0183FQAXO (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0670924940234

   • Three explicitly named modes, with the format each output carries stated separately
   • Both a digital and two analogue outputs, so it suits an old amplifier or a pair of headphones
   • The title says 4K and the specification bullet says HDCP 1.3 with a 1080p input ceiling

   Best for: A 1080p source that needs its audio separated, where the resolution claim in the title is not being relied on.

   ≈ £20 / 22 €

   Check price on Amazon