EARC cable ? Or no need

[Argo]

Just purchased Samsung S95b and Q800 sound bar.
Will eventually hook into Yamaha Home theatre set up.

Initial Q ..
Connecting soundbar to TV …. Do I need an eARC cable or will a standard quality HDMI suffice ?
I asked in store … they said it’s only Audio, therefore standard HDMI is sufficient.

Is this valid advice ?

 

[Al ears]

Just purchased Samsung S95b and Q800 sound bar.
Will eventually hook into Yamaha Home theatre set up.

Initial Q ..
Connecting soundbar to TV …. Do I need an eARC cable or will a standard quality HDMI suffice ?
I asked in store … they said it’s only Audio, therefore standard HDMI is sufficient.

Is this valid advice ?

As far as I am aware HDMI will give you sound but has bandwidth restrictions which eARC hdmi doesn't.
If you can use an eARC compatible cable

HDMI ARC and HDMI eARC: everything you need to know

What exactly does HDMI ARC do? Is it actually worth using?

www.whathifi.com

 

[abacus]

ARC & eARC are just protocols, so any decent HDMI cable (£5-10) will be all you need assuming all of your equipment supports the protocols.

Bill

 

[manicm]

Look, I'm somewhere in between on cables, so I like going on safe, relatively inexpensive bets. So currently my HDMI cable of choice is the Audioquest Pearl. For both video and audio they seem neutral and transparent. It may be just a placebo, but I get comfort from having a solid connection, and it doesn't really hurt. Also, if you upgrade your equipment to Atmos capability, then you don't have to have this conversation with yourself again.

 

[giggsy1977]

Look, I'm somewhere in between on cables, so I like going on safe, relatively inexpensive bets. So currently my HDMI cable of choice is the Audioquest Pearl. For both video and audio they seem neutral and transparent. It may be just a placebo, but I get comfort from having a solid connection, and it doesn't really hurt. Also, if you upgrade your equipment to Atmos capability, then you don't have to have this conversation with yourself again.

You trying to turn this into an hdmi cable thread?! 😂

 

[manicm]

You trying to turn this into an hdmi cable thread?! 😂

Well read the title.

 

[giggsy1977]

I'm aware of the title of the thread! 😂
Neutral and transparent should describe all digital, cables as long as they're well made. I have an Audioquest Pearl and Amazon Basics cables. Both transmit earc just fine. 👍

 

[Samd]

I'm aware of the title of the thread! 😂
Neutral and transparent should describe all digital, cables as long as they're well made. I have an Audioquest Pearl and Amazon Basics cables. Both transmit earc just fine. 👍

I'm sure you are right but for general info, not all Amazon Basics HDMI cables support eARC so, for example, CEC might still be required.

 

[Al ears]

I'm sure you are right but for general info, not all Amazon Basics HDMI cables support eARC so, for example, CEC might still be required.

As eARC is simply a protocol then any newish HDMI cable of the most recent version will be perfectly adequate.?

 

[nads]

Bought a cheap one from Argos to try eArc from TV to Node and it worked fine. But the TV defaulted to it every time I turned it on so have removed it. And use Bluetooth instead or optical to the AV.

 

[Samd]

As eARC is simply a protocol then any newish HDMI cable of the most recent version will be perfectly adequate.?

I specifically mentioned that because looking for eARC, a set (different lengths) of Basics were listed as ARC when their near neighbours with otherwise similar specs were listed eARC.

 

[Samd]

Bought a cheap one from Argos to try eArc from TV to Node and it worked fine. But the TV defaulted to it every time I turned it on so have removed it. And use Bluetooth instead or optical to the AV.

Probably too late now but turning off CEC and looking to see if you have a setting for 'sending audio to TV' or similar on AV, would have cured your TV 'interfering' when not required!

 

[Slack941]

It depends on the capabilities of your TV and sound bar. According to the article https://hifiaudios.com/cables/hdmi-arc-vs-earc/, if both your TV and sound bar support eARC, then it is recommended to use an eARC cable for the best audio quality and the most features. eARC provides advanced audio features such as audio return channel, object-based audio, and multi-channel audio support.
However, if your TV and sound bar do not support eARC, then using a standard HDMI cable will still work but you may miss out on the advanced audio features.

