How do you connect wharfdale 9.1 speakers to a tv?

[prosser9]

are there any special cables needed and is it true that you need an amplifier?

 

[te100]

yes you will need some sort of receiver to power the speakers the tv it self cannot

 

[batuchka]

1. amplifier or receiver
2. speaker wire
3. 3.5mm-to-RCA audio cable (assuming your TV has analog/headphone out)

 

[ssddx]

depends on your setup...

how are you powering the diamond 9.1's now? surely you must be using either a receiver or htib control box?

you would just run a hdmi cable to that (if you want to also export video to the tv) or use spdif optical to export sound only.

i wouldnt use 3.5mm out unless its a last resort.

list what equipment you currently have and everything you want to be hooked up together.

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if you have nothing yet and just want to know what to buy:

if you go with a stereo amplifier you would either need to connect using 3.5mm (works but essentially you are double-amping and sound quality isnt going to be as good as the other options) or connect via optical. however to go optical you would need an amp with a dac (digital analog converter) which are more expensive.

if you go with a receiver ideally you would connect up via hdmi so you could pass through video to your monitor/tv or you could use optical spdif out of your motherboard. you could use 3.5mm as well but its not as good and you are limited to 2.0/2.1 sound.

personally i would suggest a receiver as it provides more options but its your choice.

 

[prosser9]

I havn't purchased these speakers yet as I want to make sure everything will be ok before I do so.

the thing is I would like to do it as cheap as possible. I've seen amps on the internet for quite cheap so I was initially thinking of going that route.

A slight side problem is that I am also connecting a PS4, but am I right in saying I should just get all of the audio from my TV instead of trying to extract it direct from PS4.

 

[ssddx]

how many 9.1 speakers are you planning on connecting? two? four? eventually a whole 5.1 set?

how many other sources are you going to connect? i dont think you listed any of the others besides the ps4.

one reason why i suggested a receiver is that those speakers are rated at 100w @6ohm maximum power handling. most small cheap amplifiers are not capable of that and the ones that do are encroaching on the cost of a cheap receiver.

also bear in mind that to use an amplifier you need an analog input (typically rca). you would need to either convert the optical to rca or split off the sound and convert it to rca from the hdmi cable with a dac box. this can add $40 easily to the cost which brings the cost of an amp solution in line with cheaper receivers. now if your tv does have analog output (3.5headphone jack) an amplifier could work without this box but not all tvs have them.

also keep in mind that some of the cheap amplifiers you see are rather limited in function (some do not even have a volume control) and have limited output capability which means you wouldnt get the most from those speakers. there are models with a DAC (which you need if you wanted to route optical or coax spdif to them however they are typically getting close to the cost of a receiver. in general while a cheaper solution it can also be more of a headache to connect.

another thing to think about is that a stereo amplifier will limit your future upgradeability. you will be limited to stereo only. you will have older inputs and need conversion boxes for everything to work.

going with a receiver makes everything simple and may actually be cheaper in the long run. my parents needed an amplifier for the tower speakers they had (100w @8ohm) and i searched for an amplifier since that is what they wanted however it just was not going to be the best solution. we ended up with a sony strdh540 5.2 receiver which was on sale for $200. considering a good amp was going to cost $100-150 and a dac was going to cost $50 it was a no brainer.

with a receiver you have the option to route video through it as well. this means less cables out of the back of your components if you intend on using the same tv.

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TLDR:

i would suggest a receiver since it is easier to connect, gives you more future upgradeability and doesnt add much to the budget.

you could use an amp however you would need to use a dac as well and your options might be more limited in the future

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in any case... you can pick whichever route you want... we are just here to provide options.

