My parents have two TV sets and asked me to get them wireless headphones. I checked the respective outputs and saw that I needed headphones with an optical audio input via Toslink, so I ordered these. I knew beforehand that the optical audio signal on the TV sets had to be set to “PCM”.
They worked like a charm on my mother’s TV, but when I connected them to the living room TV, an about 10 years old Samsung LE40 C679, I only got noise, not random noise, but a silent popping sound, a quiet fast steady pulse. So I searched for the output setting and found a setting for S/PDIF, which I understand is the name of the interface and includes the Toslink output. It was set to “PCM”, like required for the headphones and like the setting on the other TV set. So I don’t understand why I don’t get a signal there. I googled the issue and only ever found the advice to set the output signal to “PCM” like I did. What goes probably wrong?
So have you tried both units on both TVs, and they both work on one TV and not the other? That would eliminate the issue being with the headphones and pinpoint it on the second TV.
Are there any settings on the headphone side of things, or are you limited to making changes on the TV only.
From the photo, it looks like there are both optical and coaxial connections on the headphones. Does the TV have both options for output, or just optical? My old TV has coaxial only, and the little outboard FiiO DAC I use has a switch for optical or coaxial inputs. I had to select the right one.
I think there’s a misunderstanding. I only bought ONE set of headphones for TWO TV sets. The headphones worked on one TV set, but not the Samsung.
The TV set only has two audio outputs: an optical outlet (Toslink) and a 1.5 mm headphone outlet. The latter works with the headphones, but it automatically mutes the sound of the TV’s speakers, so we can’t use it because my mother wants to wear the headphones while my father wants to listen to the speakers. That’s why I went for headphones with an optical input.
And no, there are no settings on the headphones side.
I know that some TVs just pass through digital audio when there’s a digital source. If you are using an analog source, they do not convert the audio signal to PCM. Could this be the issue? What is your video/audio source? Even if it’s the same source for both TVs, they may handle it differently.
Based on my (limited) experience with TVs, I also know that some TVs force you to select internal/external/PCM output and you cannot play more than one at a time, but this doesn’t seem to be the case with your TV.
So, both of the TVs are using internal sat receivers? I’m trying to zero in on the fact that there are two different TVs from different manufacturers (I think). It would be an entirely different situation if they were the same model TV from the same manufacturer.
Any possibility you can plug the TOSlink into an A/V receiver or some other device that displays what the signal type is? Even if you have to borrow one from a friend, it might help to know that one set is outputting (for example) a Dolby 5.1 and the other is 2-channel stereo PCM. Just grasping at straws here.
Yes, the TV sets are both using internal sat receivers and are from different manufacturers. And a different A/V receiver with Toslink is exactly what I’m missing at the moment to troubleshoot the issue further. I have to guess hard if one of my acquaintances owns such a device, maybe one of my nephews does. Thanks for your suggestions.
ZonexandScout has a good point about making sure the TV is sending a stereo PCM signal and not a Dolby signal. Other than that, the only other thing I can think of is using the 1.5 mm headphone jack, then splitter, sending one output to the headphones and the other to a set of powered speakers such as a set of computer speakers.
Actually, I was thinking that there was a setting somewhere in the TV menu that might control stereo vs Dolby. But you have probably tried every available option on the TV already.
Dammit, the problem is solved, but I don’t know what I did wrong: my father has a friend and former neighbor who’s got a TV/electronics repair shop and asked him for help. He did everything the same like me, but now it worked! I spoke to him and confirmed that he didn’t change anything, but there you go…
My pride is a bit hurt, but I know the phenomenon from my own work as an IT guy. I’ve often been called to someone’s desk to be shown some faulty behavior that went on for days and weeks, but when I arrived, everything went fine without me doing anything! In one company I even had the reputation of a PC healer because of that :D. Maybe my healing powers are restricted to computers and don’t work on consumer electronics, I don’t know.
I know they were very pleased with the large mocha I once dropped into a 21" crt monitor many years ago. It made a pleasing “whopp” sound and smelled of burnt coffee and chocolate.
I thought as much myself. This is my first time working with an optical connection, so I don’t have my own experiences, but a bad cable connection is the only explanation I have for that behavior.
I know exactly what you mean.