 

[Yongy]

It does not matter what kind of HDMI cable you use. If you do not have TV eARC to Sound bar or AVR eARC you loose the (e) enhancement part of eARC and could have set up tv sound and setup problems if you do TV eARC to sound bar or AVR ARC. Go look at utube and see how many people are having these problems, especially it seems with new Sony XLR TV's. Be careful and do your research on eARC vs ARC equipment. Again if use an eARC TV make sure it works with ARC TV before you buy. It could cost you. Again, even if you do not loose your tv voice have other setup problems like I did, you will not have the enhancment (e part) of eARC because regular ARC will not handle it no matter what HDMI cable you use. But if you do have eARC to eARC then make sure you are using a good 4K or 8K HDMI cable to get the most out of your set up. If I am wrong about this please let me know or tell me how you get the best out of eARC to ARC with HDMI?

 

[Yongy]

You trying to turn this into an hdmi cable thread?! 😂

Same questions, what are you trying to do? At what level is your equipment. Regular TV, TV plus sound bar of AVR, RCA cabling, TV HDMI to sound bar or AVR HDMI cables??? ARC (Audio Return Channel) to ARC equipment, eARC (enhanced Audion Return Channel) to eARC equipment. You need to research. Most existing equipment is ARC with HDMI cabling to day but again know your equipment and what your goals are? Regular TV? Reqular TV with AVR sound system? Upgraded system? (surround sound, via AVR with extra speakers? ) 4k or 8k TV with 4k or 8K TV and AVR? What is it you are trying to do?

 

[Yongy]

Not true. Research the difference between ARC and eARC equipment. They are not compatible. If you use ARC capable equipment with eARC capable equipmemt you might have problems and for sure you will loose the "e" part of
eARC (the enhancement part of the new spec). Be careful and do your research before buying NEW AVR's or NEW TV's for ARC and EARC compatibility. With ARC to ARC equipment you can just about use any HDMI cable to as you step up into 4K or 8K equipment you need to make sure it is ARC tv to ARC avr or eARC tv to eARC avr. With the eARC to eARC equipment you definitely want to use the 4K to 8K HDMI cables and the shorter the cable the better because the price goes up with each foot. Do your research before you buy.

 

[GeoffreyW]

I use e -Arc between my LG tv and Bose tv soundbar, mainly to adjust volume using the tv remote. It also works between tv and Uniti Star.

 

[Friesiansam]

It does not matter what kind of HDMI cable you use. If you do not have TV eARC to Sound bar or AVR eARC you loose the (e) enhancement part of eARC and could have set up tv sound and setup problems if you do TV eARC to sound bar or AVR ARC. Go look at utube and see how many people are having these problems, especially it seems with new Sony XLR TV's. Be careful and do your research on eARC vs ARC equipment. Again if use an eARC TV make sure it works with ARC TV before you buy. It could cost you. Again, even if you do not loose your tv voice have other setup problems like I did, you will not have the enhancment (e part) of eARC because regular ARC will not handle it no matter what HDMI cable you use. But if you do have eARC to eARC then make sure you are using a good 4K or 8K HDMI cable to get the most out of your set up. If I am wrong about this please let me know or tell me how you get the best out of eARC to ARC with HDMI?

This thread was done with 6 months ago and, the OP has not been seen since the 1st of January...

 

[GeoffreyW]

Thanks for clearing that up.

Edit: - Basic HDMI cable on order, as it's only for audio. Thanks, all.

 

[manicm]

If you have an eArc equipped TV - which is 99% most likely to be 4k or above - then I err on the side of caution and purchase a worthwhile, inexpensive cable like Audioquest's Pearl.

Even if you're using only audio - it just gives that extra peace of mind for rare compatibility issues where the cable was the culprit - and this scenario has been prevalent.

It also futureproofs your AV setup when you're upgrading to an Atmos soundbar or receiver. In this game taking chances is just wasting time.