VFM Media player with good RCA analog output

[alclik]

Hi Guys,

I have a Denon integrated stereo amp and a pair of Wharfedale floor standing speakers. My main audio source is a Sony DVD player with RCA output and I am satisfied with the stereo sound. I would like to use my phone (Galaxy S II with Kitkat) as the main audio source but when I use 3.5mm to RCA cable to connect the AMP with my phone sometime, I have to crank up the volume a bit and I feel the sound quality not as good.

Now I would like to use this setup for watching movies sometime because I can't get an AVR and 5.1 speakers for space constraints.

I have a 40in LED tv which plays most video formats via USB and has fixed RCA output but the sound quality is not good and pretty low when I connect it to my stereo amp with RCA cable. It sounds muffled .

Most of my videos are 720/1080p BR Rips and they play quite well on my desktop computer with the Logitech z2300 2.1 system, but I am unable to get even that quality sound with my stereo system when I use the RCA output from the TV.

So basically I am looking for a cheap solution to watch movies on TV with good quality RCA analog output. I dont need built-in HDD, Network etc.

Just a media player that plays most video (and audio) formats with good quality analog output.

It would be really helpful if you guys suggest some good options?

Thanks!

 

[alclik]

Isn't there anyone using media player with stereo amp?!

 

[anuragn]

Hi alclik,
What you need is a simple and inexpensive coax/digital to RCA analogue convertor. Something like "FiiO D03K Coaxial/Optical to R/L Audio convertor" (see link below).
FiiO D03K Coaxial/Optical to R/L Audio convertor
One of the two proposed solutions should work for you:
Either your TV has optical or digital audio out (I believe most of the latest TVs do have), in which case you can convert it to analogue signal (L+R) which should be better than RCA out from TV.
Or else, play the content on your DVDP and take audio out from the player's digital or optical output.
Since this Fiio device is very cheap at just two grands, you can order and try it out yourself.

 

[Vinay2013]

Earlier, I was using Asus O Play mini with a stereo amplifier and was very happy with the output. It down mixes 5.1 channels to stereo if using RCA output. I connected the video through HDMI and audio through RCA output.

Vinay

 

[alclik]

Thank you Anurag.
I don't think the TV has optical output, but I have to check it again. I am looking for a solution that some other FMs have tried and tasted with Stereo amp.

Thank you Vinay.
Asus O!Play Mini is one of the options I am considering as it seems to have what I need and more importantly most users on this forum seem to be satisfied with it.

But I have a few questions regarding O!Play Mini.

1. How is the the volume level of the RCA audio output? Do you have to crank it up a bit compared to CD player or other source?
2. I read on many reviews that it does not have any option to correct the aspect ratio, so the video often gets stretched - is it correct? is there any solution for it?


Thanks again for helping out.

 

[soulforged]

There is a squeezebox on sale on this forum, worth checking out...

 

[alclik]

There is a squeezebox on sale on this forum, worth checking out...

Thanks for the suggestion. But I am looking for a video player.

 

[Vinay2013]

Volume level is decent enough if you have appropriate amplifier. I used with a very basic amp Astonia 30W each and got decent sound. Though sound level is definitely not as high as in DVD player (Philips) but for me it hardly made any difference

I never had any issue with Aspect Ratio in my player and as far as I remember it has options to change the aspect ratio though I never find any reason to change that.

 

[alclik]

Volume level is decent enough if you have appropriate amplifier. I used with a very basic amp Astonia 30W each and got decent sound. Though sound level is definitely not as high as in DVD player (Philips) but for me it hardly made any difference

I never had any issue with Aspect Ratio in my player and as far as I remember it has options to change the aspect ratio though I never find any reason to change that.

Thanks again Vinay. I saw many on this forum saying it dies after a year or two, esp. the remote control. Have you had any issue with the build quality/reliability of Asus O Play Mini ?

 

[Vinay2013]

So far it is working flawlessly including remote. Lucky me

 

[alclik]

I just got the Asus Oplay Mini for Rs 3950/- .
It's cheap so even if it runs for few years it's all right.

I was happy to find that Asus has done some incremental improvements in the existing O Play Mini.
The remote is upgraded with much better remote with improved design.
If anyone wants I can post a picture of the new remote.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the sound quality from from the analog RCA output for 320kbps Mp3 and FLAC files sound same (if not better) as Pioneer BDP-160!!

Picture quality is good but sometime a bit too sharp for my taste. If you are using a fullHD tv you need to manually set the processing to 1080p 24Hz in the settings.

Only gripe is that UI is quite outdated visually (although very easy to use).

Overall I am pretty happy with it.

 

[Vinay2013]

I just got the Asus Oplay Mini for Rs 3950/- .
It's cheap so even if it runs for few years it's all right.

I was happy to find that Asus has done some incremental improvements in the existing O Play Mini.
The remote is upgraded with much better remote with improved design.
If anyone wants I can post a picture of the new remote.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the sound quality from from the analog RCA output for 320kbps Mp3 and FLAC files sound same (if not better) as Pioneer BDP-160!!

Picture quality is good but sometime a bit too sharp for my taste. If you are using a fullHD tv you need to manually set the processing to 1080p 24Hz in the settings.

Only gripe is that UI is quite outdated visually (although very easy to use).

Overall I am pretty happy with it.

Great..Congratulations!