TV as Source: Audio on a Budget

[Nikhil]

How many on here have been using their Smart TVs as a source? I have been using my TCL TV as a great way to casually listen to music and video but for the purposes of this post will stick to using to using it as a audio source. As mentioned, this post is not about having the last word on sonics and other audio delights. Once you get past that, listening to your audio streaming sources via your TV is a great option.

Here is my casual listening setup:
65" TCL P635 TV
Job INT Integrated amplifier.
Generic Optical cable from TV to integrated via TosLink.

My TV connects via wifi to the streaming apps. I guess one would need a decent amount of wifi bandwidth.
Spotify Connect allows me to control playback via my phone or tablet.

Compared to my audio server, the input level of my TV is a little low. This means that I need to turn up the volume a little more than usual. This may be bit of a bother for some. In my case the Job INT does not have any volume indicators so I just turn it up and listen like normal. I have tried using the TV via my DAC but the input level is too low and while I do get some audio it just isn't at a listenable level. I went straight into the Job INT and the sound was decent and never bothered after that. But if someone can help sort this out it would be a huge favour.

Streaming Services:
Spotify
Youtube Music and Video
Netflix, Amazon and other apps available via the Google TV Software interface.
The audio quality of Amazon is not that good for some reason.

For someone just getting into the hobby or for anyone considering a casual listening setup in a bedroom or living room, this would tick most boxes. The audio of course would depend on the amps used plus speakers etc. but listening with the screen displaying the album artwork is a very enjoyable experience. Youtube concerts are a real pleasure especially those with high resolution video. The visual cues that one gets while watching music performances adds a lot to the experience. Adding a photo of my living room as described above. Cheers!

 

[jayantadak]

Thanks a lot Nikhil for recalling my query wrt to the subject of the post.

I have a smart TV, like most of the people which has all the apps which I often use like NF, Amazon Prime, Disney Hotstar, Zee 5, Sony Liv, Jio Cinema etc. in fact I can’t ask for more. I am contended with these apps, so I never felt the necessity of a Fire Stick. But now some of my colleagues pointed out that the sound output from the built in TV apps is not up to the mark and sometimes very poor, hence a Fire stick scores over it due to its rich audio/video output.

Now, I am forced to think over that my friends may be right in pointing out the shortcomings of the built in apps, and may be my issue of low sound from Netflix app may be solved if I purchase the Firestick, but I will regret its purchase if there is no considerable difference.

P.S. Let me tell you that my TV sound output is exceptionally good. The model is SONY 55” A80J purchased in 2021 which has Accoustics Surface Audio which probably must be common nowadays. You won’t believe many a times I watch NF/Amazon through TV speakers only. The TV sound has so good nuances and depth, that I avoid engaging my Home theater.

Thanks and regards
- JAYANT.

 

[Nikhil]

Now, I am forced to think over that my friends may be right in pointing out the shortcomings of the built in apps, and may be my issue of low sound from Netflix app may be solved if I purchase the Firestick, but I will regret its purchase if there is no considerable difference.

Have you tried using the Optical out via a Toslink cable?
Optical cable offers isolation of the signal from the electrical noise inherent in the hardware.


.

 

[mbhangui]

There is one more method to use a tv and get excellent sound too. Use the smart tv just as a monitor and not for it's sub par apps and the way audio is implemented over optical out. I have always found sound via the HDMI using ARC to be better than optical. You can use the HDMI only if you have an AVR.

I use a macmini connected permanently to one of the 5 HDMI inputs on the tv. The macmini is connected to a Topping D50 dac the output of which goes to my AMP. So the mac mini provides me spotify, apple music (with artwork displayed on tv). Apart from the I use cantata and MPD to play my local music which resides on a 4 TB hard disk connected to a Raspberry PI serving as a file server. The mac mini also has IR port so it can be controlled using apple tv remote. By doing this, I also am able to play lossless.

 

[amit11]

In my case i am using bluetooth as output from my apple tv.
Few months back i had purchased blume pro bluetooth receiver. Which is realky very good and it changed my perception on bluetooth. This has optical out and lineout aswell which goes to my dac.

Now, the transmission bluetooth output quality of apple tv is also good keeping in mind songs, movies etc.
I am assuming the blurtooth output of the android tv will also be good.

