Which Speakers You Can Connect To Your Tv

Recently, the image quality standards for watching TV have sharply increased, and today all modern models of liquid crystal, plasma and OLED TVs can recreate an excellent, crystal clear picture, but they are not able to provide the appropriate sound.

Their tiny built-in speakers cannot reproduce dialogs clearly, much less convincingly immerse us in the atmosphere of realistic explosions, car crashes and other riots that we see in the plots of our favorite films. If you want to really feel surrounded by the soundtrack to the film, hear a powerful exciting sound or just get a clearer broadcast, then it is better to use additional speakers for the TV.

Our detailed guide will clearly outline all the possible options for getting the best sound for your TV.

Speaker Types

The problem of low-quality sound transmission of TVs is that you have to install the speakers inside the thin cases of TVs. Loudspeakers make a sound when they vibrate, and they need space to push out enough air to produce high-quality sound, and in modern TVs they are limited in this. The result is a wave with a subtle sound that cannot satisfactorily complement the image on the big screen.

When TVs became thinner, their sound became poor quality. TV speakers are not only small and not powerful enough, they are almost always directed in the wrong direction: they make a sound either down or towards the wall behind the TV. It is not surprising that everything turns out fuzzy and out of focus.

To make watching TV more comfortable, it is better to have an external audio system. Options range from simple installation of sound panels to more complex connections of active speakers or home theater systems in a box.

The first thing you need to get acquainted with to understand which acoustics for a TV is suitable for your model is the audio connectors. They are of the following types:

  • Universal SCART connector;
  • RCA or composite AV-connector, aka “tulip”;
  • Analog output of an acoustic signal (right / left);
  • TRS-jack (for connecting a headset);
  • HDMI port

The SCART connector is for connecting devices with a 21-pin wideband plug. It transmits not only audio signals, but also, as well as control signals.

RCA-jack (tulips) is a popular stereo audio jack. Its nests have different colors that are easy to navigate: white is for a mono signal or the left channel, and red is for the right speaker.

You can connect active speakers with an amplifier to the linear and TRS connectors, but the best option for connecting high-quality audio devices is considered to be the high-definition multimedia interface. HDMI. All modern models of LCD television receivers have an HD output and professional home theater systems and sound panels are adapted to them.

As for the sound speakers, they also have their own classification:

  • Simple columns
  • Media Centers
  • Stereo systems;
  • Complexes of sound equipment called home theater.

Since most speakers are not connected to a power source, you need to install a power amplifier. You will also need cables of the right type so that sound can be transmitted to the speakers.

Simple speakers

If you replace the small internal speakers of the TV with a pair of external or shelf-integrated speakers, you will notice how much the sound quality of your television changes. It is not necessary that the acoustics for the TV are very large, but it is desirable that the speakers have their own amplifier.

The design of the standard speakers can be different: round, square, oval, flattened. They are also made of different materials: plastic, MDF, fiberboard or particleboard. If the speakers have a built-in amplifier, then they will have an additional power cord. Active speakers can significantly improve comfort when watching television shows, because their design has its own sound amplifier.

If you decide to connect passive speakers to the TV, then you need to pay attention to the power of the speakers. This parameter should in no case be lower than that of the TV, otherwise the speakers will wheeze at high volume and quickly fail. It is also important to observe the polarity when connecting (if there are no “” and “-” designations, then the polarity can be determined using a conventional battery).

The easiest option to improve the sound of your TV is to connect stereo speakers via RCA outputs. The analog outputs of the RCA connection send two-channel stereo (depending on the content) from the TV to an external audio system that even passive speakers can receive.

Multimedia center

You can improve the sound transmission of television programs due to the multimedia centers available in the house. The active speakers of such systems have built-in power amplifiers, so they can give an improved dynamic range: you can get better sound with less power. The acoustic design will be legible and clear.

Computer speakers are also, as a rule, active audio devices. They receive power from the electrical network, so you do not have to pull extra wires.

Home cinema

It makes sense to combine the amazing clarity of the visual presentation of your HDTV with the same amazing sound quality. And what is the best technique to cope with this task, if not a speaker system Home Cinema.

