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TV has Optical Audio Out......Cheap way to RCA Jacks

107.2.79.94
Posted on March 22, 2017 at 16:36:49
Cut-Throat
Audiophile

Posts: 18285
Location: Minneapolis - St.Paul Area
Joined: September 2, 2000
Contributor
  Since: May 16, 2021
 I just got a new TV and it only has an Optical Audio Output (No Headphone Jack either)..... I know I could get a DAC (And I may have to).... But what is the cheapest solution to get this Optical Audio Out to RCA Jacks?

I am not looking for an Audiophile Solution, just something cheap, simple and small to get it working.



 

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RE: TV has Optical Audio Out......Cheap way to RCA Jacks, posted on March 22, 2017 at 20:43:02
Coner
Audiophile

Posts: 3703
Location: S.W. Washington state, USA
Joined: November 17, 2001
 Simple....I had the same problem 3 yrs. ago. I just got on
e-bay, sure enough someone selling new optical to RCA conversion
boxes. Just a tiny box with wall wart adapter. Maybe $15. don't recall.

 

RE: TV has Optical Audio Out......Cheap way to RCA Jacks, posted on March 23, 2017 at 11:33:48
oldmkvi
Audiophile

Posts: 10581
Joined: April 12, 2002
 There are some small, rectangular DACs just for TV, but don't know Brand Names.

 

RE: TV has Optical Audio Out......Cheap way to RCA Jacks, posted on March 24, 2017 at 12:25:41
mrdavis842
Audiophile

Posts: 274
Joined: February 22, 2013
 You will need a DAC. Some TVs do not give an option for PCM output and only output Dolby Digital so you may need one that accepts Dolby Digital (e.g. Orei DA34 or Orei DA34X), check your manual first. I use a FiiO D3 (D03K) for my TVs optical output but any will work.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=optical+dac+for+tv

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=TV+optical+DAC&_sacat=0

 

RE: TV has Optical Audio Out......Cheap way to RCA Jacks, posted on March 24, 2017 at 14:39:41
jedrider
Audiophile

Posts: 15166
Location: No. California
Joined: December 26, 2003
 I have one of those tiny DAC boxes and I even have an analog to HDMI box, so I have a bunch of boxes to get the job done when I could have just had an audio/video receiver to do the job, but I wanted a simple audio/video receiver (don't need the tuner) like maybe a Marantz. Still, I spent maybe $40 tops and could have bought a used A/V receiver, but I didn't want a boat anchor about as the boxes can just be put in a draw when not needed.

They work terrifically fine BTW.

 

RE: TV has Optical Audio Out......Cheap way to RCA Jacks, posted on March 24, 2017 at 17:45:50
samac
Audiophile

Posts: 780
Location: midwest
Joined: August 28, 2004
 This is what I went with.

Cheers,

Scott

 

I thought my new TV was broken..., posted on March 25, 2017 at 18:24:03
Rod M
Web Geek

Posts: 16242
Location: So. California
Joined: March 1, 1999
Contributor
  Since: March 1, 1999
 Because the RCA plugs didn't output anything. Of course, they were inputs.

They're designed to be plugged into your HT receiver. A cheap DAC will work. As other mentioned, there could be an issue if you have Dolby Digital coming out which would happen if the source is a DVD player via HDMI to the TV. You can get around that using the DVD players RCAs.

-Rod

 

Thanks for that..........., posted on March 26, 2017 at 05:35:52
Cut-Throat
Audiophile

Posts: 18285
Location: Minneapolis - St.Paul Area
Joined: September 2, 2000
Contributor
  Since: May 16, 2021
 Does it come with a Wall Wart power supply ?



 

RE: I thought my new TV was broken..., posted on March 26, 2017 at 05:39:38
Cut-Throat
Audiophile

Posts: 18285
Location: Minneapolis - St.Paul Area
Joined: September 2, 2000
Contributor
  Since: May 16, 2021
 I have a Dac. The problem is the DAC is on the other side of the Fireplace. When the house was built 20 years ago. I had RCA Jacks behind the TV and wiring in the wall to the other side of the Fireplace..... This was pre-optical wiring days!



 

RE: Thanks for that..........., posted on March 26, 2017 at 06:35:52
samac
Audiophile

Posts: 780
Location: midwest
Joined: August 28, 2004
 Yes, it does.

 

RE: Thanks for that..........., posted on March 26, 2017 at 07:51:51
Coner
Audiophile

Posts: 3703
Location: S.W. Washington state, USA
Joined: November 17, 2001
 Funny, I was first to reply and told you all that, yet ignored, LOL.

 

Sorry about that......I missed your link .................nt, posted on March 26, 2017 at 08:19:43
Cut-Throat
Audiophile

Posts: 18285
Location: Minneapolis - St.Paul Area
Joined: September 2, 2000
Contributor
  Since: May 16, 2021
 nt



 

RE: TV has Optical Audio Out......Cheap way to RCA Jacks, posted on April 5, 2017 at 19:36:39
niws
Audiophile

Posts: 790
Location: Northeast
Joined: September 4, 2003
 I recently bought a new flat screen smart tv that only had it's own speakers (which do not sound good) and hdmi or optical outputs.
I thought I could connect any dac to it, so I had a spare MF VDac lying around and hooked it up. I configured the tv to output pcm. This worked fine for watching cable tv and I thought I could keep my old surround sound receiver, which did not have an optical or hdmi input.
However, when I tried to watch Netflix or anything else from the internet, the dac could not decode the signal.
I did some research and I did find one or two dacs that were inexpensive and supposedly could decode the DTS output of my tv. One was on Parts Express website and the other was on Amazon and I believe is mentioned elsewhere in this thread. However, some of the reviews and comments I read about these dacs was that the output may only be two channel. Since I wanted surround sound (for watching tv and movies), I didn't buy one of these dacs. Instead, I bought a Yamaha RX-V381 5.1 receiver and am quite happy with it so far. It decodes anything coming out of my tv and it sounds a lot better than my old Technics receiver. Noone will accuse it of being a high end sound machine but for watching tv, it does quite nicely.

 

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