Once again we’re relying on second-hand information to better understand the PlayStation 5, because it’s not like Sony to come out and tell us what it’s got planned for the platform, is it? So according to The Verge, the Japanese giant’s next-gen console will not have an optical audio port; it’s hardly surprising given the PS4 Slim also dropped the standard.

The website was reporting on how older Astro headsets will work on the PS5, and confirmed the tidbit. In order to accommodate players who have an older pair of headphones, the company will be releasing an “HDMI-to-optical audio splitter that will allow your headset to interface with the PS5 with no additional firmware needed”.

This will cost $40, but if you enter the serial code for your existing Astro headphones into the company’s website, you’ll be able to get a $15 discount. While there will be some people disappointed by this news, optical audio is an outdated standard now – it was used as far back as the PlayStation 2 some 20 years ago – so it’s not massively surprising that Sony’s decided to move on.

[source theverge.com, via resetera.com]

A true PlayStation veteran, Sammy's covered the world of PS gaming for years, with an enormous Trophy count to prove it. He also likes tennis games way more than you.

Hopefully Rocksmith will still work fine. That’s the whole reason i got a sound bar and optical cable.

Well that sucks. My sound bar surround system uses optical.

So, what is better than optical out for the audio? Hdmi?

Does it support HDMI(ARC) at least ??

What a stupid thing to do, a lot of people use a surround system with optical.

@SamMR PS4 already supports ARC, right?

My entire audio system is based around optical.

It's funny moving from 3.5mm and wireless to optical, and then seemingly have Sony want me to go back to 3.5mm or wireless. Especially as wireless is usually system specific, and my optical solution allows all my consoles to output to one pair of headphones.

Hint to all those worried about this, most TVs come with optical outputs. If anything, this might have more to do with the feature being dropped than it being outdated or unused. Why add hardware to your console that is already in the TVs.

"Once again we’re relying on second-hand information to better understand the PlayStation 5, because it’s not like Sony to come out and tell us what it’s got planned for the platform, is it?" Could be worse, Sony could have had a console leak from a random flyer.

Just show us the console in detail Sony and stop the rumour mill for good.

@Si_Is_The_One Indeed. With a high quality receiver HDMI can transmit up to 20 channels (Dolby Atmos) via uncompressed Linear PCM which is much cleaner and detailed audio than the compressed 5.1 maximum delivered via TOSlink Optical.

That being said most receivers that are not certified Dolby Atmos will deliver 7.1 LPCM which once you've heard it you will swear by it.

I used to have a Yamaha Digital Audio Projector which was high end. The audio was incredible, but I live in a flat and I wasn't allowed to keep it, so I now use headphones. I go with HyperX myself which are compatible with PS5 because they simply use an audio control box via USB.

i'm using studio soundcard and stereo monitors so thats a bummer..pro audio and hdmi don't get along well...

@lacerz should be able to plug it into the back of your telly to soundbar assuming your TV has optical on the back.

I hope I can connect my Echo Studio to the PS5

Funny to read all the Sony gamers complaining about the lack of optical out, I upgraded my sound system to a newer HDMI focused system about 8 years ago when I purchased a Wii U. Nice improvement all around for about $200. My previous system was about 10 years old, no HDMI.

Really kind of surprised with all the talk of "4k" around here the past couple of years that people don't have HDMI based sound systems. Could be an EU/UK thing I suppose.

@Kidfried yes, just got my Sony surround a few days ago and been enjoying tlou2 with arc. Shame to lose 1 of the 3 hdmi inputs on the Samsung TV, (hdmi3 is the arc 'out'), but sure. I think it's not good to lose the optical port on the ps5 though

@hoffa007 Oh, duh...that's how it's set up now. Crisis averted!

Didn’t we already know this? I could have swore there was a whole thing about Astro headsets not working on the new consoles before they even did the PS5 event. I’m pretty sure Xbox announced something similar in like March or April when they announced the IO

@Ha1frican yes I remember reading it earlier in the year to. This is just the outrage of the week I suppose lol.