If you try bluetooth concept with some existing bluetooth receiver you have, then in future you can think of getting audiiphile grade receiver like the blume pro.

If you do not have bluetooth receiver, then you can test with some bluetooth earphone / neckband, to get some idea of the quality of bluetooth streaming of the tv.

I am sure the bluetooth in tv, will be better than its optical out and analog out.

PS: my apple tv is connected to projector

 

[reignofchaos]

I have tried this and it sounds terrible as almost all TVs resample 44.1 kHz to 48 kHz output. It is immediately audible. Plus optical as an interface is bad - it is full of jitter.

 

[rwnano]

I found Spotify GUI streaming on Ubuntu Linux server laptop connected to a DAC to the AVR amplifier to be alright musical quality

 

[premoddev]

A cheaper HDMI DAC like SMSL PS100 will work just fine..

S.M.S.L - PS100

Buy S.M.S.L PS100 Multifunctional Audio Converter: Shop for DACs at the best prices. Choose from Chord Electronics, iFi Audio, Aune Audio DACs at Headphone Zone.

www.headphonezone.in

TV HDMI ARC -> SMSL PS100 -> Amplifier

 

[Shammi Dang]

I am using TV as a source in some way. I have a 5 + years old non android Sony 4K TV that has only few built in apps so I am using an android box (Mi box 4K) for various TV and music apps. Plus one of my old media player (WD live TV hub 1 tb capacity) is also routed through the same TV with Hdmi cable. This media box plays all possible audio and video formats and also store the back up of my cd's in flac format. I can control the input vol through the MI box but not through the media player. The vol level of MI box is good enough.

So the chain goes like this - android box/media player (hdmi in) to TV - optical/toslink out to Dac - (rca out) to 2 channel stereo amplifier. No problems with the set up, does the job well with good efficiency and any shortcoming is taken care by the amplifier.
Even the CD player is connected to the Dac via co-axial cable and then the the same chain.

I also have an active subwoofer that I use with TV programs and sometimes with music. At the DAC rca out stage there is a splitter, one connection to the main amplifier and other to the active sub. This way I am able to play both TV and amp along with the Subwoofer whenever I feel there is a need.

Mine is a very basic audiophile set up but I thoroughly enjoy it and also make improvements from time to time which I feel is a constant quest for every audio lover journey.

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

I don’t use the TV as an audio source per se, but I employ the Apple TV when I watch/listen to YouTube concerts (you’d not believe the amount of user-uploaded music, both amateur and professional, including concerts by legends of Indian classical, ghazals, film music covers, orchestras etc) that isn’t published and hence not available on streaming platforms. Not as much, but sometimes I use this setup for enjoying music videos in Apple Music

The video is displayed on the Panasonic Plasma (connected via HDMI to Apple TV) and I select either the CXN streamer directly or via AirPort Express as the audio speaker in the Apple TV interface. As Nikhil wrote, the visual impact of a concert takes the enjoyment level of listening to it up by a few notches. Also, my attention doesn’t go to the audio quality not being equivalent to when music is played from Apple TV or CD.

I don’t see much compelling reason for the roundabout listening to audio only videos via the TV except if they display synchronised lyrics on the big screen like Apple Music does.

Let me tell you that my TV sound output is exceptionally good. The model is SONY 55” A80J purchased in 2021 which has Accoustics Surface Audio which probably must be common nowadays. You won’t believe many a times I watch NF/Amazon through TV speakers only. The TV sound has so good nuances and depth, that I avoid engaging my Home theater.

Agree. Recently bought a Sony Bravia TV for my sister and was positively surprised by the audio (as well as video) quality as well as output through the inbuilt speakers. Most wouldn’t need HT/stereo connection for a small-medium sized room to listen to music. The AV quality was palpably better than the competition and the premium we paid was worth.

 

[reignofchaos]

A cheaper HDMI DAC like SMSL PS100 will work just fine..

S.M.S.L - PS100

Buy S.M.S.L PS100 Multifunctional Audio Converter: Shop for DACs at the best prices. Choose from Chord Electronics, iFi Audio, Aune Audio DACs at Headphone Zone.

www.headphonezone.in

TV HDMI ARC -> SMSL PS100 -> Amplifier

Same issue - very poor quality 48 kHz resampling ruining the sound. My NAD M51 has an HDMI input. Have tried this. Buy a Wiim Pro or Mini instead.

