How do I improve the sound on my TV?

Modern TVs sound rubbish.
We're happy to be up-front about this & if asked, most TV manufacturers would probably agree. There simply is no space for a decent set of speakers inside today's TVs, they are too thin and have very little frame to accommodate them. To make matters worse it's our own fault. The buying public, have over the last few years, swayed towards the most compact frames & thinnest sets available. This is therefore the trend the manufacturers have followed, resulting in worse & worse sound quality.
Click here to find in out more detail why new TVs have poor sound.

Getting better sound for your viewing experience is a relatively easy upgrade & there are various ways you can achieve it. Some options will run into thousands of pounds while others could only be a tenner.

A SoundBar could be the ideal
 solution for your audio woes.

The most common options include:

• A full HiFi separates Home-Cinema system (5.1 or upwards)
• An all-in-one Home-Cinema system (5.1)
• An all-in-one Home-Cinema system (2.1)
• A SoundBar, 2.1 audio system or Pedestal
• Using existing HiFi equipment

The big question is which option suits your needs best?

HiFi separates Home-Cinema system (5.1 or upwards)

A HiFi separates Home-Cinema system is the premium solution for your TVs sound quality problem. Available from various different manufacturers and in a massive range of prices, these systems can provide stunning sound quality with huge amounts of volume, making them ideal for the larger listening area or for those wanting the best sound quality. Options available on this type of set up include up to & over 9.1 surround sound (nine speakers around the room plus one sub-woofer) with 200 watts of power per speaker.  As the items that make up these systems are made by HiFi manufacturers you also have the benefit of being able to play music at high quality too. This could mean that instead of having a Hifi & a Home-Cinema, you'd listen to everything through just the Home-Cinema.

This type of system does, however, have downsides, these being the level of complexity it will add to your system, the choices you need to make when buying it & the amount of room they generally take up.

For a full HiFi separates Home-Cinema system you'll need at least these 3 items.

A HiFi separates Home-Cinema consists of your choice of speakers, your choice of AV receiver/amplifier & normally your choice Blu-ray player (your existing Blu-ray or DVD will connect in if you want to continue using it). Because of these choices, this type of system has become less common in the average living room but still offers the best sound. A system like this will probably start from a minimum of £700 for reasonably good quality brands but can easily run in to thousands. Even from our range, which does not reach the very top end, we can supply just the receiver/amplifiers for over £2000. The flexibility in being able to mix-&-match different makes with each other is often very appealing because it allows you to get exactly what you want without compromise.

Another advantage of buying separates is that you are also able to change components as & when you want or need to. This means that if your Blu-ray stops working you can simply replace it & carry on using the rest of the system as normal. We have customers using the amplifier & speakers that were supplied over ten years ago with their brand new HD TV & Blu-ray player. The amp' may not be bang up-to-date but still provides great quality surround sound.

All-in-One Home-Cinema systems (5.1)

All-in-One Home-Cinema systems have been the most popular way for people to improve there sound quality for the last eight or nine years. Coming in at significantly lower prices than the HiFi separates & with less choice to make, they have found their way into many people living rooms. The reason they have been so popular is that they are easy to use, easy to setup and generally quite compact. They also have everything built-in to one unit. Blu-ray, DVD, CD, radio, iPod connections, amplifier & now Smart TV with music & video streaming services can all be included. This reduces the clutter, cabling & number of remote controls that seem to fill the modern living room.

All-in-One home cinema systems come with various speaker styles to match your needs & home decoration.

All-in-One 5.1 systems tend to come with a variety of different speaker sizes & although not with the same size of selection as HiFi separates, their should be an option suitable for your room.

• Option 1 uses five very small speakers (the size of soup tins or smaller), paired with a small-ish sub-woofer. This is great if you need to place the speakers in awkward places or need them to be as discreet as possible. These tend to be the lower end of the all-in-one systems & are great for the smaller living room. The sound will still be much better than your TV's but you won't be able to drive them as hard as the more expensive options.
• Option 2 generally offers more bass and more power allowing you to drive the system a little harder & really get into the explosions or car chases in your favorite action movie. This option will most likely also play your music back at a higher quality too. Because the speakers are slightly larger, positioning them may be slightly more tricky.
• Option 3 will normally be very similar in performance to option 2 but has a very different impact on the positioning of the speakers. These are designed to sit on the floor & are quite large speakers to find space for. If you struggle for floor space or have children or pets, you may find they get knocked over or damaged because of their placement.

Despite their popularity, All-in-One kits do have their downsides.