This is NOT confirmed at all, it’s all come from some forum post somewhere.. and we all know how reliable they’ve been...

@Richnj Because of audio lag. When I use optical out on my TV there is additional lag. It's not much, but just enough to notice while playing rhythm based games. That's why is connected my surround set directly into my PS4. Then there is zero audio lag. Also Samsung TV's for some reason always defaults back to PCM every time your source switches between Dolby Digital or DTS. Which is annoying since you need to manually select the correct audio format in the TV's menu each time. So I hoped PS5 would have optical.

@SamMR I think I need to be educated on this. How does arc the Adio return channel help you with your PS4? I can only think of 3 set ups 1 you're plugged into a normal HDMI channel using TV speakers so don't require it 2 you're in plugged into a normal HDMI and the arc channel is used to output to soundbar or receiver you don't need it 3 or my set up.you're plugged straight into a receiver with ALLM auto low latency mode. And the sound is delivered straight to the speakers so also don't require it

So I assumed arc is used purely to send sound to a receiver or soundbar for TV sounds as everything else plugs into the receiver and bypasses it. Also I thought it was only for outputting sound not recieving sound.

@redd214 I thought so, I was actually about to buy a pair of Astro A50’s a few months ago when I saw them talking about how they were working on a solution of next gen so I just waited. I thought this was common knowledge at this point

Not every system uses HDMI. Why do I have to upgrade my amp which is perfectly fine to get sound out of it. Cheers!

Well, good thing my headset died and the warrenty is gonna replace it with the gen 2 that comes out soon that I believe does not have an optical cable.

Damnit, guess I need to buy the splitter since I can't upgrade my amp yet...

If not included probably because of the same reason MS didn't put one on the Series X, they can see how many people actually use it and because it was so low saw it as a way to cut costs or better spend it on something that would benefit more people?

Yamaha just announced 2 amps that support all the new gaming HDMI 2.1 features, RX4VA and RX6VA

This is terrible news! That's how my surround sound system is set up. Cue many hours of trying to get that all to work again once the PS5 arrives -.-

I mean, I guess if you really love your old TOSLink headset, you are out of luck; but PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X all support virtual 3D audio using any headset - no need for expensive Optical Audio headsets.

If your receiver only does TOSLink, it's just time to upgrade. Sometimes, outdated technology needs to get killed off. Yes, it leaves people behind...but can't hold on to something forever - especially when current audio surpasses the capabilities of the format.

My guess it will have 2 or 3 HDMI ports on the back. Thank goodness my old receiver have multiple hdmi ports.

The easiest route to ensure you get the highest quality audio and avoid audio lag is to do it 'the other way around' - that is, get a decent soundbar or receiver with multiple HDMI inputs that can handle all the raw audio and also pass through 4K HDR video signals to the TV-out.

I have a Yamaha YSP-2700, it has 3 HDMI inputs that you can plug your 4K or other devices and then a single HDMI output to the TV.

You can still use ARC as well if you have other stuff connected to the TV, but I currently don't need it. Toslink, or optical audio, is pretty much done now imo. It'd be like asking for SCART sockets again!

I use an HDMI to optical splitter. Despite having the pro I have zero lag issues with my audio this way. I did have a bit of lag when using the optical on my TCL tv but changing the audio settings on the tv to Dolby digital only fixed it. It's a known bug with the tv brand if anyone here is having that problem.

Hdmi is vastly superior. Arc, dolby, dts, i could go on and on

I can't believe I'm actually logging into PS for the first time ever to comment on an article about optical audio connectors............ Ok @rjejr , @ralizah you guys finally got me here...

Anyway, Toslink is far from outdated in the hi-fi world of 2 channel audio. It's kind of funny that both PS5 and XSeX are abandoning a Toslink out to save $2 while $10,000 exotic amplifiers and processors are incorporating them with ever more expensive circuitry.

