Finally got some new speakers for the plasma, but need to know if a receiver is needed. (1 Viewer)

[Sammael7]

I am pretty new to the home audio game, but I got tired of the lackluster audio coming out of my samsung plasma and decided to order these:
http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-BS41-LR-Watt-2-Way-Speakers/dp/B0045US6DE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
my tv audio out looks like this

So, I am guessing just getting some speaker wire and hooking up the speakers to the tv is not going to cut it?
Do I need a receiver and if so, what would be best for those two speakers? I don't intend to build some surround sound system, I just want enough power to drive those two bookshelf speakers to their reasonable potential. And the less money needed on such a device the better (i.e. a 300 dollar receiver for some 130ish speakers is not going to be ok)

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Hi Ty!
Welcome to HTF!

Glad you uploaded a picture.

I'm going to give you my initial response but ask others to
chime in to back me up....

Those look like all INPUTS. One row is for input A, the other
for input B.

Your audio feed is the optical digital output which would be
connected to a receiver.

Let me try to get you a second opinion on this, because
most people here would not be hooking up speakers the way
you are looking to do (though I understand your situation)

 

[NickSI]

Ron you are correct those all are inputs except for the Digital Optical out in the bottom left corner.
Ty there is no way to connect speaker wire directly to this TV. So you are correct you will need something to go between your TV and the speakers. What you need is a little more involved than just giving a blind suggestion. So if you can answer a few questions we can get you on the right track.
1. Are there any other sources for audio? These could include DVD player Blu-ray player, PS3/Xbox360, Digital Cable/Satellite box, Roku/appleTV, you get the point. I assume there is because there seem to be two HDMI cables entering your TV.
2. Are you sure you never want surround sound? At least not in the next ~5 years? Really sure???
Ok so I am going to assume that the answer to 1 is yes and give a quick explanation of how a receiver operates.
You start with the Source (mentioned above) or sources these are connected to a receiver which can select one of them to output to the TV. Here is where the receiver does its job, it splits the audio and sends it to the speakers while passing through the video to the TV. So in your situation those two HDMI cords would go into the receiver then you would run another HDMI cord from the receiver to the TV and switch inputs on the receiver rather than the TV.
Now your situation becomes a little more complicated due to the ethernet cable plugged into the back of your TV. This I assume is for Netflix or other streaming content directly on your TV? If this is the case there is an easy fix; simply plug an optical cable with a Toslink end (google it if you don't recognize the term) and plug that into your receiver. Voila you have sound coming through your new speakers not the crappy TV ones.
Getting a receiver is the simplest option which is why many home theater people use them. They dont have to be expensive though. Here is an example of a receiver that has all you need for $100 http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKHTRC330/Onkyo-HT-RC330-5.1-CHANNEL-HOME-THEATER-RECEIVER/1.html This is a site that many of us trust and have had good dealings with. You could try bestbuy or another brick and mortar store for a similar product. Just make sure it has HDMI pass through and optical inputs.

 

[schan1269]

Unless you just want "2.0 sound" the two sources connected need to go to "some audio" first.
You have lots of options, including putting in a digital-analog converter...
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Optical-Toslink-Analog-Converter/dp/B004C4WPXA/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1346512118&sr=1-5&keywords=digital+analog+converter
Whether or not you have variable audio output will determine if the TV can be your sole source of volume control.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Ty-
I should point out that although you have said you don't want a surround sound system, it will actually be cheaper to buy a receiver capable of surround sound than just a simple two channel model for the simple reason that there are more models, so more competition so more deals. The one Nick links to will fit your current needs nicely and allows a lot of room to upgrade if you "get the bug" and its a great price. We all started with wanting better sound from our TV....

 

[Sammael7]

Hey guys, so I'll add a couple of things.
I only mentioned preferring two speaker audio because I thought that might lead to a cheaper solution, if a 5.1 receiver is actually the cheaper option, that's fine by me, I am not opposed to adding on to the system later on and those pioneer bookshelf speakers are part of a larger lower cost family that seems pretty well regarded for the price.
As for the inputs, I just have an HD direct tv box hooked to the tv, blu ray player, ethernet for netflix connectivity, and a push 2 tv adapter that I sometimes use to stream the content from my laptop directly to the tv. There is a receiver box that gets the signal from my laptop and hooks into the tv via hdmi (that last is hooked into one of the hdmi ports on the side of the tv).
Those are the 3 main inputs I have currently, I might add a 4th later because the blu ray and tv interface is so PAINFULLY slow it's almost unusable. I don't know why they decided to use an interface/processor that slow and there must be third party devices like a roku box or one of those ouya consoles off kickstarter that will have a faster and more fluid interface.
I saw that receiver linked at accessories for less, I don't mind refurbished at all, especially for a hundred bucks. I am going to be near a frys and best buy later today so I can check some receivers there, but honestly if those refurbished units will get the job done cheaper and better I would prefer to order one of those. That site seems to list other refurbished receivers as well, any idea which is best up to the 150 range?

 

[schan1269]

That RC330 for $99 is ridiculously good. I think I just found some Christmas presents...

 

[NickSI]

How bout this for a deal?????? http://www.frys.com/product/6230180?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG $50?????? Probably an error but if they will honor it someone has to grab it.

 

[schan1269]

If I had a Fry's within 100 miles, I'd try a store pick up on that...
There is one in Downers Grove. Dropping my cousin at O'Hare tomorrow...I'm going to try it.
Not avail...let's try Fishers, IN...
So much for that. Not in Fishers either.
They probably have 1 sitting there no remote, no manual collecting dust in some dark corner of a store.

 

[Sammael7]

last question, what are the best audio cables to use with these speakers? By best, I mean anything that will work well and be under 40 dollars.
I am going to go with that onkyo receiver for 99 and another hdmi cable in case it's needed, just need to know the right audio cables to use.

 

[schan1269]

I use lamp cord. As in the same stuff that plugs your toaster, iron, vacuum and even the AVR in the wall.
I usually buy 12gauge. Anything 16gauge and bigger is fine. Your local hardware store probably has a 500ft spool of "some gauge" lamp cord. Go buy X amount of feet of it.
However if you want to get "fancy" and try to hide or disguise the wire...
There is flat wire and there is even flat wire that is adhesive that you can paint over to match your wall. And keep shopping, if you have woodgrain floors, buy brown lamp cord. If you have beige carpet, buy a "lighter" color lamp cord. If you have green carpet, buy green lamp cord...