# Teach me how to buy a television set these days **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 27, 2015, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700 "2015-09-27T15:16:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/61 "2015-10-13T02:06:50Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > The Best Buy salesmen were probably full of crap, but “never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” They may have not been trying to rip you off. They may have been (shudder) audiophiles, and they really do believe that you can hear things too subtle for the ear to detect. Funny you should say that. One of them did say he was an audiophile. I forgot to ask if it hurt… ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/62 "2015-10-13T02:56:04Z")
You have to feel for audiophiles, they only hear distortion when we hear music. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/63 "2015-10-13T03:05:46Z")
I’ll still favor a reciever, but if the TV has a 3.5 mm or RCA audio out, or headphone jack, you could drive your existing speakers with a small amplifier like [this](http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PTAU45-Stereo-Amplifier-Inputs/dp/B003OELGGG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1444705412&sr=8-2&keywords=stereo+amplifier). $66. There are cheaper amps available but you want one with some power if your speakers are 8 ohms. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/64 "2015-10-13T03:15:08Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > BTW my set does have an audio out port, just a stereo analog port, that I can use with a little amp I happen to have available, and some speakers I have on hand too. I bet that does for no new cash outlay what they were telling me I should be spending $800 or more on. I should learn to read. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/65 "2015-10-13T04:40:24Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > … > > 1. I agree that bigger is not always better. If the screen is too large for the room, it almost makes you motion sick while watching it because it seems like you are focusing on individual skin pores instead of people. YMMV, of course, but get the appropriate sized TV for the room. It probably won’t be an issue for a living room, but it is bad, IMHO, to have an 80 inch behemoth dominating your small bedroom… This is true. I did some reading when we were getting ready to buy our first HD TV and it sure seemed like a 46 incher would do OK in the family room (and it certainly fit the budget). Having it, however, I could see that a 55 or 60 inch would be just fine. Family room is something like 14 x 18 feet - open to the kitchen - and we sit across the room from it (i.e. 12+ feet). On the other hand, we were given a TV for our bedroom (long story) that is the same size. The bedroom is 14x17 feet and that thing is huge and really dominates the room. Not that we don’t enjoy it - and it’s certainly an improvement from the 19th CRT TV (that got moved upstairs when we got the one in the family room), but it certainly looms - it’s actually wider than the chest of drawers it’s sitting on. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700.md?page=3)