varchor Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 I just bought my first HDTV a Samsung 43" plasma. I had for years been using my Pro Media GMX A-21 system with my old Panasonic tube TV via the headphones connections on both the GMX and the TV it worked and sounded great. However, the HDTV has Audio Optical In and no headphone jack. Is there a simple solution for me to use the GMX A-21 with the new TV and, if yes, what are the practical, "Home Audio For Dummies" steps? What audio cable adapters do I need? Or am I out of luck? Help! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LHF63 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Good news and bad news, I think. Assuming your Sammy is the 440-series 43" (which is the only 43" current model I can find), the bad news is you can't do it without some more electronics. Your TV only has digital audio out, and your ProMedia system only has analog audio in. The good news is that you can get a converter without spending a ton of money, like this: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10423&cs_id=1042302&p_id=6884&seq=1&format=2. Can't promise anything about the sound quality of a sub-$25 DAC, but at least it should get some kind of sound coming out of your speakers, probably better than what comes out of the TV. Oh, and you'll need an optical digital cable, too. Again, you can get that cheap from monoprice: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10229&cs_id=1022901&p_id=1447&seq=1&format=2. Good luck, Lou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
varchor Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 Thanks for the suggestion. I ordered, received and installed the items and was pleased to have sound come through the speaks, although the audio was nowhere near as pure as when I had the system plugged in via the earphone jack to my old tube TV. Also, there is a very noticeable, high-pitched hum coming from the Klipsch system when the TV is powered down (with the A-21s still powered). A disappointment on both counts, I'm sorry to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LHF63 Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Poor sound quality may not be easily fixed, as I would doubt any thought went into getting a quality signal on the TVs optical digital out. That said, the high-pitched hum should definitely not be there when the TV is off. I think you could return the DAC as defective based on that alone. There are other cheap DACs with optical input (pretty sure there's one made by FiiO) but in this kind of price range QC problems abound. Wish I had a better suggestion for you. Lou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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