Glad to join the group.

[bobmrg]

I am not an audiophile but someone who is looking for advice on how to improve the sound from my HDTV.

Bob Gardner

[Feanor]

I am not an audiophile but someone who is looking for advice on how to improve the sound from my HDTV.

Bob Gardner

Welcome to AR Forums, Bob.

[Mr Peabody]

Hi Bob, welcome to the forums.

The least expensive way to improve sound from your TV is to add a Sound Bar. You can find them for around $299 and up, maybe cheaper, but you did say "improve" the sound :) With a sound Bar you don't need a receiver and speakers around the room. Some are just the bar, and some have subwoofers, and they can be wireless.

[Hyfi]

I use a ZVox Sound Base in my bedroom, one with the sub out and I added a small sub to it. Pretty reasonable sound for money and space restrictions and for a TV.

[bobmrg]

Hi Bob, welcome to the forums.

The least expensive way to improve sound from your TV is to add a Sound Bar. You can find them for around $299 and up, maybe cheaper, but you did say "improve" the sound :) With a sound Bar you don't need a receiver and speakers around the room. Some are just the bar, and some have subwoofers, and they can be wireless.

Thanks. There is a back story. My JVC EM39FT HDTV's speakers are failing (after only three years) according to JVC Support. So I bought a soundbar but took it back because I could not get it to work. I tried the optical jacks and the RCA jacks and still no sound from the soundbar. JVBC Support then said that the only thing I can do from my remote is turn the speakers on and off. Later investigation revealed the existence in the menu of Analog Variable...but no instructions in the manual on how it is to be used.

I have a Comcast set-top box with unused audio jacks. It is connected to the TV by HDMI cable

All I want is two plain-vanilla speakers that project out into the room instead of backward into a wall and advice on connections and settings. I do not need soundbar bells and whistles such as separate power switch, separate volume control, separate remote, etc. Preference is for using the Comcast remote for everything.

Bob

[Hyfi]

Most TVs that have the option of sending Audio out will have a spot in the settings to turn off internal speakers, which should pass the signal out.

If you just want small speakers, you could send the Audio Out from TV or Cable Box to a $25 Lepia amp and then to any speakers.

The Zvox was a good choice for me because the wife did not want 1 more system in the house, 5 was enough.

[Mr Peabody]

The variable out should connect to a sound bar via a set of RCA (red/white) audio on your TV.

If you only use your set top box and no other source you could connect to it's audio outputs but it would have to be variable in order to control volume. Or, your main remote able to control the sound bar.

If the sound bar didn't work you either needed to set the audio settings inside the TV to the proper output or the speakers not working is a larger issue that would prohibit sound from any output.

The sound bar would probably be your best bet and look the best. The thing isif you can't get a sound bar to work nothing else will either as each would have the same basic connections.