Audiophiles may argue endlessly whether S/PDIF coax or Toslink is better (it's all in the receiver/transmitter implementation, and a reclocker helps the jitter inherent to Toslink) but anywhere there's potential interference, Toslink is the winner.

Sure for a home theater device, HDMI is better, not because the protocol is better but because it allows bandwidth for multi-channel uncompressed audio versus just 2 channel. But for 2 channel audio (which matters to headphone gamers), HDMI is noisy and awful compared to dedicated audio protocols, and you won't find HDMI as the choice on high end audio components not oriented to multichannel theater purposes.

For gamers playing with headphones with a real headphone setup means needing to get that audio into S/PDIF, Toslink, or USB, which means just adding one more interface box, potential lag, and potential issues with 4kHDR support to get optical or TOSLink out, and dealing with the HDMI interference issues. Many of us do that already, of course, since most of us have multiple consoles all sharing the same audio device and HDMI break-outs is the most practical way to do it. But it's still a shame to see both major consoles drop it (plus Nintendo, but the compressed audio used on Switch doesn't really matter one way or the other.)

@lacerz haha, well deffo averted thats for sure then.

Sony Sony Sony Many people have XSX in their hands. Why don't you do the same? This makes me worried it is not coming out this year.

hardly think it's out dated, it's just a cheap win for Sony to save a few bucks, fairly awful decision

No problem, as long as I can play my original copy of Loaded, I’m good to go.

I just slide my PS1 disc in and hit start. Boom. Game on.

@SamMR it would be dumb if it didn't. Seriously doubt ARC will be omitted.

@Kidfried The console doesn't have to support ARC, your TV does.

@Jarobusa who has XSX in their hands ??? The only time we XSX was with the dummy teardown unit. Until this day Microsoft didn’t show nothing running on a XSX.

@NEStalgia <— what he/she/it said! Also with Sony pushing 3D audio via I believe only 2 channels optical is perfect for the job. It’s not just the Astro headsets it causes issues with too but also the award winning steel series arctis pro with dac which all websites recommended to buy. And as many have mentioned not all TVs play nicely with arc audio as you would need another device to convert HDMI audio on the arc output to optical anyway, this will no doubt cause more lag and no doubt more degrading of quality. So you are left with optical from your tv, and I know some TV’s only support 2 channel pass through over that from a HDMI source (Sony 4K 2016 for one, my LG 2018 is fine) which are no good for the steel series game dac which takes a Dolby 7/1 signal to produce headphone surround (which is amazing quality).

Optical audio has been a 'legacy' type of connection for many years now. At least 10 I'd say. As others have pointed out, HDMI has been the way to go and supported by the majority of devices for some time. If you're out of ports on your home theatre receiver, or have an optical headset, sure that kinda sucks. But you can buy the adapter.

@SilkySmile89 google search 'xbox series x hands on'

@SilkySmile89 here is another -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRqgPdYJXiU&feature=emb_title

@NEStalgia I can't believe you're here either. 😂 Oh, and I know I owe you a reply, haven't gotten there yet, working top inbox down.

Didn't think about the headphone users, but for home surround sound systems - not many portable PS4 out there - HDMI still seems like the way to go.

So, how bad is a headphone out from an HDMI in sound system compared to optical out, considering almost every PS5 game will be in surround sound, not stereo? Like what % of users which actually be able to tell the difference?

Still can't believe you're here, you're putting my non-banned streak into jeopardy. 😉

@Jarobusa Even he acknowledged at the beginning that it’s a prototype (dummy unit) doesn’t prove nothing if you didn’t see it plugged in and playing games. Was a dummy also on display a few weeks ago in Germany. My point still stands Microsoft didn’t showcase nothing playing on XSX until this day.