Which Speakers You Can Connect To Your TV

These are not just high-level speakers, this is a whole complex of sound reproducing devices designed for optimal viewing conditions of material at home. This technique completely immerses you in the events on the screen due to well-thought out sound distribution.

The sound system of a home theater can have a different design device, depending on the size of the area for which it is designed. There are systems 2.1, 3.1, 5.1, 7.1, etc. It may contain such elements:

  • Front, rear, center speakers (floor, wall, mounted);
  • Subwoofer. for reproducing low frequency sound;
  • Satellites. auxiliary devices operating in a limited frequency spectrum;
  • Soundbar is a sound mono speaker in which there are several internal speakers.

The more elements the system has, the higher the translation quality. And so that sound transmission is at a high level, multichannel communication is used.

Stereo system

Despite the fact that speaker systems are developing rapidly, trying to keep up with the advent of ever new audio formats, stereo systems are still in demand.

Classical stereo transmission involves minimal sound processing and the shortest audio path. This is such a method of reproducing sound, which creates the illusion of a multidirectional sound perspective, as with natural hearing. This is usually achieved by using two or more independent audio channels.

Stereo sound panels are designed to complement LCD, plasma and OLED TVs. Soundbars are a design product that creates a wider sound field from a single speaker enclosure. At a minimum, the soundbar will contain speakers for the left and right channels, but there are models in which there is a dedicated center channel and additional subwoofers, and even side or vertical speakers.

They can be mounted on a shelf, on a table, just below the TV, or hung on a wall. Sound panels come in two types: stand-alone and passive. Although both types provide the same listening result, the ways they integrate with the TV are different.

Speaker selection tips

How to choose speakers for your TV and choose the best option? It all depends on your budget and individual sound quality requirements. For some it would be quite acceptable if its speaker system would cost like a car, but for someone one pair of inexpensive wooden speakers would be a great option.

If you are a listener of passive music and just want to make the sound of your television receiver clearer, you do not necessarily need huge speakers or a full-fledged 7.1-channel surround sound system. You can choose the usual shelf or wall-mounted speakers of any worthy brand (SVEN, Yamaha, VVK, Philips). Want more bass? A small subwoofer will help provide additional low-frequency range.

If you are an active music listener or just want a deeper immersion in the plot on the screen, then you should pay attention to the floor speakers. Even a small floor loudspeaker with several satellites can reproduce a truly full, very pleasant sound, without taking up much space in the room.

Also a great option to improve the sound from the TV is to install a soundbar. Many models of such acoustics come with a built-in subwoofer, which is very convenient for a perfect integrated design.

Soundbars can significantly improve the sound of television speakers, but they can not compete with professional acoustics such as “home theater”, in which the sound system is built on the basis of high quality AV receiver and a very powerful amplifier. From such speakers, the sound comes not only perfectly clean and balanced, but also truly voluminous and realistic.

An important part of the TV speaker selection process is the consideration of the space in which the acoustic speakers will operate. Closed small rooms are not very good conditions for large floor speakers: firstly, they will take up a lot of space, and secondly, they will “load” the room with bass, which can lead to a dull sound. But large and spacious rooms will make the sound of a small speaker small, not too noticeable and localized.

A very popular option is the choice of wireless speakers. Such items are connected to the music center via Bluetooth. No wires can reach behind them, so they can be installed even in the uppermost corners of the room.

But in addition to aesthetic criteria, it is important to pay attention to two main technical characteristics of acoustic devices. sensitivity and power.

The first parameter is measured in decibels and directly affects the level of the output volume: the higher the sensitivity value, the louder the system can reproduce sound.

Speaker power is another indicator that affects speaker volume. It is defined in three different parameters:

You need to focus on the indicators of rated power, however, it cannot be argued that the higher the power value, the better the speaker will sound. It would be wrong to say that equipment with a power of 150 W will produce a better and stronger sound than a 50-watt speaker. The acoustic power characteristic speaks only about the mechanical reliability of the speakers.

When choosing speakers, you need to focus on the size of the room in which the acoustic equipment will be installed: the larger the area, the more powerful it is to buy speakers. For a room with an area of ​​20 square meters, a speaker with a power of 50 W will be sufficient, and if you equip a living room with 30 m2, it is better to choose from 100-watt models.

