Need help with tv's audio output?

baalad

Hi guys. So i bought myself a new tv the other day and i also happen to have a rather expensive/quality sounding pair of headphones that i often use for watching movies at night time. They are connected to an amp which is connected to the computer.

However, now i would like to also run the tv's audio output through the amp so i can use my headphones for the tv! I have no idea what sort of a cable i need though? All i know is that I have an optical output and a hdmi (arc) port on the back of the tv which i believe both can be used (i assume hdmi would be better?) Anyhow the problem is that on the amp , all i have is rca connections (red and white)

Naturally i need a cable thats RCA on one end and either hdmi or optical on the other ..... or at least thats what i assume anyway .

Any idea what kind of cable i need and where i can get one? It also needs to be at least 5 meters ideally.

Hopefully someone here knows they're stuff and can help because im clueless and its ben wrecking my head all day trying to figure out what cable i need ha

total former

I'd have thought most TVs, even modern ones, have RCA outputs too, have you checked for that?

HDMI to RCA cables do exist but what sort of sound quality you'd get at the end of it, I wouldn't be confident about that at all. If you can go RCA to RCA then I'd stick with that.

The other alternative is if there is a headphone socket on the TV itself? Again, I'd have thought this would be fairly standard?

(PS, this is the 'cable tv' forum, you might get more replies in the 'home entertainment' one).

baalad

Yeah wasn't sure if i posted in the right section! And the tv does have rca but sound quality from rca is average at best! Optical or hdmi is alot better , although if its going to be converted to rca anyway then it wouldn't matter i suppose but i don't know to be honest. Tv has headphone jack also but the headphones need power from an amp so running them directly from the tv wouldn't drive them properly

Thurston?

baalad wrote: »

... the tv does have rca but sound quality from rca is average at best! Optical or hdmi is alot better , although if its going to be converted to rca anyway then it wouldn't matter i suppose but i don't know to be honest.

The RCAs on the TV are probably just inputs though?

If they are outputs, they will be the best you'll manage if that's all the amp has for an input, as they are already working with the same digital audio you'd get from optical or HDMI, converting it to analogue stereo.

baalad

Thurston? wrote: »

The RCAs on the TV are probably just inputs though?

If they are outputs, they will be the best you'll manage if that's all the amp has for an input, as they are already working with the same digital audio you'd get from optical or HDMI, converting it to analogue stereo.

Not sure if they are inputs or outputs but i imagine it would have both?? I must check when i get home. Ill prob call into a local electrical supply shop tomorrow if they are open and ask the guy

Thurston?

I'd be surprised if the TV has any other analogue audio out, apart from the headphones. You could get a headphone to RCA adapter to connect to the amp.

coylemj

If there are RCA (phono) sockets on the TV they are almost certainly output so you should run a pair of phono cables to the amp, that's the only option you have really if the amp can't take the optical audio feed and doesn't have any HDMI Ports. Typically the only time a TV takes audio input is where it has a VGA port to connect a PC and in that case there's usually an audio input port nearby which is usually a socket for a 3.5mm jack plug.

I wouldn't bother asking in the local shop, they will in all probability try to sell you something that either won't work or which will be completely OTT. All you need is a cheap pair of phono cables with plugs at the ends, you'll find them on the accessories rack of most PC or electrical shops. Avoid overpriced gold-plated cables or ones that have pseudo-scientific (aka BS) descriptions on the label.

Thurston?

coylemj wrote: »

If there are RCA (phono) sockets on the TV they are almost certainly output

On a new TV, I'd be almost certain they're just the stereo L/R inputs that go with the composite video input.

coylemj

Thurston? wrote: »

On a new TV, I'd be almost certain they're just the stereo L/R inputs that go with the composite video input.

You're right, they could be the audio input ports associated with composite video (yellow) as you say or they could be for the audio of a (component) video feed from the likes of an old DVD player with no HDMI. Or they could be audio out.

OP, are there other phono (RCA) ports beside those left and right audio ports - either a single yellow or three phono ports labelled Pr (red), Pb (blue) and Y (green)?

swoofer

the make and model of tv and the amp would be very useful, a lot of new tv's now come with optical out for the specific purpose of feeding an amp but without knowing make of tv and model we are .... in the wind.

a pic of back of tv would be nice if possible.

this is what you need for optical to rca, .

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cable-Mountain-Digital-Analogue-Converter/dp/B0074JZ8ZW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419344541&sr=8-2&keywords=Digital+Optical+Coaxial+Toslink+Signal+to+Analog+Audio+Converter+Adapter+RCA+DAC

You can buy an optical cable in various lengths and this one would be fine

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Optical-Coaxial-Toslink-Signal-to-Analog-Audio-Converter-Adapter-RCA-DAC-/301250190191?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4623e91b6f

so for a small outlay you will be up and running

Thurston?

To the best of my knowledge, a headphone output is alright to drive a line input on an amplifier, but of course my knowledge may not be the best ...

swoofer

The OP uses the headphones connected to the amp to listen!! Also the tv is 5 metres from the amp!! They want a neat and tidy solution.

Mind you they will need an rca lead as well ie like this unless they have one already

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Phono-Stereo-White-Audio-Cable/dp/B005JKXV66/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1419413199&sr=1-3&keywords=rca+lead

I hope they post back with the result

Thurston?

swoofer wrote: »

The OP uses the headphones connected to the amp to listen!! Also the tv is 5 metres from the amp!! They want a neat and tidy solution.

You understand I'm suggesting that the TV's headphone output be used to feed the amplifier's line-ins (line level inputs)? I've connected a laptop to an old sound system that way & it works fine, shouldn't damage the equipment either.

Not sure what you mean by 'neat & tidy' but any new TV I've seen recently has the headphone jack on the side or rear.

swoofer

If you plug in a cable to the headphone socket it mutes the tv sound so everytime the OP want to watch tv they will need to power on the amp or if they want tv sound they will have to unplug headphone connection, which may be at rear of tv. That's what neat and tidy means, set it all up and leave it. ie job done.

But we may never know the end result or make of tv or amp!!

happy xmas

Thurston?

Meant to mention it before, but if OP only wants the sound from the TV's own tuner, they could use SCART to RCA. (Adapters can be switched to input or output.)

baalad

Hey guys. Iam going to try a 3.5mm headphone jack to rca cable and see how it sounds ;-) should do the trick according to someone i spoke to yesterday and it shouldn't cost much either so nothing to lose ;-)