I know this is off topic for this post, but in my opinion Microsoft has issues either with supply or hardware. That’s not a way to cool all that stuff (APU GDDR VRM) under the same heat sink and cooled passively. If it doesn’t have a big a$$ cooler on top that’s not actively cooled. I think would have been a better solution to put that fan on the bottom and just force push fresh air in the system. Hot air rises up basic physics. You don’t need a cooler on top to eject the hot air out, especially when you design the console vertically. And the bottom vents are so restricted due to that stand. But hey, that’s my opinion not an design engineer. But have some experience from 20 years of PC building and fixing.

@SilkySmile89 and my point stands. I never mentioned people playing games on it. But there are videos of people handling the XSX. As I said in my original post (stay on target my friend), I wish Sony would do the same.

@SilkySmile89 did you watch the Digital Foundry video ?

For example the Corsair One has the same form factor like the XSX and it’s water cooled. The XSX is so dense that air flow is highly restricted. I won’t be shocked at launch that the series x is throttling or even they will silently downclock the final product. We will see what PS5 has, but by the sheer size of it you can figure it out that they want to have as much air flow as possible in the console.

@Jarobusa people should stop watching DF. You do understand that they are under NDA wright ?? and they can’t say anything related to the XSX. Also what they where playing Minecraft and Forza was on a DEVKIT witch is just a PC not a XSX.

It’s funny that all everybody has for XSX is the hands on of DF that actually it’s not a hands on. Don’t get me wrong I’m not a fanboy, if a product is good, reliable, and has GAMES cause that’s the most important thing, I will buy that. I chose 360 over PS3, and PS4 over XOne.

Well its not a surprise - optical is dated and very limited - it doesn't have the bandwidth for uncompressed 5.1 audio and can only do 2.1 uncompressed.

HDMI can of course pass through 5.1 via the ARC channel on your TV without compression or needing to upgrade - at least on a LOT of HDMI 2.0 TV's and with HDMI 2.1, enhanced ARC can pass through uncompressed Dolby Atmos - So many more channels with no lossy compression.

It makes sense to drop old ports - you don't have Scart or VGA anymore either and at some point, you have to take a decision to drop something that is 'barely' adequate to move forward...

@rjejr about the same number of people who can tell the difference between Dolby atmos and not....

But audiophiles and gamers tend to overlap more than movie fans (excluding cinephiles) so it's probably a bigger percentage than one might think. Otoh were not talking headset users here but players with legit 2 channel headphone equipment. One could say videogames are a poor use of said equipment, but if the machine is promoting it's sound credentials... And considering Sony makes quite a bit of said equipment (amps and converters, not speakers.... Sony drivers are terrible), it's not irrelevant.

Still, it's nothing they need to care too much about. Hdmi extraction comes in various qualities, and it's not like it's 24 bit recordings... But for 4khdr, finding an extractor that works (let alone for 120hz and vrr) and doesn't break video... That is a challenge.

And yeah, i really can't believe I'm here. It'll be short lived..

3rd party who probably haven't see. A ps5 console up close

No worries here. Got my tv hooked up to a soundbar via optical so HDMi is all I need for PS5 to talk to me

It's an old standard that needs to be left behind. I have an HDMI-based 7.2 surround system that was upgraded from an optical-based 5.2 system. I'm glad I upgraded. Optical is old. And it doesn't support some of the audio features that are coming out with the PS5 anyway.

@lacerz You can still connect your sound bar on your TV through an optical cable. I don't really see the problem tbh. It's even better that way because most newest TV models have a myriad of tools available to fine tune your sound.

Does your TV have an optical output? If so then just plug the cable into your TV instead of the PS and it'll work fine. Your TV will just work as a middle man in the sound journey.

@lacerz Hi, Does your TV have an optical out as you can use that and set your TV output? Fingers crossed this could help as I am in the same boat.