The process of connecting speakers to the TV

To connect stereo speakers to a TV, follow these steps in the following order:

  • Place the receiver or amplifier as close as possible to the TV, while remaining within the reach of other devices (cable or satellite set-top box, DVD player, etc.);
  • Ideally, the TV should be at a distance of 120-180 cm from the amplifier, otherwise a longer connection cable will be required;
  • Before connecting, make sure that all equipment is turned off;
  • Find the analog or digital audio output on the TV (AUDIO OUT), it can be two RCA jacks or one 3.5 mm mini-jack, for digital sound transmission there will be an optical output or an HDMI OUT port;
  • Find a free audio input (AUDIO IN) on your stereo receiver (most likely, the input for a stereo or home theater will be an RCA connector or an HDMI input port);
  • Using a cable with appropriate plugs at each end, connect the TV’s audio output to the receiver’s audio input;
  • When all cables are connected, turn on the stereo amplifier and the TV. But before checking the result, make sure that the volume on the receiver is at a low level. Now the sound from the TV should come from the speakers.

All connectors of the audio input (audio in) and audio output (audio out) are always signed, so it’s easy to navigate them. Below you can see the diagram of the main connectors:

Let’s look at how to connect speakers to a TV through an RCA connection.

Look at the back of your TV, if there are red and white RCA jacks with the inscription “audio output”, then you can use the usual left and right stereo audio cable (tulip) to connect. We connect one end of the cable to the TV according to the corresponding colors of the connectors, and the other to the speaker connector, where there is an inscription “Audio input”. If the device has several inputs, it is better to connect to the one that is marked as “TV-IN”.

Please note that the “jack” standard does not always mean that the signal will be received in “stereo” format: if the plug has 2 contacts, then this is mono sounding, and if there are 3 divisions, then this is stereo broadcast.

It is important to note that on many newer TVs, analog RCA or 3.5mm connections are no longer available. This means that if you buy a new TV, and your soundbar or audio system has only analog audio inputs, you need to make sure that the TV you plan to purchase really has the analog audio output option. Otherwise, you may have to upgrade to a new soundbar or audio system that provides options for connecting digital optical sound and / or HDMI-ARC.

Depending on the model of the speaker system and the model of the TV, there may be such connection options:

  • Optimal is the use of fiber optic cable. It does not respond to electromagnetic radiation, so the sound comes out without the slightest interference or distortion. Connect cable “Optical out” on the set-top box to the portoptical in » on the receiver of your movie theater, and you can enjoy deep and high-quality sound when watching any program;
  • It is possible that your model of equipment has coaxial jacks, this is also an excellent option for pure transmission of multichannel sound without the procedure of converting to an analog signal. The audio output connector on the TV will be called S / PDIF (Sony / Philips Digital Interface), or “Out coaxial”, and on the cinema receiver “Coaxial in”.

Home Cinema Connection

The peculiarity of connecting a home theater is that the set of multimedia centers does not have wires for connecting additional devices, so they will have to be purchased on their own.

Look at the back of the center and find the input jacks. Use the same method to determine the type of output on the TV. Now you need to connect the two devices to each other, but before connecting, do not forget to disconnect them from the electrical network.

Most often, the connection of the TV with multimedia equipment is carried out either through linear connectors or SCART. After connecting, the speaker system switches to “AUX”. If you did everything right, then the sound from the TV should come from the speakers of the media center.

If you made a connection and noticed that the sound is broadcast poorly or there is extraneous noise, then the reason may be in the wrong speaker volume setting. Adjust the speaker volume by changing the settings on the TV and directly in the center.

However, there are many new TVs that do not have analog outputs (RCA or SCART), and instead they have an HDMI port. For example, Samsung TM TVs without audio are very popular these days. This means that the audio output is built into the HDMI board on the device.

Of course, this can scare the user if there is only an RCA audio connection on his stereo receiver. But do not rush to worry, there is an option for such a situation.

HighDenition Multimedia Interface is an audio / interface that is used to transmit audio and visual data. This is a flat port that you can see on TVs, audio systems, and other devices. If both devices have HDMI ports, then there will be no connection problems: all you have to do is connect the TV to the audio system using an HDMI cable.

