Help adding audio out to a TV

[Gib]

I have a Samsung 32" HD TV (model UN32EH4003) that has abysmal sound quality, and I want to hook up an external sound system. The problem is there are no audio out jacks. None. Not even a headphone jack. So my idea is to splice some RCA jacks into the TV's speaker wires and connect a powered external sound system to those. I have no idea what the output of the TV's amplifier is, but its built-in speakers are 5 watts each, 8 ohms. Can I connect a powered speaker system such as one with two speakers and a subwoofer to that? I know very little about electronics so answer this like you're talking to a ten year old (even though I'm 6 times older than that, ha ha).

I know I could just get a sound bar and run the HDMI output from my Dish system to that with the HDMI out from the sound bar going to the TV. But I also have an external hard drive connected by USB directly to the TV for playing movies and would like the sound from that to also go through the sound system.

 

[davenn]

hi Gib
welcome to EP

Is the sound bad because of crappy internal speakers ?
disconnecting and extending cables via plugs and sockets to external speakers would be the easiest solution

extending the speaker wires to feed an external amp has immediate problems of level control ... it will overdrive any amplifier input
You could muck around with attenuation but its going to have a messy and probably unsatisfactory outcome

You would really need to go into the set and get to a point before the internal amplifier where the audio signal is at line level ( before amplification and volume controls). Then it could feed an external amp safely and you would have full control over the sound level with the external amp controls

I also have a relatively new 59" LCD TV with dreadful internal sound. The internal speakers go into distortion at even low sound levels

your mission ... initially ... is to get a service manual with schematic. you may well find a PDF copy online either from the manufacturer or other
site that stores manuals
have a look down towards the bottom of this thread and you will find some sites listed that may help in your search

cheers
Dave

 

[Gib]

Hi Dave, and thanks for your reply. Yes, the sound is bad because of crappy internal speakers. I can't believe how small they are, plus they are aimed downward.

I don't really know how to determine where to connect speaker wires upstream of the amplifier. I looked at the link you provided but was unable to find any schematics at any of those sites. This is proving to be a rather difficult problem to solve. I wonder what Samsung's purpose was in eliminating audio out jacks?

 

[davenn]

who knows ? LOL
Unless you can find some one local to you with electronics experience ... identifying what to do, soldering etc,
it may be something difficult for you to solve
It would make my first suggestion of just having external speakers the easiest for you to do

cheers
Dave

 

[KrisBlueNZ]

Trace the wires back from the speakers and try to identify the audio output IC. It will probably be in a wide single-in-line package with around 11 pins or so, and mounted onto a heatsink. Post the part number on it. It may be easy enough to figure out where the inputs are.

 

[roughshawd]

Well here I go again.. in my experience, sound problems are rarely component issues. I find cross connections are usually the cause of noise, and polarity the cause of excessive vibration. There is an occasional slipup in assembly, or just a bad job by a robot, but it's usually human error. The problems with HDMI are hundredfold, because the output is a signal which is not supposed to be a compatible one, if you know about differential and compatibility. But I am proud of you for hacking, even though it's not so legal sometimes. I bought a brand new boom box that I was going to give my nephew for Christmas, and when I tested it, the sound was so bad, it still sets on the shelf today. It wasn't HDMI. More like IWMS (I want more sales).

 

[Audioguru]

Small speakers are probably fed through small coupling capacitors that also do do not produce low frequencies.
In a cheap clock radio, I needed to increase the capacitances of 3 coupling capacitors for it to produce excellent wideband sounds to an external much larger two-way speaker.

 

[crutschow]

Tapping off the speaker signals could be problematic, since the could be not-grounded, bridge-output signals.
You might try just disconnecting the internal speakers and connecting the wires to two external, full-range speakers and see if that's sufficient.
If not, then we can go from there.

 

[kellys_eye]

Dragged up 10 year old thread? Spare me....

 

[bertus]

Thread locked