ZONE-2 Processor, a Case Study

ZONE-2 eARC Audio Processor adds to the Thenaudio portfolio of eARC audio processors by introducing a way to extract and forward the original lossless audio received from a TV eARC port.

ZONE-2 builds on top of the already well known and popular SHARC eARC Audio Converter. SHARC is used in situations where you have a modern eARC TV and want to keep your existing audio system. SHARC will interface the two and you don’t need to purchase a new audio system for years to come. ZONE-2 has the same capabilities as SHARC and adds the capability to also forward the eARC audio to another zone.

For those who already have made the investment and purchased a modern soundbar, HDMI2.1 AVR, or another modern eARC sound system, ZONE-2 eARC Audio Processor will now enable the extraction and forwarding of a lossless audio stream from TV. This is useful for multiple scenarios that will be highlighted below.

HDMI 2.1 AVR Audio Splitting: If you have purchased a brand new modern HDMI2.1 AVR with eARC capabilities you can find yourself in a situation where forwarding audio is impossible. Depending on your model capabilities you either can’t route eARC audio anywhere or in some cases can only route a downmixed or transcoded signal. Using Zone-2 eARC Processor in between your TV and the AVR allows you to extract the original lossless audio and share it to a second zone with no degradation in the audio resolution or format.

Adding a Subwoofer: Let’s take an example of Sonos ARC soundbar. This new popular soundbar is capable of playing Atmos audio and does a very good job of producing a fantastic audio experience. In some situations, a user may still want to boost the bottom frequencies by introducing a subwoofer. Currently, this is not possible as you cannot get access to the audio signal “in-between” TV and Sonos ARC. However, with the use of ZONE-2 eARC Audio Processor, you can now extract the audio signal while having a connection between TV and Sonos ARC. This extracted audio signal can then be used to power a subwoofer amplifier using HDMI audio, optical SPDIF, or analog headphone connections. ZONE-2 audio signal is a perfect pristine representation of the original content. Your amplifier will perform the signal decoding and can therefore retain the full lossless accuracy.

Adding Second Room Audio: With a similar soundbar setup as above, you are able to route the standard HDMI audio signal to any additional room or zone in your house.