@NEStalgia Wow... just wow. I really, really tried to not reply, after seeing your first post full of misinformation, but then after seeing your second... Talk about buzzwords and *****. "tell the difference between Dolby Atmos"??? All Atmos does is add extra channels for height speakers. It's not an improvement on any of Dolby's already lossless formats. Or are you suggesting some people can't hear sounds that come from above? As for all your rubbish about HDMI being noisy, talk of jitter (yawn, really? Someone obviously reads audiophile forums where everyone's an expert yet nobody has a clue what they're talking about) and whether using a combination of digital cables can degrade sound quality... total garbage. They all carry data. The data either gets to where it's going or it doesn't. The sound may be converted to a different format along the way, if you chose a cable that can't handle the data, but it's not degrading. It's not like making a copy of a CD to tape. That's not how computers work. And that is simply all it comes down to, the amount of data an optical cable can carry. For Sony's new sound system to create 3D effects optical may not be enough. But hey, at least you managed to fulfill your quota of audiophile buzzwords.

@Richnj I noticed the sound quality and actual surround system audio isn't as good when running through my TV instead of the ps4 directly, so this is still a disappointment.

@rjejr Nope, I have a system with a HDMI and TOSLink Optical port. My father's system has 2 HDMI and a the optical port, also.

@ThaBEN @Jayofmaya That does suck. I've not actually tried my TV optical output. I have it all coming out of my HDMI switch.

And I don't think a HDMI splitter is really a reasonable solution. Maybe a PS5 slim or pro might have a optical output.

@Eldritch Actually, it is how a computer works. I'm a musician and after recording I recieved 48khz file of my songs. Even with a bit of reading on PCM 48khz translated to 24 or lower, it lessens the frequencies, so if a conversion of format occurs then it will definitely lessen the quality.

@Jayofmaya I'm afraid, even as a musician, you're talking about something entirely different to what I'm talking about. I'm saying data going into one end of a cable is not going come out differently the other end. It's all 1s and 0s. The cabling cannot alter the sound quality. Yes, lowering bit and sample rates can reduce dynamic range and raise the noise floor but that's not something caused by cables. Cables do not have the ability to do that. All they can do is carry the data as it's presented. So a HDMI cable will not introduce noise. Any alterations are made prior to going through the cables. On a side note, as a retired professional musician (since it seems to matter) altering bit rates will not necessarily degrade sound quality and can instead be a good thing. ie dynamic range. I love dynamic range in music etc, it's why I avoid remasters like the plague, but too much of it can be a danger to your hearing and system and can be easily solved by lowering the bit rate to a point where there's absolutely no discernable difference in sound quality. But that's a whole different topic.

@Si_Is_The_One HDMI

@Chryssy75 @Plopsicle That's how my current setup is, I just forgot. I saw the optical cable mention and thought, "Wait...my surround system uses optical cable!" But the cable runs from the TV to the stereo.

I'm going to upgrade it all eventually, but I'm clinging to my 3D TV for as long as I can.

@Eldritch Comparing "Atmos" was, of course the wrong actual comparison, yes, I agree, that's a positional tech, not a quality tech, so yes, you're right there.

However, digital audio is a biiiiiig can of worms that doesn't work the way people thinks it works. Blame the standards consortiums. It's not "just ones and zeroes" - that's a misnomer and that is the terrible part of misinformation out there. Even audio over USB and HDMI is, sadly, not that at all. You would think it is, but it isn't. Copying a lossless music file? Yes, that's just ones and zeroes, and there is no difference between copies/source/destination file, despite that some among audiphiles would ague there is.

But digital audio formats (Toslink, S/PDIF, HDMI (which is just a flavor of S/PDIF), isn't a digital audio format that's necessarily identical on both ends. It's more "analog over digital". It doesn't suffer analog transmission problems like attenuation, crosstalk, audible noise, and frequency shift like all analog transmission does, which is good. But it's not degradation free like you would assume digital would be. Because of the way it works as a stream of samples, what happens can be significant. Lag, of course, for gaming matters, but in the hi-fi world does not. (recording uses very different standards, and live sound generally still uses analog for that very purpose.)

