TL;DR-
What are my options re adding external speakers to or otherwise improving sound on my 2005 TV, a Panasonic TC-26LX60 26-Inch LCD HDTV?
Background: TMI? Probably, but I really don’t know what information is essential to solving my problem. Trying to head off questions in advance. Please talk to me like I’m 5. Thanks.
I bought this Panasonic TC-26LX60 26-Inch LCD HDTV with HDMI Connection in 2005. I didn’t get it from amazon, but I’m giving the amazon link so anyone who wants to venture into this swamp with me can see what it looks like. It was a floor model at Circuit City (remember them?) and I got it for $600, which I think was $200 less than full price. It has been a great TV with a great picture, and I don’t really want get a new TV. I don’t have cable or satellite anymore, just a Roku. I have a DVD player connected, and the TV is hooked to an external antenna (a Mohu inside the house), but the only OTA station I get is PBS, which is fine with me.
A year or so ago, the sound started getting scratchy, and I attached a pair of computer speakers to it until those gave out. I got another pair of computer speakers, but those have started to sound scratchy, too. I’m a simple woman and don’t need theater-quality surround sound or anything like that. I just want to be able to hear dialogue without scratches and crackles.
What are my options re adding external speakers or sound? The TV only has one HDMI input port, something one of the amazon reviews laments. I have the computer speaker(s) plugged into the headphone jack.
Here are some pictures to assist in understanding what I’ve got.
This is the panel on the right side of the TV. The cord at the bottom is the computer speaker plugged into the headphone jack. Dust is 100% authentic.
This is the specifications page of the manual. FWIW, there is a statement on page 41 of the manual that says, “External speakers cannot be connected directly to OUTPUT terminals.” A search of the PDF manual found only that one reference to external speakers.
This picture on page 2 of the manual does seem to show external speakers in use.
This is the page in the manual that shows all of the connections. This page makes my eyes cross.
ThelmaLou, dear, you are a troubleshooter’s dream girl (all those pix–fantastic)! Do you still have a stereo system (hopefully near the TV)? You need to connect the AUDIO OUTPUT terminals of the TV to the AUX IN terminals on the back of your stereo system amplifier; use RCA stereo cord. Turn the SS volume all the way down then turn the selector to AUXILIARY and slowly turn the volume up. Adjust to taste.
If you don’t have a stereo receiver nearby, and don’t want to get one, soundbars are popular for people in your situation these days. If you care about appearances, you might run into a problem with width though; Amazon says that TV is only 26" wide, and most soundbars these days are designed for use with larger sets. If you don’t mind the ends of your soundbar sticking out past the ends of your TV, just look for one with RCA inputs (e.g. the red & white connectors labeled “output” in #2)
Here is a 26-inch soundbar from a supplier that I trust and from a manufacturer with decent reviews for other products on Amazon. I can’t personally vouch for it, though.
Give some thought as to where you’d put your soundbar before deciding to get one. You’d want it to fit conveniently beneath or above the television somewhere.
I don’t have a stereo of any kind. Used to, in days of yore, with components and Stonehenge-sized speakers. No more.
From y’all’s comments, sounds like I need more pieces and parts. Speakers, I know I need those, preferable small-ish. I don’t know how to begin to shop for a receiver/amp. Can y’all make some amazon suggestions (I have over $300 in amazon rewards points to spend).
Would you look at the amazon link for that sound bar here and see if the cords that are included are what I need? I’d like to be able to use my amazon rewards points.
Also, they only have a used one. What do y’all think about that?
Here’s a smaller, cheaper one, although you would be connecting to the headphone out plug and there is a chance that that output is compromised since you are having problems with different speakers.
Sorry, just looked at your pics. It looks like you do have RCA cable audio output, so you would just need 2 RCA cables to connect to the soundbar without the headphone out.
My junk drawers are filled with earrings, cat collars, nail files, and shit…
When I get the sound bar and the cables, if I can’t figure out what goes where, I’ll be back with questions. Male parts to… what? It’s been so long, not sure I’d know what to do with them…
I agree with the advice given so far. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money, a soundbar is probably your best bet. I’m not familiar with any of the current offerings so maybe someone can make recommendations, or else look for reviews from reliable sources. Modern technology can pack pretty good sound into fairly small soundbar speakers.
Here are a couple of other comments in passing that may or may not be useful.
The headphone jack is a poor way of connecting external speakers as the impedance is designed for headphones and not a speaker amp. The RCA stereo output jacks are the right way to do it. Even better, if the sound bar supports it or you ever go the route of home theater audio, is the digital optical audio output which your TV has. To use it you’d need an optical cable, technically an S/PDIF optical cable with TOSLINK connectors, like this.
In your situation I would consider a larger TV, too, but NOT for the audio quality, but just because today’s TVs are really inexpensive and excellent quality and bigger is better. But many larger TVs presuppose at least a sound bar if not a full-blown home theater and its internal speakers may not be any better than what you already have. I have a 46" Sony Bravia with a really excellent picture but its internal speakers are crappy, in fact worse than my old 32" Bravia. It’s as if Sony never seriously expected anyone to really use them. I have it connected via the above-mentioned S/PDIF optical to a home theater system in passthrough mode (whatever audio the TV receives, from broadcast or HDMI input, is passed through to the home theater amp, or in your case, presumably to a sound bar).
Incidentally, while I have a decent set of rear speakers that I used in the previous house, I never even bothered with them here. I’m fine with downmixing surround sound down to stereo. What matters to me is high sound quality on those two channels.
I have $300 in amazon rewards points, so money really isn’t an issue. I like this TV okay, and the picture is excellent. My living room is small and the TV fits on the table I use.
I knew the headphone jack wasn’t a good way to connect, but I didn’t know how else to do it, hence this thread. I like this TV fine, and the picture is excellent. My living room is small and the TV fits on the table I use. I don’t need excellent sound, just “good enough” sound. I keep the captions on anyway due to crap hearing.
I very much appreciate the comments, however.
Doesn’t the sound bar come with RCA cables?
No doubt I’ll be back with even more questions. Thanks, all!
The 30 dollar one seems to come with an optical cable which would work fantastic if you have an optical output. It also comes with a headphone to RCA converter (headphone jack on one side, left/right RCA cables on the other). It does not seem to come with audio cables with RCA connectors on both ends.
The 80 dollar one does come with audio cables with RCA connectors, but like I said, its 3-6 bucks to buy the cable separately.
By the way, I can’t vouch for or recommend any of these company names particularly, I’m just linking to stuff that seems the right size and would work.
Yes. You can find a very affordable TV that size that is going to improve your sound and picture for not much more than the solution to your audio problem is going to cost.
Sorry to keep correcting myself. The 30 dollar one comes with all the cables you would need. The RCA end would connect to your TV and the headphone jack looking end actually connects to the soundbar.
A new TV might be the way to go like Munch says. It’s possible that your audio problem is internal or actually an audio input problem. Of course, you could send the soundbar back and get a new TV at that point if need be.
