LG LED TV Audio Out Question

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Wheelbarrow01

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Topic # 112917 27-Dec-2012 13:19

I amwondering if anyone can help me with my problem.

I have an LG 42 LE5510 LED TV which I bought two years ago. At the time of purchase I was assured it was the business.

I have been using it with just a Sky decoder since I bought it but I recently moved house and now have room to set up my Bose home theatre - This is where the problems started.

The issue is that the TV does not have an RCA audio out, or any audio out from what I can tell - other than optical.

What I wanted to do (and did on my last TV) was use the TV as the hub ie have all my inputs going directly to the TV's inputs, then use one of the TV's audio outs to send all audio to my Bose.

My Bose Lifestyle system is about 10 years old, so of course does not have HDMI. It only has RCA inputs. The TV has no RCA outputs, so I appear to be snookered.

Does anyone have any idea what I can do? I either need to find a way to get the audio from the TV to the Bose, or I need to go out and buy a new Bose - NOT a happy prospect at about $5k.

My other option is to purchase an LG blu ray home theatre to go with the TV but even then I don't know how I would get the audio from the TV to the stereo.

If I knew the TV had HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) then I could try an HDMI to RCA converter maybe. Do these even exist?? The TV manual doesn't mention HDMI ARC anywhere so I can't even rely on this solution working.

The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer Spark NZ Ltd

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Reply # 737688 27-Dec-2012 13:30

Does the TV have a digital (optical) audio out jack?

If so then you can get a DAC to go from the optical line out in the TV to the analogue line in on your home theatre.

This assumes you're sure that the home theatre system doesn't have a digital audio input (all modern ones do) - if it does then that makes things even easier.

Toledo

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Reply # 737691 27-Dec-2012 13:39

A Bose home theater at 10 years old should definitely have optical in. If it has orange rings around the speakers then it is an older (15 years +) analogue model and wont have the optical in and doesn't do a proper "surround sound" just a multi channel stereo.

If that's the case the Alasta is right in recomending a DAC, Maybe like this http://jaycar.co.nz/productView.asp?ID=AC1603&keywords=optical+converter&form=KEYWORD

My opinions are purely my own and are not at all those of my employer 2degrees.

B1GGLZ

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Reply # 737692 27-Dec-2012 13:52

The issue is that the TV does not have an RCA audio out, or any audio out from what I can tell - other than optical.

Correct according to the manual. Does have Headphone out though which you could probably use but only stereo out.

What I wanted to do (and did on my last TV) was use the TV as the hub ie have all my inputs going directly to the TV's inputs, then use one of the TV's audio outs to send all audio to my Bose.

As above, Headphone out would probably work but only stereo.
Better to have a new Receiver/Amp with multiple HDMI inputs.

My Bose Lifestyle system is about 10 years old, so of course does not have HDMI. It only has RCA inputs. The TV has no RCA outputs, so I appear to be snookered.

Yes!

Does anyone have any idea what I can do? I either need to find a way to get the audio from the TV to the Bose, or I need to go out and buy a new Bose - NOT a happy prospect at about $5k.

Does it have to be Bose? Much cheaper units (under $1k) available probably just as good. IMHO Bose is highly overated and overly expensive.

My other option is to purchase an LG blu ray home theatre to go with the TV but even then I don't know how I would get the audio from the TV to the stereo.

Wouldn't even go there. HTIAB don't seem very user friendly when hooking in other gear.

If I knew the TV had HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) then I could try an HDMI to RCA converter maybe. Do these even exist?? The TV manual doesn't mention HDMI ARC anywhere so I can't even rely on this solution working.

Yes they do exist (http://www.rapalloav.co.nz/hdmi-processing/hdmi-dvi-vga-ypbpr-convert.html/) but not cheap and and not much use as the TV doesn't seem to have ARC according to the manual.