But beyond that, the very brief summary, issues like jitter - where the timing of the samples is not on a perfect cadence from source to destination absolutely affects audio quality. That's fairly simple - a good reclocker on a separate clock on the receiving end can fix that, though most consumer hardware doesn't reclock the inputs. Additionally it adds latency, which is a negative for gaming. Jitter actually affects optical/Toslink more severely than S/PDF/HDMI/USB, but it affects all of them. Beyond that, as a stream of samples, unlike "it's just 1s and 0s" there is no retransmit mechanism for corrupted or lost packets. They are simply dropped. Most receiving hardware buffers the stream and interpolates the missing packets, negatively impacting audio. And adding lag. Better hardware has "better" interpolation, but it's still interpolation. (Worse hardware does uglier things.)

Where HDMI is a mess for audio is that it packs this same audio into a cable loaded with tons of high frequency signal, and they keep cramming ever more into it so as to keep it backward compatible. What that means? Even more corrupted/dropped packets than the other already iffy format implementations. And more interpolation on the receiving end (when you get signal so bad it pops or clicks, it's because the amount of packet loss exceeds the buffering in the receiving device.)

So, yeah, HDMI is convenient for consumer use, and it's a good compromise solution for delivering tons of uncompressed multichannel audio due to its high bandwidth capacity where no 2 channel format has that kind of bandwidth.

But it's not an ideal choice for audio quality. Optical has its own problems, particularly regarding higher jitter, but that's an easily solved problem on the equipment side versus the much more complex problem of frequent sample loss.

It's far from being "1s and 0s" as is often wrongly cited. It could and should have been that way, you'll get no argument here, but the way the world decided to implement digital audio is not just copying audio data to a playback buffer and leaving everything else to the receiving hardware. For hi-fi audio only, that would have been great. But it wasn't what they have implemented in any digital format. Particularly where it goes with video data, that would involve an external timeclock synchronizing everything. Instead the audio is just a sample stream, and it therefore picks up some problems of an analogue nature, while leaving behind analog transmission related problems. It's an improvement to analogue, but not a total fix.

Sony, ironically had the best solution in the digital world with DSD bitstreaming. It solved many of the other problems associated with the trashy consumer digital implementations. Unfortunately, Sony did what Sony does and wrapped the whole thing around their copy protection schemes and made that their sales pitch and it went the way of Betamax. But, like was with Beta, it's still used quite a bit in the recording end of the industry. But it's relegated to niche overpriced recording sales on the consumer side, and few playback devices really support it, so it's usually just decoded in software and sent via that messy sample stream USB to a playback device anyway.....

I have been using my psvr to watch movies in 3d for the past 3 years now. The definition is lower but the 3d effects are much more pronounced.

@NEStalgia literally almost nothing you said is true or applicable. Data loss over a 3-6 foot HDMI cable? You need to buy new cables then chief, because that is almost a near impossibility. HDMI doesn't send it's data using "packets", that is a technology of Ethernet and nothing else. HDMI uses an entirely different technology. If you have a moderately modern receiver of a reputable brand, you will not hear even the slightest of measurable audio degradation.

Also, if you're using optical audio there is not even the remotest comparison to HDMI. Optical audio is like using an old phonograph vs a modern studio audio system. The gap is absolutely astronomical.

Also, to those mentioning headphones...modern, high-quality headphones are capable of surround sound. Stop using outdated stereo headphones and expect the industry to accommodate you. Things become obsolete, that's the way of things.

But really we knew this was being removed like a year ago. It isn't a rumour, it is confirmed. Xbox Series X doesn't have it either. No console ever will again. It is an outdated and useless technology.

@ChipBoundary I like how one wrong word choice automatically invalidates an entire discussion. Yes, it is not packets. Such is the case with summarizing, poor examples and word choice can be used.

