Tinny audio from a flat screen TV

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by peter, Sep 14, 2017.

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  1. Obtuse1

    Obtuse1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    My power came back Wednesday (out since Saturday). Wasn't too bad as I had a generator.
     
  2. Obtuse1

    Obtuse1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    I have one flat screen that sounds OK....an old Panasonic Plasma. A bit chunkier than today's TV's, and has front-firing speakers.
     
  3. Chazro

    Chazro Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Palm Bch, Fl.
    Doesn't the use of computer spkrs necessitate having to use a reciever of some sort? I recenty got a set Logitech Z623's (outstanding!) for my laptop setup. They're even supposedly THX certified and many user reviews I've read cite examples of users using them for their TV's with excellent results. One could hook them up directly from the TV but you'd have to manually adjust volume, no remote! (gasp, the horror!;))
     
  4. Russ_B66

    Russ_B66 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vermont
    I am a big Zvox fan. I also got one for my parents and my father finds dialog much more intelligible compared to the TV speakers.
     
    dkmonroe likes this.
  5. It all depends on how much space there is inside a TV. The last big screen CRT TV I had used front firing speakers, but the actual speakers were buried inside the TV and had ducts which went up to the front. We had a GE B&W console TV when I was a kid and it had 4 8" speakers across the front. Back in the late-80's I had an RCA Demensia console TV and it had a massive built-in speaker system. Then there were the big stereo consoles which had TV, radio and phonograph built in and many had massive multi-speakers systems. There isn't a flat-screen TV today which could hold a match to one of the old dinosaur consoles.
     
    Shak Cohen likes this.
  6. Balthazar

    Balthazar Forum Resident

    Add me to the long list of Zvox fans. Got one for my folks. I got them a Base 555 when they were having trouble hearing their TV and they've had it blasting 24/7 for the past 3 years. No problems. Does what it's supposed to do. A Vizio sound bar I got them for the other room crapped out within a year. Looks like the 555 is no longer in production but available for $140 refurbished on eBay. I'd take that over a $100 Vizio soundbar.
     
    dkmonroe likes this.
  7. peter

    peter Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Paradise
    Update:

    I bought a pair of computer speakers and connected them. No matter how I connected them, sound only came from the left speaker. I don't know if the right speaker was not functioning properly, or if I was not connecting them properly, but I doubt the latter. Also, the mute button on the remote would not mute the computer speakers, which in retrospect is something I should have realized going in.

    Looks like I will try a soundbar like a ZVOX. Before I do however, can folks please tell me if the mute button on my DISH remote will mute the soundbar?

    Many thanks in advance.
     
  8. Chazro

    Chazro Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Palm Bch, Fl.
    My Zvox has the capacity to 'transfer' the remotes function to another. Whether it'll specifically work with yr DISH unit I can't say.
     
  9. peter

    peter Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Paradise
    Thank you.
     
  10. mfidelity

    mfidelity Senior Member

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    I have a Zvox sound bar as well - big improvement over speakers on Panasonic plasma. The biggest benefit to me was the "Accuvoice" setting which made dialogue easier to hear.
     
  11. fogalu

    fogalu There is only one Beethoven

    Location:
    Killarney, Ireland
  12. peter

    peter Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Paradise
    The ZVOX footprint is too big for a kitchen 20" TV, so I bought an Insignia one from Best Buy. We shall see...

    Thanks to all.
     
  13. inperson

    inperson Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    I have a Curtis Mathes console in my sun room that works well. Someday I'm gonna get a flat screen tv for that room, put it up on the wall behind the console and hook them together. I need to get a TV with one of those headphone analog outputs though, I think they're getting harder to find.
     
  14. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    I could use some sort of speaker for regular TV viewing. I'm good to go with movies or tv show streaming as that's all done through my Oppo.

    I tried using the optical out on my TV to my Oppo but I was getting horrible lag times between audio and video. I also tried the optical out from my cable box to my Oppo but no change. I can make some adjustments via my TV to compensate but not enough to eliminate it. I tried it for a few shows and it drove me nuts. I've been reluctant to try a sound bar or the Zvox (which I learnt about from this thread) in case the same issue arises with no fix. But that Zvox looks really good. I don't have much space for speakers on the side so that Zvox would fit the bill in that regard.
     
