how do i wire my speakers to my tv?

[michelle]

i have these 4 foot sony speakers just sitting around
http://images7.fotki.com/v110/photos/3/32745/383534/redblack-vi.jpg
and i would like to wire them to my tv
http://images8.fotki.com/v115/photos/3/32745/383534/rca-vi.jpg

how do i go about making this connection? i know i'm going to have to mess around with the red & black wires (obviously they're not rca plugs) so i need your help in doing so. thanks!

[mcurtiss1970]

you don't own a reciever? there's probably a way, but since you seem to like to buy lots of stuff, go get a reciever. ;)

[michelle]

heh, no receiver here curti. i need to do this the hard way.

[mcurtiss1970]

really basic. really cheap. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1083710423685&skuId=6589649&productCategoryId=cat03031&type=product

[michelle]

hmm looks good. i'll think about it! reason why i want to mess w/these wires is because i wired my bf's home stereo system yesterday w/some new monster plugs/wires and it was actually simple :) i thought if i could do that, then maybe i could do this... :D

[mcurtiss1970]

hmm looks good. i'll think about it! reason why i want to mess w/these wires is because i wired my bf's home stereo system yesterday w/some new monster plugs/wires and it was actually simple :) i thought if i could do that, then maybe i could do this... :D

I wonder if the TV is powerful enough to drive the speakers. that's one reason i'm not sure if it would work without an amp

[michelle]

got me there. how do i know if the tv's powerful enough? it's a sony 27" trinitron from 2000.

[mcurtiss1970]

got me there. how do i know if the tv's powerful enough? it's a sony 27" trinitron from 2000.

i just don't think TV's are designed to drive speakers other than the ones built in.

[michelle]

:( agh, is there any other way around it? these speakers have been sitting dormant here for so long, it'd be nice to make use of them...

[mcurtiss1970]

really basic. really cheap. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1083710423685&skuId=6589649&productCategoryId=cat03031&type=product

:good: ....................

[michelle]

so wait, do u suggest i just go out and buy the receiver? i will if it'll work.

[mcurtiss1970]

so wait, do u suggest i just go out and buy the receiver? i will if it'll work.

that's how my system works. the TV audio out goes into the receiver, speakers plug into reciever

[michelle]

alrighty thanks again for a quick solution.

[pixelpusher]

don't think if it as a receiver, think of it as an amplifier that also just happens to pick up radio signals as well.

there's notta chance in hell that your tv will power the speakers on it's own. Wile it's vaguely possible that the TV could drive those speakers INSTEAD of the built-in ones, that would involve unwiring the internal drivers and replacing them with the external speakers. The Line Out on the back is only intended to be a low-level signal for amplification.

So yeah, if you REALLY wanna use those speakers then you can just go buy an amp/receiver/tuner thingy. Likely tho, you could buy a decent set of self-powered boxes for the same price.

Either way, don't waste your money on all the Monster Cable stuff. Despite all of what they tell you about Oxygen Free Copper, blah blah blah, there's very little difference, aside from costing 3 times as much, between that and basic good-quality cabling.

[Noodle]

I don't think the TV could power the speakers but it's worth a shot. Go to radio shack and they should have some sort of adaptor that you can get that can go from the basic speaker wire to the RCA type plugs. Get two of them and then try hooking up the speakers to the audio outputs on the back of the TV and then just change your audio settings on the TV and it might work.

A cheap workaround that might not actually work but cheaper than just buying a reciever just for speakers.

[pixelpusher]

really. just dont.

aside from just wasting yer dollars, there IS a possibility that you'll completely fry the innards and render that output useless.

without something to boost the outgoing signal thereis NO way it will work. Moreover, just like it's possible to ruin an amp by 'clipping', you can do the same with any transducer. Clipping is when the speaker attached to the amp requires more power to drive it at the level you're attempting than the amp is capable of providing. Its a guaranteed way to ruin both components.

[tas1234]

Go to shack and get the connector for the ends of the wires and they should be able to tell how to connect them to your wires .you don't need a receiver .

Tas

Sorry Noodle I just read your post .

[Noodle]

Just a thought, i've always had a reciever so I've never needed to try somthing like that. in fact the speakers on my tv have never been used aside for about 30 seconds when I first turned it on untill I could get into setup menu and changed it to fixed out.

pixelpusher has a point but I don't think the lack of power if it didn't work would really fry the outputs but this is what I was talking about (radio shack has some that are actually red and white so you can tell the pos and neg)and you could just connect up the pos and neg from the speakers and try

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=42-2372

[pixelpusher]

well, my major point is that there's no way in hell that it COULD work, so why waste time and money.

it's a line-level output, plain and simple.

[MinorThreat]

your boyfriend let you hook up his stereo for him? omg, i don't know any female that i would let look at the back of my stereo, let along touch it

[Noodle]

well, my major point is that there's no way in hell that it COULD work, so why waste time and money.

it's a line-level output, plain and simple.

like I said too not only have I not ever tried it, I've never had a reason to. Just my $0.02 and I'm perfectly ok with being corrected. :D

[icsedge1]

ack - don't buy that receiver - with audio/video, you get what you pay for. any plans for a dvd player? get a receiver that decodes Dolby Digital. sure, you won't get one for 96 bucks, but it will serve you well into the HD future.

here is one at Best Buy for under $200.00...and it's 6.1 - one more channel than my $550.00 Sony system!

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1077629452760&skuId=6533245&productCategoryId=cat03031&type=product


sedge

[tuolumne]

ack - don't buy that receiver - with audio/video, you get what you pay for. any plans for a dvd player? get a receiver that decodes Dolby Digital. sure, you won't get one for 96 bucks, but it will serve you well into the HD future.

here is one at Best Buy for under $200.00...and it's 6.1 - one more channel than my $550.00 Sony system!

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1077629452760&skuId=6533245&productCategoryId=cat03031&type=product


sedge

If we're going to go there, might as well spend an extra $70 and get the speakers and subwoofer included...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00025G2QE/qid=1096860993/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl23/104-2402738-5388705?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846

I have this Kenwood stereo system, and it is great. Kenwood is the best in my oppinion for home theater. I have always had Kenwood, and probobly always will..

Don't get a reciever that has a built in DVD...these tend to not have many inputs/outputs on the back...

[jizzon]

LOL.. this whole thing went from:

1. simply trying to hook up speakers to a TV
2. to spending $100 for a simple receiver
3. to spending $200 on a better receiver
4. to spending $260 on a system.

I'd say if you simply just want to hook up the speakers get the $100 receiver. My 2 cents.

[mcurtiss1970]

those speakers of hers can't be that good either...i'd go for a center channel along with that subwoofer :hee:

[michelle]

goddd i left this thread for a day and :eyeroll:

i got a $130 500W generic receiver at best buy (the $99 didn't have the spring clips). the speakers work and sound great. the receiver also encodes dolby digital yay. case closed. but wow, impressive smorgasboard of suggestions :D

[Noodle]

glad to hear it all worked out for you Michelle

[michelle]

indeed. karaoke night here i come.

speaking of which, i'm bummed that i missed out on the wrist band distribution for idol auditions tomorrow... sigh. ah well. maybe next year.

[tuolumne]

indeed. karaoke night here i come.

speaking of which, i'm bummed that i missed out on the wrist band distribution for idol auditions tomorrow... sigh. ah well. maybe next year.

In the bay area...?

[michelle]

you bet. auditions in sf tomorrow 8am sharp.