However, if your TV has HDMI, and your audio system does not have such a connector, you will need a special switch box. A typical 4 × 1 HDMI switcher has 3 to 4 different options for separate audio outputs for connecting to your sound system:

  • Digital coaxial;
  • Digital optical;
  • Analog RCA port (red and white jack).

You just have to choose the port that your audio system supports. Using this switch, you can connect any receiver, external speakers, home theater or surround sound system. This solution will allow you to truly enjoy music or a movie, and especially gamers will like it.

Subwoofer connection

Speakers with a subwoofer for a TV is a relatively inexpensive solution for amplifying sound. Of course, the sound from the composite stereo system will be better, but also a separate subwoofer can significantly change the timbre of sound and give a more decent sound level.

Woofers operate in the range from about 20 to 160 Hz, and it is here that the basis for sound transmission is created, with the subwoofer the sound is more full-bodied and deep. Devices can be either active, that is, have an internal amplifier, or passive (without a receiver).

You can connect the active low-frequency speaker to the TV with the help of the already familiar RCA cable: the color-coded “tulips” just need to be connected to the output jack on the TV. All modern TV models have automatic settings, which makes connecting easy. In the television menu, all that remains is to put a check in the section “External playback devices”.

Passive subwoofer models are not connected to the TV directly, but through an amplifier. That is, the column is connected to additional acoustic technology:

  • Connect the subwoofer to an external amplifier or home theater;
  • Carefully check the polarity of the connection: the speaker cable terminals connect “” to “”, and “-” to “-”, right to the right “R”, and left to the left “L” output;
  • The subwoofer outputs must be connected in parallel to the front speakers.

The connection should be organized so that the speaker works in conjunction with the speaker system (home theater, computer). If you write it schematically, then connecting a passive subwoofer looks like this: subwoofer. speaker cable. amplifier. RCA cable. receiver.

Amplifier connection

In order to connect the amplifier to the TV, you need to make sure that there is one of four connectors on the back of the television receiver:

  • DIN (special adapter for broadcasting analog audio signals);
  • Headphone jack;
  • RCA Line Out
  • SCART connector.

We will not take into account the digital audio output, since not all audio amplifiers are capable of receiving a signal in digital form.

The easiest option to supplement the equipment with an amplifier is to connect a DVB-T2 receiver. Two cables are intended for its connection:

  • HDMI. for transmission;
  • Tulips. for supplying a stereo signal to the amplifier.

It is also easy to connect a third-party amplifier through the headphone jack with a 3.5 mm mini-jack. This method provides the transmission of analog stereo signal with further conversion (RCA L / R / TRS adapter).

If the TV has a SCART connector, then you can connect the amplifier to the TV through SCART-RCA or SCART-TRS adapters.

On the back of the TV there are many jacks for different connections. And the most common connection errors are made due to the fact that users do not pay attention to the marking of the connectors. If you see multi-colored RCA jacks on the panel, do not rush to connect your speakers to them. First make sure they are designed to output audio:

  • IN is the input; what will receive the signal;
  • OUT is an output; that transmits a signal to another device.

The SCART Euro connector, also known as Peritel or Euroconnector, is a universal port for both input and output, and if the scart is full, it can also be used to set the TV to “AV”.

If you do not have a suitable cable with the right connector, keep in mind that today on the market there are many different adapters, extension cords, adapters: scart tulips, RCA. SCART, DIN5. 3.5 mm, RCA. 2 RCA sockets, 2, 5 (4pin). 3.5 (4pin), etc.

Along with the development of television equipment, methods for connecting appropriate acoustics are also being improved. You can connect the amplifier to any TV model: LG, Samsung, Philips, Sony.

Everyone loves television, but no one wants to watch movies with cheap sound. You can organize a clean sound for watching TV shows with any type of speakers: perhaps you have a couple of old speakers gathering dust in your closet or you can output the sound to computer speakers or your music center. And if you like the effect of a movie theater, then you should buy a multi-channel receiver with many different frequency speakers.

It is necessary to make a minimum of efforts to plunge into the bewitching world of television in a new way!

The easiest option to improve the sound of your TV is to connect stereo speakers via RCA outputs. The analog outputs of the RCA connection send two-channel stereo (depending on the content) from the TV to an external audio system that even passive speakers can receive.