The larger issue with digital audio transmission remains very true. And HDMI is a very noisy interface, and yes, that presents issues for the way audio is transmitted in the current spec. Same for optical, same for USB, same for coax.

Nor is there a "quality gap" between optical and HDMI regarding audio quality "like an old phonograph versus modern audio". There is a bandwidth limitation, yes, but the technology differences aside, they are more or less used to transmit the exact same audio data in a very similar format. The difference is bandwidth in terms of how many channels are supported, as well as the 96khz limit on optical 2ch. Now if you're going the "96khz isn't enough" audiophile argument route, that's a different discussion. Or are you talking about compressed Dolby Digital/DTS versus uncompressed LPCM audio? That's a whole other thing, and means you're still thinking surround sound not 2 channel. Both are uncompressed LPCM for 2 channel. Yes, there's a monumental quality gap there. But we're talking about 2 channel, not 5, 7, or 20 channel.

Bottom line is HDMI is a very noisy interface, optical and coax are not. Noise presents issues differently for digital than for analogue. There's not an argument about "obsolete, like using a phonotgraph" to be had. That's simply untrue. If the 96khz restriction for 2ch audio is what you're referring to, then maybe there's validity to that. Otherwise, if taking about 2 channels, the ideal is they are identical (at 96khz or below) - the reality is the additional noise in HDMI presents more challenges than jitter separate audio connections, especially with the way components manufacturers need to cite the HDMI electronics near other noisy components rather than keeping it away from them.

Headphones are stereo by definition. You have only two ears (I presume.) There have been experiments with multi-driver headphones, primarily for the gaming industry, with various usually lackluster results. There are some interesting theories out there about the interaction of HRTF and multiple drivers, but nobody has really come out with an actual high quality implementation of that for a variety of reasons. All other surround sound headphones are simulated with software processing. Much like Sony's 3D headphones, the PSVR breakout box, and what will be onboard in PS5. Same for the MixAmp, and similar gaming sets which just process surround sound into a stereo image. And are generally mediocre headphones. "Modern high quality" headphones are not "capable of surround sound." They have 2 drivers with very few exceptions. Some come with a processor that does some shaping to simulate 3D, including Atmos Headphone implementations and the like.

For "high quality headphones" we're talking Sennheiser, Audeze, Beyerdynamic, Sony itself, etc. etc. Not Astro and Razer.

However, yes, both consoles removed the optical out to save about $2 per unit, which means adding a breakout box and being subjected to HDMI's so-so audio implementation. And, as I said, I've already been using that solution since I have multiple consoles feeding one setup, so there's no other practical reason to do it.

But the idea that it's an "outdated and useless technology" is untrue, and flies in the face of the actual audio equipment world outside gaming/TV. If we're going to go with that assumption, we should say HDMI is also obsolete and outdated. We should be using USB 3.1 over USB-C connectors.

Which still solves nothing for audio, unfortunately.

@NEStalgia I agree, that IS what we should be using. But at least with HDMI, it is CONSTANTLY improving. Optical has a permanent barrier. It doesn't get better, it doesn't improve. It will always be what it is, because nobody is working on it anymore.

To your other discussion on HDMI regarding noise, you are incorrect once again. HDMI is like Ethernet in one aspect. They both use 4 pairs of twisted wires. This topology reduces noise/interference to basically levels of non-existence. Ethernet only suffers from noise when put in massive bundles. HDMI is the same way. 3 or 4 cables? Noise is not an issue. Additionally, noise isn't an issue over a few feet, even in non-twisted cables.

Your audio quality/stability is directly and solely related to your audio device and its capabilities, and has NOTHING to do with the HDMI physical interface or the physical cable.

After reading the update from Astro about their current headphone models being compatible with PS5 via a HDMI to optical adaptor. I’m an owner of the older generation (gen 2) where they say are not compatible. What’s stopping us users plugging the mix amp straight to tv or amp via toslink. I know it might compromise new technology sound but surely you would still get a 2 channel nonetheless. Or is it the chat audio that won’t work? If that’s the case doesn’t ps5 have a mic built into the controller? Thoughts?

