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Best 2-channel audio from TV

68.184.215.142
Posted on July 3, 2018 at 06:29:04
FLR
Audiophile

Posts: 4
Location: St. Louis metro east
Joined: April 15, 2018
 Am buying new TV to put above fireplace. Will have Harbeth P3ESR speakers on bookshelves for my TV and 2-channel audio powered by an integrated amp with built in DAC i.e. Parasound P5. For TV, my primary objective is improved dialogue vs. what generally comes from TV's speakers. No interest in surround sound.

My question is, which form of connection might produce the best sound (for dialogue)? The digital out from TV to DAC, or RCA to RCA (if TV has an RCA out)? Or, does it matter?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

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RE: Best 2-channel audio from TV, posted on July 4, 2018 at 00:32:25
Coner
Audiophile

Posts: 3703
Location: S.W. Washington state, USA
Joined: November 17, 2001
 I doubt that the connections would matter that much, but what would
is in the TV's audio settings and EQ. You can choose music, theater,
speech, etc...choose one that works best, and you can use the EQ
selection to customize it also.

 

RE: Best 2-channel audio from TV, posted on July 4, 2018 at 17:24:23
Cut-Throat
Audiophile

Posts: 18286
Location: Minneapolis - St.Paul Area
Joined: September 2, 2000
Contributor
  Since: May 16, 2021
 Most new TVs do not even have RCA audio outputs anymore.... They are mostly Optical Out.... So they input to a DAC.



 

TVs above fireplace, posted on July 11, 2018 at 06:31:51
kh6idf
Audiophile

Posts: 1474
Location: Texas
Joined: May 2, 2001
 We have been looking at a lot of houses with online real estate sites, and it seems about 90% have the TV mounted way up high above the fireplace, usually because the fireplace is in the middle of the wall with no adjacent wall space large enough for a good sized TV.

Do people really sit with their heads angled 45 degrees back staring up at these TV's? Our 55" TV is sitting on a table with the center of the screen slightly below eye level from a seated position.

One of our requirements for the next house will be fireplace in the corner (or no fireplace at all) with a large enough wall space in the living room for a 55-65 inch TV and floorstanding speakers on either side.

 

Partal answer..., posted on July 11, 2018 at 11:18:27
Mossback
Audiophile

Posts: 1871
Location: Washington, the State
Joined: November 17, 2001
 For many years I had our TV cable box RCA's connected to a vintage nice stereo using Harbeth LS3/5's. Our older plasma RIP had digital optical out but down stream from the cable DAC. However we found the sound good enough for normal TV. Dialog was clear and easy to follow.
The newer cable boxes will not allow digital into a DAC at least as far as I could see. If this is not true I hope someone will speak out.
We no longer have cable television.

 

That's where we have our TV - with the top just a couple of inches below the ceiling, posted on July 23, 2018 at 16:31:55
Chris from Lafayette
Audiophile

Posts: 26477
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
  Since: February 6, 2012
 And, yes, we do sit with our heads angled up at 45 degrees to watch. (Well, not really!) In any case, the upward tilt of the viewing angle (whatever it really is) wasn't hard for us to get used to. However, our next TV will probably be larger still and will require a re-drilling into the wall for the mount - or else we may give in and go with a projection system.

I have a surround system, with floorstanders FR and FL and a smaller center channel which sits on a custom mounted shelf attached directly into the bricks of the fireplace. (The shelf also protects the speaker from the heat of the fireplace.) During the warmer months, I have the subwoofer below the center channel (in front of the fireplace). During winter, I have to move the SW off to the side.

I agree with you that a fireplace in the middle of a wall is sometimes a challenge to work around.

 

RE: Best 2-channel audio from TV, posted on July 26, 2018 at 13:13:18
Mr Peabody
Audiophile

Posts: 1109
Location: St. Louis, MO, USA
Joined: August 14, 2010
 Did you already set this up? If so, what did you do?

I would think a digital connection allowing the Parasound to decode would sound better than the built-in DAC of the TV.

Good to see someone from the area :)

 

Hook-up both., posted on August 10, 2018 at 07:07:38
oldmkvi
Audiophile

Posts: 10583
Joined: April 12, 2002
 /

 

RE: Best 2-channel audio from TV, posted on August 23, 2018 at 09:36:58
Mel
Audiophile

Posts: 2993
Location: New York City Area
Joined: February 21, 2001
 FWIW I found the DAC in my Samsung TV to be better than the DACs in two different sound-bars, one expensive, one relatively cheap. For many TVs you would need a 3mm stereo plug to RCA cable. There's no harm in trying it both ways.

 

RE: TVs above fireplace, posted on September 2, 2018 at 05:53:24
lokie
Audiophile

Posts: 1989
Location: Georgia, USA
Joined: January 28, 2003
 True that!

The TV above the fireplace is a terrible idea.

 

RE: TVs above fireplace, posted on November 27, 2018 at 15:45:33
sam@edelmannpgh.us
Audiophile

Posts: 145
Location: pittsburgh
Joined: May 13, 2004
 I was in the same boat with the tv above the fireplace. A neighbor showed me a "down and out" wall mount that brings the tv out over the mantel and down to eye level. I bought mine at Dynamic Mounting, but there are many other options. Not cheap, but really works.

 

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