Sounds to me like a new Sound system is the best option.

zhuyan

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Reply # 737696 27-Dec-2012 14:10

I had a similar problem： my new LG Plasma 60" TV doesn't have the usual "audio out" but only the optical audio out; in the meantime my old Sony DVD Home Theater has only analogue audio in (red and white) but no optical audio in. SO I'm stuck here: either to upgrade my home theater to one with optical audio in;

or I may try the cheaper option that Alasta suggested here?

I've found the below link：
http://www.rapalloav.co.nz/audio-video-converters/optical-toslink-or-digital-coax-to-analog-audio-converter.html

It does point out in the end that 5.1 channel signal will not be decoded?

DSE doesn't seem to have those converter but I will check again

Thanks for the info

Wheelbarrow01

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Reply # 737701 27-Dec-2012 14:30

Toledo: A Bose home theater at 10 years old should definitely have optical in. If it has orange rings around the speakers then it is an older (15 years +) analogue model and wont have the optical in and doesn't do a proper "surround sound" just a multi channel stereo.

If that's the case the Alasta is right in recomending a DAC, Maybe like this http://jaycar.co.nz/productView.asp?ID=AC1603&keywords=optical+converter&form=KEYWORD

It's a Bose Lifestyle 8 Series II. Sold between 2000 and 2003 according to their website - http://worldwide.bose.com/productsupport/en/web/ls8_series2/page.html

That gadget from Jaycar looks to be exactly what I need, however I called the Christchurch store and of course they are out of stock.

I just double checked and definitely only has RCA inputs. That's a bit crap really. The lesson here is that no matter how much you spend, in no time at all your equipment will become outdated lol.

I would go out and buy all new gear but no doubt in two years time they will release "Super HDMI Select" and regular HDMI will become obsolete overnight lol.

Speaking of which, I was at Harvey Norman yesterday and saw the new super duper mega HD TV. 4 times the resolution of HD apparently and yours for a mere $28999.

Thanks for your help guys.

The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer Spark NZ Ltd

B1GGLZ

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Reply # 737734 27-Dec-2012 16:17

Wheelbarrow01:

I just double checked and definitely only has RCA inputs. That's a bit crap really. The lesson here is that no matter how much you spend, in no time at all your equipment will become outdated lol.

According to the manual available at the quoted website your unit does have digital input but only co-ax and not optical. Uses the RCA female socket on the supplied cable.

From the manual

Setting up a digital sound source
Connect a DTV or DVD player’s digital signal directly to the female RCA jack on the audio
input cable. Connect the DVD player’s analog signal output to the AUX inputs. If your
Lifestyle® system receives a valid digital signal (including PCM or Dolby Digital bitstreams),
this digital sound is used. If no valid digital signal is received, then your system selects the
analog signal being sent to AUX, which is then processed by the Videostage® decoder for
excellent home theater sound. If your digital audio source has an optical connector, you will
need an adapter with an RCA (coaxial) connector. Consult your dealer or contact Bose®.

Maybe just get an optical to co-ax convertor?

alasta

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Reply # 737764 27-Dec-2012 17:50

I think B1GGLZ's suggestion above is the preferable option, but if you do go down the DAC route then just keep in mind that not all DACs are created equal. The cheap unit from Jaycar will do the job but if you listen to music and need Hifi quality then you may need to go for something better.

nickb800

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Reply # 737770 27-Dec-2012 18:11

Yeah, as above, an optical to coaxial converter is probably the best option with your setup.

Further to alasta's suggestion, I have a very similar setup (using a TV as a 'hub'), and use a Fiio D3 DAC (http://www.soundessentials.co.nz/webapps/p/90155/227354/595496) which is around the same price as the Jaycar option, but well known and well regarded for quality. This takes the optical out from my LCD TV and converts it into analog output via 2xRCA which feeds the amplifier.

Prior to this, i used the headphone output of the TV to drive an amplifier, however my Sony LCD TV had a poor quality analog audio out so this resulted in a noticably lower quality sound. Using the Fiio DAC bypassed this.