 

[funnyprogrammer]

I used to listen with Apple TV as source for music along with movies. Nowadays directly connecting iPad to Avr via hdmi. Not sure if it is because of resampling, I like music with IPad as source.

 

[mbhangui]

I used to listen with Apple TV as source for music along with movies. Nowadays directly connecting iPad to Avr via hdmi. Not sure if it is because of resampling, I like music with IPad as source.

Except for the ipads and iphones, apple has a lously implementation of the audio stack where audio gets resampled. I have heard they are going to remove the fixed sampling rates in Apple TV or they have already done that.

 

[Naturelover]

For really casual mealtime listening, I sometimes use Spotify on my living room TV.
Sound from TV speakers, no feed to separate amp and speakers. Yes, I can hear the groans
I have no sound quality expectations from this so no listening to the sound, just the music.
This is, of course, for a short while only.

In my earlier home, I had the bedroom TV connected to the music setup, a Maranta M-CR503 and Dali Zensor 1.
This considerably improved the sound of the music reality shows which my wife loves to watch.
One could listen for the music itself.

 

[funnyprogrammer]

I have heard they are going to remove the fixed sampling rates in Apple TV or they have already done that.

They haven’t fixed. Even audio pass through doesn’t work in Apple TV.

 

[argho]

I listen to a lot of music on YouTube.

I have a premium subscription. My understanding is that for premium subscription users, the audio is streamed at a higher bit rate.

My chain is :
- Nvidia Shield (set to audio pass through)
- via HDMI cable to Denon AVR-X3700H
- to Denon PMA-A110 (via preouts for the AVR)
- to Wharfedale Lintons

The music sounds great

TV is not in the equation as I am using an Nvidia Shield.

I have also used this chain, while playign directly on my TV (Sony 65X90K) and not been able to detect a difference.
Again, connection to the AVR is via HDMI cable, and audio is set to "pass through" in the TV settings.

Mayeb someone can clarify , that on devices runnig Andriod TV / Google TV, does setting audio to pass through mean that there is absolutely no change made to the audio stream ? No re-sampling ?

 

[Passive_audio_enthusiast]

How many on here have been using their Smart TVs as a source? I have been using my TCL TV as a great way to casually listen to music and video but for the purposes of this post will stick to using to using it as a audio source. As mentioned, this post is not about having the last word on sonics and other audio delights. Once you get past that, listening to your audio streaming sources via your TV is a great option.

Here is my casual listening setup:
65" TCL P635 TV
Job INT Integrated amplifier.
Generic Optical cable from TV to integrated via TosLink.

My TV connects via wifi to the streaming apps. I guess one would need a decent amount of wifi bandwidth.
Spotify Connect allows me to control playback via my phone or tablet.

Compared to my audio server, the input level of my TV is a little low. This means that I need to turn up the volume a little more than usual. This may be bit of a bother for some. In my case the Job INT does not have any volume indicators so I just turn it up and listen like normal. I have tried using the TV via my DAC but the input level is too low and while I do get some audio it just isn't at a listenable level. I went straight into the Job INT and the sound was decent and never bothered after that. But if someone can help sort this out it would be a huge favour.

Streaming Services:
Spotify
Youtube Music and Video
Netflix, Amazon and other apps available via the Google TV Software interface.
The audio quality of Amazon is not that good for some reason.

For someone just getting into the hobby or for anyone considering a casual listening setup in a bedroom or living room, this would tick most boxes. The audio of course would depend on the amps used plus speakers etc. but listening with the screen displaying the album artwork is a very enjoyable experience. Youtube concerts are a real pleasure especially those with high resolution video. The visual cues that one gets while watching music performances adds a lot to the experience. Adding a photo of my living room as described above. Cheers!


View attachment 85539

I really adore your room aesthetics here however what I had noticed is, a large block of reflective glass in between speakers makes the imaging fussy. But when the tv is on, we have visual cues of the singer which lets our brain belive the person is still there pulling the speakers forward into the room reduces this problem. Then the aesthetics is gone. I have more than 1 meter behind both of my speakers to avoid this. This is one of the reasons why I am reluctant to buy a larger tv. Ideal “could be” a short throw projector with acoustic transparent ALR screen and hell lot of acoustics behind the screen