Upgrading TV Sound

[gabrielconroy]

I have a decent Sony Bravia 1080p TV,  or at least decent enough picture-wise, in any case. The sound leaves quite a lot to be desired, as when I turn it up much at all, it sounds like someone's blowing on some paper through a comb.

I've started reading up on the various ways I can improve the sound and have swiftly come up against a brick wall of endless information, prices, options, reviews and all that. One thing I know is that I don't want to spend much money on this escapade.

Things I would like:

- clear dialogue
- reasonable soundstage and bass for engrossing cinematic experience
- possibility of using the same system as a music hi-fi system

Things I'm not particularly bothered about:

- 7.1 vertical 360° surround sound
- big expensive soundbar
- vast floor-standing speakers

At the moment I'm thinking of getting a budget amp and some bookshelf speakers, but is this the best idea?

I also have some Adam F5 monitor speakers, but they're more for making music than for listening to your Gary Oldmans and the like talking.

[Blumf]

At the moment I'm thinking of getting a budget amp and some bookshelf speakers, but is this the best idea?

That's the way to go. Ideally an amp with SPDIF input so you can get a nice clean digital signal from the TV, but plain old RCA is fine. Basically, anything will be an improvement on the shitty speakers inside a flat panel screen.

I'd also recommend getting some kind of universal remote, like a Logitech Harmony, so you can easily control the TV and amp (and DVD/BR) together. Gets very tedious having to juggle separate remotes all the time.

[momatt]

Pretty much anything is better than a flatscreen's internal speakers.  They're designed to be only functional really.  I think producing good sound from a flatscreen would break the laws of physics.
It actually winds me up when people get lovely massive new posh TVs and don't use external speakers.  I can barely hear a thing.  Or even worse, when TVs are used to listen to music.  Bleuurgh.

My TV is hooked up to to my main hifi via an RCA cable.  So essentially it cost me nothing and it sounds great.

I'd have a look at Richer Sounds and see what bargains you can get.  Or maybe go the second-hand route?

[checkoutgirl]

I have a decent Sony Bravia 1080p TV,  or at least decent enough picture-wise, in any case. The sound leaves quite a lot to be desired, as when I turn it up much at all, it sounds like someone's blowing on some paper through a comb.

I've started reading up on the various ways I can improve the sound and have swiftly come up against a brick wall of endless information, prices, options, reviews and all that. One thing I know is that I don't want to spend much money on this escapade.

Things I would like:

- clear dialogue
- reasonable soundstage and bass for engrossing cinematic experience
- possibility of using the same system as a music hi-fi system

Things I'm not particularly bothered about:

- 7.1 vertical 360° surround sound
- big expensive soundbar
- vast floor-standing speakers

At the moment I'm thinking of getting a budget amp and some bookshelf speakers, but is this the best idea?

I also have some Adam F5 monitor speakers, but they're more for making music than for listening to your Gary Oldmans and the like talking.

I did a bit of research on this a couple of years ago and came to the conclusion that these were the way to go. They're only like 100 dollars and have great sound and blutooth and all sorts. Never got round to buying them but they're on my radar. They're by Mackie.



At the moment I just plug a Bose Soundlink Mini into the earphone plug at the back of my Samsung smart TV. This means I can control the volume from the remote control. I like it because it gives good bass and the bass is enhanced when sitting in a wooden cabinet. This means I can listen to techno music and be 99% assured that I'll get a nice kick from the bass. Also football matches sound superb, with the crowd right there in the room. If you like versatility from your speaker and don't have too high demand regarding sound quality, the Bose is something to consider. Anytime I want to mess around with my DJ toy I can just unplug the soundlink and plug it into my DJ toy and I'm away. It works cordlessly and has blutooth. You can just unplug this baby and get a good 6 or 7 hours of cordless tuneage before you need to recharge.



Or you could just buy a bargain soundbar with matching bass unit from Dixons. Anything is better than the sound that comes with a raw TV.

[Ignatius_S]

Personally, I would be guided by what space it's going in. If it's a fairly small room, for instance, I'd inclined to go for a compact solution like a soundbase.

And how much money is 'much'? It's a pretty relative thing.

[momatt]

Good point.
Get a couple of B&W Nautili.  Should sound ok.  But only if you have enough space.

[Sebastian Cobb]

That's the way to go. Ideally an amp with SPDIF input so you can get a nice clean digital signal from the TV, but plain old RCA is fine. Basically, anything will be an improvement on the shitty speakers inside a flat panel screen.

I'd also recommend getting some kind of universal remote, like a Logitech Harmony, so you can easily control the TV and amp (and DVD/BR) together. Gets very tedious having to juggle separate remotes all the time.

This. Been doing it since the days of nicam vcr's.

Get on gumtree/cash converters/ebay and get some bookshelfs and a used amp (or a new T-Amp) and it won't set you back much.

Throw a google chromecast audio on one of the inputs as well for your sounds.

[Endicott]

That's the way to go. Ideally an amp with SPDIF input so you can get a nice clean digital signal from the TV, but plain old RCA is fine. Basically, anything will be an improvement on the shitty speakers inside a flat panel screen.

I'd also recommend getting some kind of universal remote, like a Logitech Harmony, so you can easily control the TV and amp (and DVD/BR) together. Gets very tedious having to juggle separate remotes all the time.

You can set up a Sony Bravia so that the TV volume controls the sound output through the headphone connector, which is perfectly OK to use if you're connecting to an external amp. I'm not sure if SPDIF is fixed volume.

If you are on a budget also consider a pair of decent PC speakers.
For example Logitech (half decent) or Creative (surprisingly good)
Or something like this if you want a sub woofer.

[gabrielconroy]

Thanks for all the ideas. I think floorstanding speakers would be overkill, while I've heard nothing but bad reports from people buying soundbars, including £500+ ones.

Personally, I would be guided by what space it's going in. If it's a fairly small room, for instance, I'd inclined to go for a compact solution like a soundbase.

And how much money is 'much'? It's a pretty relative thing.

Yes, those are both very good points. Here's a floorplan of the room, which is actually a combined kitchen and living space:



The TV is on a shelf in the alcove to the far left of that plan.

Another important point is that it is in what was the roof of the house, so the ceiling is heavily slanted with beams. I don't think I'd need much in the way of power. I guess a second hand amp and a pair of decent speakers with good bass response and clear trebles and mids would be the best bet.

As for cost, I think I could spend up to £250 (less for a good result would, obviously, be better).

You can set up a Sony Bravia so that the TV volume controls the sound output through the headphone connector, which is perfectly OK to use if you're connecting to an external amp. I'm not sure if SPDIF is fixed volume.

This is an interesting detail. So I could just use the TV remote to control the level of the signal going into the amp? That would solve the multiple/universal remote issue.

I was looking at this round-up of 'budget' speakers from What Hi-Fi: https://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/hi-fi/best-budget-hi-fi-speakers

The first two fit within the budget, but I'll have a look at the pair checkoutgirl recommended now.

[Endicott]

Audio Out can be set to Variable or Fixed, if it's anything like mine:

[momatt]

You can set up a Sony Bravia so that the TV volume controls the sound output through the headphone connector, which is perfectly OK to use if you're connecting to an external amp.

I do this with my TV (Toshiba).  Can't say whether can do with with your TV though.