I love it when something works like it's supposed to and this little selector box does just that! I recently installed a Bravia surround sound system that has only one TOSlink (optical cable) port, but I had two pieces of equipment that needed to be plugged into it (a PS3 and HD cable box). I originally looked at the manual TOSlink selectors, but there have been many problems reported with them in both short term and long term performance. The reviews for this selector box were impressive, so I bought it based on that. I've got the cable box and PS3 hooked into it and it outputs to my Bravia surround. Sound quality is unaffected by the addition of the selector box, the sound is just as good as when I had the PS3 cabled directly to the surround. The box even looks nice! The credit card-style remote control switches the selector instantly and has very good range. As has been mentioned in other reviews the selector box can also be easily controlled manually by pushing the buttons on the front of it. Overall I'm very happy with this and feel it is an excellent value for an electronic selector that can be remote controlled.One thing worth noting, per the instructions the box does not convert signals from analog to digital. In other words, you can't run component cables to the input and expect to output sound across an optical cable. The inputs and output have to match. My setup is all optical, so this wasn't an issue; I just mention this in case someone is looking at this device for that application.
11-19-2012 updatewell after 3-1/2 years of heavy use my little switcher box started acting up. Sometimes it will not turn on and other times it will shut off unexpectedly which results in a loss of sound in the middle of whatever I'm watching (I'm using it only for optical sound cables). Whenever it does either of the above I can slap it a couple of times and it'll come back on. I've opened it up to look for loose connections, but don't see anything obvious. I've dealt with this a few months but it's getting annoying, so I just ordered a replacement (same unit). Also I finally replaced my gaggle of remotes with a Harmony One and the switcher works great with it.
I am planning on getting an IR blaster type remote replicator to fix this, but it is annoying that I need another piece of equipment to take care of the shortcomings of this one.This model has few reviews but is cheaper than the 40324 and that one has tons of rave reviews. The audio ins/outs are exactly the same on both. It's just the video ins/outs that differ. I just needed the audio switching so went for this less costly model and am thrilled with its reliability, quality and digital optical 5.1 surround sound output.
I have a Panasonic SA-HT900 DVD changer home theater (HTIB) and love its audio features, but wanted to upgrade to an upconverting DVD HTIB. Well they don't make the new upconverting home theaters with all the sound features this one has, so I opted to keep it as a receiver and buy a separate Oppo DV981-HD upconverting DVD player and get this selector to switch the one optical digital audio input I have on the receiver between my cable and new upconverting DVD player, and it's flawless.
Setup was a breeze. The remote is so convenient and the size of a credit card. I incorporated into my learning remote too.
Don't let any photos of this unit's back with the strange looking audio plugs scare you. It definitely uses standard digital optical toslink cable and handles 5.1 surround. Those are just the toslink plug protectors sitting in the audio plugs. I pulled them out and am using standard optical cable.
If you don't need to switch component video, save some money and get this model instead of the 40324.
I read so many bad reviews about the passive digital audio switches out there, and most have to be switched manually. This switch is so worth the cost and electricity. It's solid and convenient.
Update 8/6/10:
This switch is still going strong. Now I have all three digital audio inputs in useHD cable box, dvd player and HTPC all in lovely surround sound! Just wish it was smaller or had a cabled infrared sensor so I could tuck the box away in back. I recently switched my 3 HDMI video inputs into this tiny playing card box sized switch that automatically switches too! Now that switch is cool (and cheap to boot)!My home system had two digital optical outputs (sound) from the HDTV and Blu-Ray player, but my amp had only 1 optical input, so I needed a switch. Since I was going to use it just to switch sound sources, I bought this unit because I didn't need the more expensive one with composite video connectors.
This switch is only about 9 inches wide by 1 3/4 inches tall by 4 inches deep, and doesn't take up much space on my rack. (I've mounted it vertically on its end.) TOS cables snap in with a positive click. Sound is excellent with no distortion or loss that I can notice; it's the same as when I had the direct connect from my TV to the amp. Green LEDs show power on and which 1 of 3 sources you are using. The power source is 12 volt from a supplied plug in transformer.
The mini remote (smaller than a credit card, similar to the ones that come with video cameras) could get lost easily. For my usage, it's not really necessary -I just push the button on the front panel of the selector to change the source when I'm changing a disc in or out of my player.
If you're considering one of the cheap mechanical optical switches to manage your sound, forget it and just spend the extra $25 or so for this no-hassle, well-made box.I'm using this to connect my PS3, XB360, and desktop computer to my surround receiver. I only needed the ability to switch between optical inputs, and this delivered exactly what I needed.
The switch costs merely twice as much as low-quality mechanical switches which tend to wear out after just a month or two of use, and the fully-electronic switching with remote control function makes it perfect for this. While having a separate remote will add to the complexity of a setup, the device works with the Logitech Harmony series of universal remotes, and I plan on integrating the device once I order a Harmony. I've had zero trouble with the default remote so far, though.
Switching between inputs is pretty quick, around one second for the audio inputs to switch over, and I believe most of this is overhead on the digital signal. I've only used the optical connection, though, so I can't vouch for the switching speed of the analog inputs.
It's been noted before but this device does NOT do format converting, only straight pass-through links... optical to optical, RCA to RCA, so if you're looking for a device to convert optical to analog signal, you'll need a different device.
The input can be switched via either the remote control or physically pressing the buttons on the front of the unit, which is a minor feature but a thoughtful one all the same. The buttons themselves are illuminated to show the active input source instead of using a separate indicator LED; this is nice since the buttons are smoke colored and help to diffuse and dim the light, so it doesn't attract your eyes away from your display. I also applaud the manufacturer's choice of green LED instead of blue or white, since those colors tend to be very intense and draw attention. These features mean you can set it right with the rest of your theater equipment without worry.
I would give this product a 4.75-star rating if possible, since the optical ports did not have a built-in dust cover as most modern devices have, though the switch does come with removable caps for the ports. Since the cables will be plugged in almost all the time, this isn't a big issue. Also, I found the ports to be slightly loose with all three different brand of cable I use, but so far I haven't had any issues with the plugs pulling out while I'm working on the setup. Finally, the device manufacturer is rather boldly printed on the front, which is the only part of the design I truly dislike it detracts from the subtlety of the rest of my theater equipment. I would also advise the buyer to double-check the dimensions since the product is somewhat larger than it appears, but not unreasonably so.
Since these faults are such minor drawbacks, though, I still would give the product five stars, and would recommend this first to any friend or family looking for a good audio switch. I bought the device for $35 and would consider even the regular $70 price tag well worth it.
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