• Firstly, the sound quality tends to be fine for watching TV or films, but you are likely to find that music will feel a bit flat & like there's something missing that you can't quite put your finger on. If you're a fan of music, this might mean having to have a HiFi to play music on too.
• Secondly, you can't upgrade them. For example, a few years ago Blu-ray was launched giving people access to HD movies. If you had an All-in-One system you needed to replace it all to be able to watch these discs. A couple of years later 3D Blu-ray came out & people had to change again.
• Thirdly, but tied in to the above, faults are an issue. If the Blu-ray player stops working, you lose the whole kit while it's being repaired. If it can't be repaired you have to replace the whole thing.

As the price on these systems is significantly lower than HiFi separates many people accept that they might need to change them more often to keep them up-to-date.

Apart from the speakers, All-in-One Home Cinema systems take up very little space under your TV.

An all-in-one Home-Cinema system (2.1)

An all-in-one Home-Cinema system (2.1) works along exactly the same principles as it 5.1 sibling. The big difference here is that they are aimed at people that don't have room for 5.1 or people that simply don't want speakers all around the room. As desire for anyone purchasing this type of machine seems to be to minimise clutter, these systems generally have only the small-mid sized speakers. Quite often we see the speakers being placed next to the main unit on the stand under the TV. This wont give you the best stereo effect but will boost the sound quality significantly.

A 2.1 Home-Cinema system fantastic for the smaller room or to keep clutter to a minimum.

A SoundBar, 2.1 audio system or Pedestal

A SoundBar or 2.1 audio system is a very simple way to get better sound quality from your TV. These items are purely an audio booster. They don't play DVD or Blu-ray, don't have an iPod dock or radio, in fact they have nothing built-in at all. They plug directly in to your TV and let the sound (for whatever is being displayed on the screen) come through their speakers, giving you a much more impressive sound.

A SoundBar  is a horizontal speaker that sits either in-front of your TV on the TV stand or hangs on the wall underneath your TV. They come in a couple of different sizes to compliment the variety of different TV screen sizes that are available.

A 2.1 system is just 2 small speakers & a sub-woofer connected to the TV in the same way as a SoundBar. 

Some SoundBars are multi-purpose and will split in the middle to form a 2.1 system. This give you a bit more flexibility in positioning your speakers in the room.

The picture on the right shows a Panasonic SCHTB550 in both SoundBar & 2.1 layouts.

A Pedestal design is something relatively new to market & sits directly underneath your TV, on top of your TV stand. The only one we have seen so far is the Bose Solo. This type of design is probably the most compact of all the options.

With the Bose Solo there is no sub-woofer, which means even less cabling, nor do you have to find space to put speakers. Instead the Solo sits in the same footprint as your TV & raises it by approximately 70mm (3") but for most people this should create no problem at all.

The sound quality is big jump compared your TV but bay not be as heavy on the bass when compared to a 2.1 or SoundBar system.

Using existing HiFi equipment

This is possibly the quickest and easiest way to improve your TVs sound & is something I've been doing at home for years. Most decent TVs have had audio outputs hidden away somewhere on the rear or side panels. Historically they have been red & white RCA (phono) connectors and have "Audio out", "Line out" or an audio out symbol, most HiFi's have corresponding "Aux in", "Audio in" or "Line in" sockets of the same design. If you connect these together using a stereo RCA (phono) cable you can use you HiFi to handle the sound from your TV. Ideally you should have a speaker either side of your TV, but many people are happy just to have better sound, regardless of the speaker positions.

The stereo RCA (Phono) connections and the cable that plugs into (left) and the newer Digital Optical Audio output socket & associated cable that is found on most new TVs (right)

Some newer TVs may no longer have the RCA (Phono) connections. If this is the case, the chances are your TV will have a Digital Optical Audio output instead. This does the same job, but with a higher quality digital signal capable of transferring stereo & 5.1 surround sound. Your HiFi would also need to have a Digital Audio input for this type of connection.

Come in & see us!

Hopefully this blog will have given you ideas or encouragement to improve your TVs sound. If it has & you would like our help to get you up & running, please give us a call on 01793 537971 or visit us in-store where we are more than happy to answer your questions and demonstrate the various option for you.

To see our range of SoundBars, Home-Cinemas & 2.1 systems, please visit our website

www.HickmansOldTown.com or come & visit us in store.

You can also keep up to date with our offers & promotions through www.facebook.com/HickmansOldTownLtd

or @HickmansOldTown on twitter.