 

[prosser9]

1. amplifier or receiver
2. speaker wire
3. 3.5mm-to-RCA audio cable (assuming your TV has analog/headphone out)

how many 9.1 speakers are you planning on connecting? two? four? eventually a whole 5.1 set?

how many other sources are you going to connect? i dont think you listed any of the others besides the ps4.

one reason why i suggested a receiver is that those speakers are rated at 100w @6ohm maximum power handling. most small cheap amplifiers are not capable of that and the ones that do are encroaching on the cost of a cheap receiver.

also bear in mind that to use an amplifier you need an analog input (typically rca). you would need to either convert the optical to rca or split off the sound and convert it to rca from the hdmi cable with a dac box. this can add $40 easily to the cost which brings the cost of an amp solution in line with cheaper receivers. now if your tv does have analog output (3.5headphone jack) an amplifier could work without this box but not all tvs have them.

also keep in mind that some of the cheap amplifiers you see are rather limited in function (some do not even have a volume control) and have limited output capability which means you wouldnt get the most from those speakers. there are models with a DAC (which you need if you wanted to route optical or coax spdif to them however they are typically getting close to the cost of a receiver. in general while a cheaper solution it can also be more of a headache to connect.

another thing to think about is that a stereo amplifier will limit your future upgradeability. you will be limited to stereo only. you will have older inputs and need conversion boxes for everything to work.

going with a receiver makes everything simple and may actually be cheaper in the long run. my parents needed an amplifier for the tower speakers they had (100w @8ohm) and i searched for an amplifier since that is what they wanted however it just was not going to be the best solution. we ended up with a sony strdh540 5.2 receiver which was on sale for $200. considering a good amp was going to cost $100-150 and a dac was going to cost $50 it was a no brainer.

with a receiver you have the option to route video through it as well. this means less cables out of the back of your components if you intend on using the same tv.

-----------

TLDR:

i would suggest a receiver since it is easier to connect, gives you more future upgradeability and doesnt add much to the budget.

you could use an amp however you would need to use a dac as well and your options might be more limited in the future

-----------

in any case... you can pick whichever route you want... we are just here to provide options.

Wow thanks for the great response. If I went down the amp route as I don't see myself upgrading the setup after this for anytime I the near future, would it work as simply as just tv to amp to speakers (with the amp having its own source of power)?

Forgive me for the basic knowledge

 

[ssddx]

IFyour tv has a 3.5mm headphone output jack (or rca red+white works too) then yes you could connect up like that.

thats a big if. in the case where the tv doesnt include a headphone jack (or rca red+white) or if it had optical spdif out only or if it has no output you would need to convert from digital to optical from either the source (or the optical output from the tv if you had one) which would require a DAC box before the amplifier. once you start going down the dac route though its worth considering a cheap receiver instead unless of course you can keep the prices below $140. (as receivers can be had brand new for $200 easy)

remember not all amps have a volume knob (which you want) so be careful what you buy if you go amplifier only.

 

[prosser9]

Why are these too good to be true ??
http/www.amazon.co.uk/Koolertron-Compact-Amplifier-Control-Motorcycle/dp/B00EEW73A0/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ce_3

 

[ssddx]

if you read the specs from that amplifier...

Out-Put Power :2X20Watts

20w at what ohm resistance? its not 20w across the board. they are rated 4-16ohm and it could very well be it is 20w at 16ohm (or 8ohm, no way of really knowing without looking in depth)

if you read the specs from your speakers

Recommended power: 20–100W

20w@6ohm is the lowest that they suggest to power the speakers however you will want something quite a bit more than that if you want to really get your money out of them. at minimum i would say 50w@6ohm however preferably 80w-100w.

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TLDR: yes, too good to be true.

 

[prosser9]

I'm really sorry to keep pestering you but I really am a novice.

Is there a possibility you could list some minimum requirements for an amplifier for the speakers? I am not an audio expert and as long as the speakers sound reasonable I would be happy.

 

[ssddx]

i did list the minimum requirements above...

20-100w @ 6ohm

i would suggest being at least over the halfway point so that you have some headroom (you wouldnt really need 100w unless you plan on maxing out the volume) . this would be around 60-80w @6ohm however i would suggest a 100w per channel amplifier (200w amp).

why so high? 2x100w amps like the ones you are looking at are often rated something like this: 100w@6ohm and 50w@8ohm which would give you about 60-80w of power which would work and still not be too expensive. you really need to watch out for both the wattage and ohm ratings.

if you get something within that range...you should be perfectly fine.