Worth noting that if you use the headphone output, then the TV's volume control with control the output volume, whereas if you use the optical (or coaxial if you have one) output, then the TV will pass through this signal unadultered (wont adjust volume or mute), so you will need to use the Bose remote to adjust the volume or mute.

alasta

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Reply # 737873 27-Dec-2012 22:38

nickb800: Yeah, as above, an optical to coaxial converter is probably the best option with your setup.

Further to alasta's suggestion, I have a very similar setup (using a TV as a 'hub'), and use a Fiio D3 DAC (http://www.soundessentials.co.nz/webapps/p/90155/227354/595496) which is around the same price as the Jaycar option, but well known and well regarded for quality. This takes the optical out from my LCD TV and converts it into analog output via 2xRCA which feeds the amplifier.

I have a similar setup - I use a Fiio E17 to interface from my TV to my Sennheiser wireless headphone transmitter - and I can confirm that the Fiio product is excellent.

Dunnersfella

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Reply # 738135 28-Dec-2012 20:04

I also recommend the Filo DAC.
Interesting re: the price on the Ultra HD TV... it was $25k today, not 29. The small RRP label on the TV said 25k, as well as the price on the paper tag.

Dunnersfella

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Reply # 738136 28-Dec-2012 20:05

Oh and I should add, the only main brand TV's for 2012 that have analogue audio outputs are Panasonic's.
If you ever want to connect wireless headphones and have autonomous volume control, they're the ideal scenario.

Lurch

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Reply # 738173 28-Dec-2012 22:10

zhuyan: I had a similar problem： my new LG Plasma 60" TV doesn't have the usual "audio out" but only the optical audio out; in the meantime my old Sony DVD Home Theater has only analogue audio in (red and white) but no optical audio in. SO I'm stuck here: either to upgrade my home theater to one with optical audio in;
Thanks for the info

Thought the same thing about my new LG TV but it came with break out cables in the box. One end was like a headphone jack but the other was standard RCA cables.

Anyway my Pioneer has optical in so using that.

http://flic.kr/p/dEVfQr

Wheelbarrow01

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Reply # 738373 29-Dec-2012 17:57

Thanks for all your ideas guys.

Yesterday I bought a Toslink to digital coax converter box from Jaycar. The Toslink signal comes out of the TV, is converted into digital coax, then heads to the Bose system. I wasn't convinced that it was going to work but it has, and the sound quality seems to be perfect so far but I still have some testing to do with the various inputs to the TV.

I had to go and buy a new Toslink cable as the one I already had has gone for a wander. This meant a trip to my local Dick Smith store in Northwood Christchurch. I looked around the aisles for a bit but couldn't see any, so I asked a saleman if they stocked Toslink cables. His immediate response was "No". I waited for him to offer an alternative or ask what I wanted it for but no further communication was forthcoming. I then asked him if he knew who might stock them. "I have no idea" was his response, before ambling away without saying another word. It dawned on me that he probably didn't know what I was talking about but you would think he would have asked me what it was - rather than just saying they don't have them.

Fantastic customer service there Dick Smith - especially when a quick look on the Dick Smith website when I got home showed that the Northwood store has them in stock.

It now seems likely that this useless and unhelpful salesman has no idea what a Toslink cable is, and has no desire to learn. The scary thing is he is probably the store manager or something. This sort of thing really grinds my gears. Queue the Facebook rant.......

Fortunately the good blokes at Harvey Norman just across the carpark were more than happy to help, and even marked the price of the cable down from $69.95 to just $10. The Dick Smith cable was $30 so their salesman really did me a favour in the end I suppose.

The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer Spark NZ Ltd

alasta

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Reply # 738396 29-Dec-2012 19:28

When it comes to buying cables like that Jaycar is probably the best place to get them because big box retailers tend to sell name brand cables which have big markups with no real benefits. Then there's the clueless sales droids at the big box retailers as you've noted.

Having said that it sounds like you got a decent deal and managed to avoid going all the way back to your nearest Jaycar store (Sydenham?) so it's a happy ending anyway.

Lurch

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Reply # 738398 29-Dec-2012 19:35

Surprised that it didn't come with breakout cables in the box. LG usually supply them.

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