Connecting TV to stereo amp
I am trying to connect my Samsung LE37C650 HDTV to an oldish HiFi amp that has only
red and white RCA inputs. I prefer not to use the headphone output jack as it
is fiddly to access and I sometimes want to use the TV's own speakers which are
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Can I use a SCART plug adaptor with 2 channel RCA audio
output as these appear to be available very cheaply?
Alternatively should I use a digital audio convertor plugged
into the optical digital audio socket? I know this can be used with 5.1
soundbars (my son has this set-up) but will it support 2 channel audio?
I have seen DAC convertors on sale for about £30 -35 but
would prefer not to spend much more than this as by the time I have added
cables (HiFi other side of room) it would probably be better to go the soundbar
route.
Many thanks for your advice Sizzers, however, as you may gather from my user name I am confused by the jargon and technology.
Maplin's help line tells me that the SCART adaptor would do the job - are you saying that the optical route would give some advantages - better quality sound perhaps?
Also the Maplin website quotes for their DAC: "Connects most audio devices with a digital output (only 2-channel digital audio is supported)"
Does this mean that it cannot be used with the 5.1 optical output on my TV? I've seen some DACs on Ebay that have a switch to change from 2 to 5 channel but the Maplin one doesn't seem to mention this.
On page 16 of your manual in “Sound Menu” if you look at Additional Setting>SPDIF Output>Audio Format, in the latter you can set it to PCM for two channel stereo.
Apart from giving superior SQ you will also have a far neater connection using a TOS (optical) lead than a thick unwieldly SCART one, although you do gain a very small extra box. Just a note on the Maplin DAC if you did go for that (which I previously did), it’s USB powered so you would need to connect it to a USB port on the TV with the supplied lead.
Again, many thanks for such a complete reply. Couldn't drag this out of Samsung's help-line despite two attempts. As you say it's all there in the manual but it meant nothing to me.
Looks like I'll go for the Maplin DAC - USB power supply neater anyway.
Go the optical route.
You can get a DAC from Maplin, for example, which does the job just fine for £40 plus £7 for a 1m TOS lead (there are longer lengths available).
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