Noob Question. Playing TV/USB through my system.

I have a Yamaha - A-S1100 and Ascend Sierra 2EX speakers that I use for my turntable listening and freaking love it. It is set up fairly close to our TV and I want to be able to effortlessly switch between using my speakers for the TV, USB, and Vinyl. Is it as simple as buying a DAC with USB input and running wire from the Television to the amp? I know this may be a dumb question, but I have never been a TV person, but my better half wants to be able to watch movies with my speakers.

Also, what would you guys recommend. I have about a $400 budget for this.

 

What outputs do you have on the TV? What make/model?

 

Ill honestly have to wait until I get home to see for certain. Its an Insignia TV, and I think it is this model

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/insign...VDotaBR0mgwbTEAQYASABEgItoPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

If not, it is something close.

 

The USB plug on the TV is not an audio output, and you don't need a DAC to do this. The simple way is to get a $10 stereo miniplug to RCA cable, and connect the headphone output on the TV to the tuner or aux inputs on the amp. The headphone jack is variable audio output, so you can control the volume with the TV remote.

 

Interesting, I was reading another forum and I thought it was said that a DAC was needed for the TV when using the 1100. Maybe it had to do with the TV the guy was using. Ill look into this, but I still want to be able to play from my USB as well.

 

You mean using a usb stick in your TV ? Or playing files from a PC through usb ?

 

That's nonsense. The TV headphone output is analog.
What is the USB source you are talking about playing from?

 

I just want to be able to simply pull a music file from my external HD, put it on a flashdrive, plug it in, and let it play. Ill be pretty much using it exclusively for Grateful Dead and Phish shows.

 

I guess that means the television will play the music files. If so the sound will also go out through the headphone jack and @wwaldmanfan's solution will work as well.

 

You'll need a DAC if you use the Optical Audio Out - simple ones are available on Amazon for around UK£10, or the equivalent in your territory.

If you use the Optical out with a DAC, you can leave it plugged in permanently, and can listen to either TV speakers or HiFi

If you use the TV headphone out, you'll have to unplug it and/or plug it in again if moving between TV sound and HiFi

 

Check the user manual for the TV to see if you can play audio files from the USB port in the TV, and if the output from those will be routed to the optical out and/or headphone out. It may only allow playback of video files

 

if you're currently using the yamaha with the turntable that means you've got 3 free stereo inputs on there- to get the TV sound into the stereo switch the cable from whatever is outputting sound to the tv to being plugged into the receiver instead of the tv. Same with whatever you're using to listen to usb audio with now- plug that output into the receiver instead of wherever it's going now.
if the TV itself is what's playing everything (and it could be . . . that model you linked to has a fire HD stick chipset built into it) then just connect the analog audio output from that TV (the specs say it has one!) to an input on the receiver.

 

yeah looking at the screenshots on best buy, it looks like the audio out is a headphone-style jack so the cable @wwaldmanfan posted is what you would need if the TV is playing everything.

 

Thanks. I am going to stop by best buy on the way home today, pick up the cable, and give it a shot.