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I hadn't given it much thought, but now I realise that my ASUS laptop being used as a HTPC has to convert the audio and video from the mp4 / mkv files on the NAS to HDMI and that like anything else electronic there must be different quality chipsets for that purpose. I'm wondering if you have thought of measuring tones from say, an MKV or an MP4 video with perhaps some colour bars or unrelated video through such a Home Theatre PC system which must be pretty common these days. If I access the LAN content through our Sony BD player the audio is markedly better, but not as good as it is straight off a BD. The HDMI picture is great, no complaints, but the HDMI audio is very disappointing. It seems the culprit is the ASUS laptop which accesses our videos over the LAN, just using VLC or PotPlayer. Some barely has it, some is almost unlistenable. The "grit" I'm hearing is a bit like amplifier crossover distortion - but not limited to quiet signals - mixed with broadband intermodulation distortion, and all this fuzz is affected by the nature of the content. When it failed the second time (power supply first, then the Bluetooth to the Subbie) I replaced it with an Onkyo 7.1 setup which I'm horrified to say is exhibiting the same annoying sound. I changed to a JBL sound bar + subwoofer combo, the 'phasey' and distorted sound from which just drove me crazy, and in any case it was unreliable and a total waste of money. This analogue sound was really very good, but my wifey didn't like the look of the old black Sansui nor the Tannoys (too big and wrong colour), and of course it was just stereo, no surround. Initially I just had a good old Sansui stereo amp with a pair of Tannoys, fed from the headphone output on a small ASUS laptop which gets its content over a Gigabit LAN. Amirm, Great article, I wish I had thought to find it earlier! I have been experiencing poor HDMI sound for ages.