In the market for a TV and speakers.

[CrazyFool]

Hey guys,
Im wanting to buy an LCD TV to replace my CRT set,
I dont usually mind the stock speakers that are in the tv but if i mount the tv onto the wall the sound will go straight through the wall into the neighbour's and i dont want that.

so im looking to route audio throuh rear speakers and a sub only and maybe a front centre dimmed down slightly.

This way the source of the sound will be as far away from the walls as possible (or it might be magnified with the speakers now facing directly towards the wall, though it may be from a distance?) :S

So anyway, how do i go about doing this?
tried reading some guides but they all seem to speak about home entertainment set ups which i dont want as that will cost too much.

I want to buy something like this:
LOGITECH X-530 5.1 PC Speakers | Laskys.com

will my new tv have 6 RCA outs on the back that i just hook up to each speaker using the releavant convertors?

Thanks in advance,
CrazyFool.

 

[Redeye I]

TVs do not have 5.1 analogue outputs like a PC sound card.

If anything is going to be heard next door then its a subwoofer.

'Dimming down' the center in a 5.1 system is not a good idea as this is usually where the dialogue comes from.

I hear you about not disturbing the neighbour but unless its a stud wall (not solid) then the TV speakers shouldn't be a problem.

 

[CrazyFool]

Thanks for the reply buddy.
The wall is most definately solid but we can still hear each other talking through the wall.

and how do i go about attaching the speakers to the tv?
There are usually co-ax and optical audio outputs on the tv but they are digital and i hear it isnt cheap to decode the digital signals into analogue ones for the speakers.

what are my options.
Thanks.

 

[rawsy]

a surround sound amp. 2.1 5.1 6.1 or 7.1 but you will only get 2.1 out of your tv anything above that will need connections to dvd blu ray ps3 ect

 

[little_pob]

The LG HB405SU Home Cinema System - 5.1 Blu-ray home cinema system has an optical input so that you can use it for the TV's sound. Its night mode apparently dulls heavy bass (in an ideal world the sub should be at least 1m away from the TV anyway). It'll upscale your existing DVDs and you can watch youtube videos on it.

£194.99 from Amazon: LG HB405SU 5.1 Blu-ray Home Cinema System with DLNA: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

£199.95 from RicherSounds: LG HB405SU Black | 5.1 Blu-ray Package System with HDMI inc. Speakers | Richer Sounds

 

[CrazyFool]

does the amp just take a stereo input from the tv and duplicate it to give all 6 channels in the 5.1 setup?
so its not true 5.1 surround?

200 quid for speakers is a bit steep for me. Is that the cheapest way to get 5.1 surround sound.
Cheers.

Crazy

 

[rawsy]

yes the amp will use a 2 ch from the tv. it can sound good though with the different sound feilds the amps use.

reguarding the amp i have a pretty good one knocking around if your interested i have just got a new one.

 

[CrazyFool]

thanks for that.
tbh i would rather use a reciever that gives me true 5.1 capabilities.

would this do:
TOSHIBA SD2010 DVD Player buy online | Currys

it says it has DTS and dolby digital audio decoder
25 quid at pixmania before quidco cashbacks.

Thanks,
CrazyFool

 

[rawsy]

you wont get 5.1 from your tv with any amp. unless you have sky (with a capable receiver) going through it and even then only on certain movies.

 

[CrazyFool]

yeah that goes without saying, the source needs to be capable of producing 5.1 surround sound whether it be HDTV or a DVD.
even then, shouldnt the amp be able to upscale stereo sound to 5.1?

My queston is, whats the cheapest way to get 5.1 or 3.1 surround sound?
will the dvd player i linked above be able to link the output audio from my tv to the speakers?

thanks.
Crazy.

 

[rawsy]

dont think so as it isnt an amp.

 

[little_pob]

...
200 quid for speakers is a bit steep for me. Is that the cheapest way to get 5.1 surround sound.
Cheers.

Crazy

A bulk of the expense is that it's also blu-ray and internet player, but point taken and there are cheaper, DVD based alternatives.

...
would this do:
TOSHIBA SD2010 DVD Player buy online | Currys

it says it has DTS and dolby digital audio decoder
...

...
will the dvd player i linked above be able to link the output audio from my tv to the speakers?
...

No. The DTS and Dolby Digital are for when you are connecting it to an amp via the SCART connector. You would need a DVD player with built in a pre-amp to use the X-530 speakers and there are very few about.

This is discontinued and at £80 is priced to clear: LG HT304SU | 5.1 DVD Package System with HDMI inc. Speakers | Richer Sounds. However, you may only get 2.0 when watching the TV as the input is stereo.

Another option is to get the Logitech X-540 instead of the 530s. This has a matrix mode that will fake a 2.0 feed into a 5.1 mode when you use the supplied adapter. It won't be as good as an all-in-one system (which in turn generally aren't as good as separates).

 

[CrazyFool]

so just to confirm.
an amp is capable of outputting true 5.1 when the source media has 5.1 surround sound?
when the source is stereo it just splits the audio into 6 channels to make it sound good.

I think im just gonna invest in two speakers for now so atleast the noise is routed away from the neighbours wall and save up for a proper system later.

To use them do i just connect the speakers to the red and white RCA ports on the back of my TV or do i plug the speakers into the headphone jack?
i dont want any audio coming out of the TV, Just the 2 rear speakers for now.

Please can someone make me a very cheap recommendation for stereo speakers.

Thanks for all the help,
Regards,
Crazyfool

 

[little_pob]

Ultimately an amp would probably be the best solution. In the interim, you should be able to use a set of 2.1 PC speakers with the TV's headphone socket.

From experience I'll recommend the JBL Creature II, but these should perform just as well for about half the price: Logitech LS21 2.1 speakers - Tesco.Direct (may be cheaper elsewhere).

 

[CrazyFool]

Thanks buddy.
are these mains powered or is the power from the tv sufficient?

Just found this along my travels:
LG 42LD550 42" Full HD LCD TV buy online | Currys
under connectivity it says PC audio.

Hmm. I wonder what that means.

Also is it true that if you hook up your speakers directly to the tv then you get delayed audio and synching issues?

 

[little_pob]

Thanks buddy.
are these mains powered or is the power from the tv sufficient?

I've only ever come across mains powered 2.1 speakers. Certainly my Creature II and (discontinued) Logitech X-210 are mains powered only.

Just found this along my travels:
LG 42LD550 42" Full HD LCD TV buy online | Currys
under connectivity it says PC audio.

Hmm. I wonder what that means.

It means it has a 3.5mm input to allow use of the TV speakers when you are connecting a PC, Mac or laptop with the TV.

Also is it true that if you hook up your speakers directly to the tv then you get delayed audio and synching issues?

Not come across this when using headphones on my Samsung 4 series LCD.

Nor on the "budget brand" TV that it replaced - though if I remember correctly, the unbranded TV even had the ability to manually adjust the audio sync.

 

[CrazyFool]

Brilliant,
Thanks for all the help.

Kind regards,
Mubs

 

[oneman]

Also is it true that if you hook up your speakers directly to the tv then you get delayed audio and synching issues?

The only time I have heard of sync issues is when somebody has hooked up their source directly to AV amp and picture to TV. Issue was AV could not process the audio in real time. But this was years ago.

 

[CrazyFool]

Thats understandable
Shouldnt be an issue for me.
cheers.