Optical Audio is no better quality than RCA and is absolutely ancient and barely supported these days. It's not even a laser. It's a blinking LED.

I suggest the Technology Connections video on these on YouTube. It's a dead "standard" that isn't going to be updated. Digital is far better in this instance.

And despite being sold as digital, it's not. The signal goes through two DACs on either side. The LED is very much analogue

My only concern is not being able to use discord via my mixamp connected to laptop while doing cross play. I just got the mixamp for that purpose. What's my work around now?

Can we please just find out a freakin price already? 2 months out and nothing. This is ridiculous

But who cares when you have a controller jack, an mic built into the damn controller and an option to run the thing via USB or at least piggyback off of an HDMI. Optical audio sucks and is pointless taking up space just for a feature most won't use.

Oh well look like ill have to buy the adapter that's used on the ps4 slim for my steel series wireless Pro but if the ps5 is good enough i may buy that one because my pronis going upstairs on the bedroom tv anyway.

It's a pain, I use optical into my surround receiver, HDMI into the tv, if I run HDMI to the receiver you need it on all the time, if you run your optical or coaxial from your tv to the receiver as some have suggested you don't get surround only stereo, it's a big big loss

@Wavey84 If you're using HDMI to a receiver over LPCM from the PS4 the audio delay should be miniscule or non existent because the PS4 itself is doing the processing and sending up to a 7.1 uncompressed signal.

The problem probably lies with your TV if anything. If the TV is set to anything other than GAME mode on its picture settings this introduces additional processing such as smoothing ect. GAME mode turns off any additional processing the TV may be doing from other settings such as Vivid. This is where sync issues will be noticed.

If you're not using GAME mode, try that.

I used to use a Yamaha DSP over HDMI and LPCM 7.1. It sounded great but I wasn't allowed to keep it because it upset the neighbours.

Now I use a optical soundbar. But that has me worried for the PS5. The PS4 is connected to it directly via optical, the PS5 doesn't have a dedicated optical out port. So I have to go through my TV via HDMI and optical out to the soundbar.

Problem is my TV is an LG and according to many forums and confirmed by my testing it introduces a delay over optical when sending Dolby Digital. The only way to correct this is to bitstream Dolby from the console and set the TV to PCM but optical can only send 2ch PCM so you lose the multichannel support. It's really annoying but it corrects the sync issues which I found makes rhythm games unplayable.

@Wavey84 If your receiver is only supporting 1080p then maybe an upgrade would be warranted to take full advantage of the PS5. It likely doesn't support anything past Dolby Digital Plus either being that old.

I myself am considering picking up the Sony HT-X8500 soundbar. It supports full 4K with HDR passthrough and all the current codecs up to Dolby Atmos. I just need to verify if it supports HDMI 2.1 for the 120HZs support. Many devices don't support it yet, it's not that widespread.

I would connect the PS5 directly over HDMI and set it to LPCM for the uncompressed audio then use the ARC for the image of the PS5 and all other devices will be controlled and passed via ARC from the TV.

Problem is ARC will also only pass 2ch LPCM unless it's a newer TV that supports eARC, however I only occasionally use my other devices so I'm not too fussed about them as long as my PS5 is getting the full experience and no audio delay which shouldn't happen if connected directly.

The reason HDMI sounds better to your ears is because Optical heavily compresses the audio signal and only supports the very lossy codecs of Dolby Digital and DTS or 2ch LPCM.

LPCM is the main codec supported by HDMI even over Dolby Atmos and it is pure, uncompressed, audio. No loss, no compression and highly detailed.

HDMI can support up to 20.1 channels of lossless audio where optical can only support up to 5.1 compressed audio.

Even though I do like using optical for simplicity and I like the way some things sound over it in looking into other options in time for the PS5 too.

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