  15. wwaldmanfan

    wwaldmanfan Born In The 50's

    Location:
    NJ
    Audioengines have a volume control, of course, but you set it and forget it, then use the TV remote to control the volume. Some powered speakers, like the B&W MM-1's, have their own remote control.
    I have four HDTV's. In my living room, I have the tv audio routed into a 200w Yamaha integrated amp and two pairs of stereo speakers. On my other Samsung tv's in smaller rooms, I have reverted to using the internal speakers, as I am able to position the tv's near a corner, where the sound is reflected off the walls into the room. I also adjust the EQ in the tv's audio setup.
     
  16. audiomixer

    audiomixer As Bald As The Beatles

    Are you still using that Sony SXRD-XBR1? Mine is still running perfectly!!!
     
  17. Higlander

    Higlander Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Florida, Central

    Things were totally different then.
    Prices have come down dramatically, on even the largest and best TVs and so has the depth of TVs today.
    There is literally no room for large speaker compartments and no one truly wants to spend more for "slightly less crappy" built in speakers.
    Even the best older ones were not very good, I know I had a few.
    Anybody buying a flat panel, knows the built in speakers are not intended for actual use, but just there for convenience to have sound.

    Todays Flat panels are basically a monitor, sound is almost always done by a sound bar or home theater set up etc.
     
  18. Higlander

    Higlander Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Florida, Central

    Ive heard plenty of CRTs that did not have good sound also.
    Some of the better ones were decent, but usually they were the exception.
    The 2"x4" speaker and the 3.5"-4" full range speaker was all most normal ones used.

    The ones that were decent, still vibrated like crazy when turned up and were not even close to a good sound bar.
     
  19. BIGGER Dave

    BIGGER Dave Forum Resident

    I’m using a Sonos setup; Playbar, Sub, and two Play3 rear speakers.

    Playbar will run you about $700.
    Adding a sub will run another $700
    And adding two Play3 rear speakers will be another $700.
    Total price about $2,100.
     
  20. acdc7369

    acdc7369 Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    speakers built into TVs today pretty much only exist for functionality purposes. keeping the TV as thin as possible is going to limit the sound quality of the speakers, obviously. they just assume a lot of people are going to upgrade to a soundbar or better.

    if you want good sound quality from
    your TV, do what I did. run digital audio out from your TV into a decent D/A converter, and then run the output of the converter into your stereo.
     
    Blank Frank and Higlander like this.
  21. There are cheap-o TVs and then there are more cheap-o TVs.
    My wife's got a 25" Panasonic table top CRT TV that sounds pretty good. My last CRT was a Sony 36" HDTV and the sound wasn't that great because of the folded speakers. Before that, I had an RCA 26" CRT stereo Dimensia TV which had 4 large speakers and the sound was amazing. Of course I had to pay $800. for it , new, in 1989, so it better have sounded good!
     
  22. beercanchicken

    beercanchicken Legendary Stickman

    Location:
    Chicago
    I was watching the movie "IT" the other night and couldn't understand much of the dialogue. I'm not looking to recreate the theater in my place, do these ZVOX's really help with dialogue clarity? Or is it just marketing?
    I'd rather not hook my TV up to my stereo system and thought this would be an easy fix.
     
  23. Sevoflurane

    Sevoflurane Forum Resident

    I’ve never used a Zvox, but I have a Geneva Audio Cinema sound base, which has a dialogue mode which works very well, and I bought my parents a Cambridge Audio sound base with similar functionality. As ZVox were, I think, the first sound bases around I think they’d be fine.
     
  24. beercanchicken

    beercanchicken Legendary Stickman

    Location:
    Chicago
    How to feel old: buy something with "Hearing Aid Technology". haha
     
    Sevoflurane likes this.
  25. mfidelity

    mfidelity Senior Member

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    This is why I picked up a Zvox sound bar. I listen to it in "Accuvoice" mode. It really helps with dialogue.
     
    Manny B. and beercanchicken like this.
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