Can I swap TV speakers?

Alexandralouise · 19-01-2010, 11:23 AM

Hi. I have just bought an Sony 28in KD-28DL11U. I know I know - it's old technology but I still prefer the picture on a crt - not saying it's better from a technical point of view, just that I personal like the look of CRT.

The problem is that the sound is a bit crap - it's all middle and not much at the top or bottom. Our old TV - a Panasonic TX-21V2/BC had a much better sound - nice clarity at the top and a big fat bottom end.

My questions is this - can I simply take the speakers out of the Sony and replace them with the speakers from The Panasonic? If I did that, would it be likely to improve the sound, or is the sound more of an amplifier issue? Or am I likely to blow the Sony up.

I could plug it into a hifi but I don't want to have another thing to turn on etc. The speakers in both TVs are 8 ohms.

Thanks for any advice,

Alexandra.

NST · 19-01-2010, 11:39 AM

First check the menu options to see if there are any for audio. There's usually a screen with Bass/ Treble/ Balance controls. Have a play with those first.

Alexandralouise · 19-01-2010, 11:44 AM

Hi NST - thanks for your reply. That was the first thing I did - I went through all the sound options, including all the presets like "rock" etc. I found that putting the bass and treble up full is an improvement but only a very small improvement and still a long way short of the fatter and clearer sound we had from the Panasonic.

NST · 19-01-2010, 12:01 PM

It's probably more an amplifier issue rather than the speakers. I don't think swapping the speakers would help much. You could try maybe adding an active subwoofer or external speakers, and plugging them direct into the SCART socket or Audio Out (if the TV has these).
You can use a SCART switch with a set of audio outputs on it to extract the audio that way.

Alexandralouise · 19-01-2010, 12:06 PM

The TV does have phono outs but I want to avoid the clutter of external hardware if I can. If I did swap the speakers as an experiment - are they likely to be compatible or am I likely to damage the amplifier on the Sony?

NST · 19-01-2010, 12:12 PM

So long as the power rating (in watts) is the same or above the Sony speakers it'll be fine (they're both 8 ohms like you say).
The other problem is that the Panasonic speakers probably won't fit over the screw threads to hold them in position, if left loose they are likely to rattle.

Also, I don't really recommend taking the back off a TV unless you know of the dangers first

Alexandralouise · 19-01-2010, 12:50 PM

Thanks for the warning - I do appreciate your concern - I'm always taking things apart!

The Panasonic manual describes the speakers as 2x10W and the Sony's as 2x14W (2x7W RMS) so maybe it's not workable. I was expecting to have to improvise a bit with attaching the speakers. It's a shame really - the picture is excellent and you'd think the bigger box would fatten up the sound but it really sounds like quite a small TV.

Alexandralouise · 20-01-2010, 5:22 PM

Hi again. So if the Sony TV has a sound output rating of of 14W and I were to put 10W speakers in it - would that blow the speakers or the amp or both or neither?

NST · 20-01-2010, 5:44 PM

So long as you don't run the volume flat out, I don't think it will be a problem.

Alexandralouise · 27-01-2010, 11:30 AM

Here's a thought. If I removed the Speakers from the Sony TV but then wired some external Hi-Fi speakers through the TV's casing, directly to the TV's internal speaker's contacts, would that work? So basically a case of removing the internal speakers and extending the speaker cabling to some external speakers instead.

NST · 27-01-2010, 2:01 PM

Yes that will work. Back in the day some of the higher-end sets used to have DIN style loudspeaker sockets on the back. Depending on which way the plug was inserted, you could either mute the internal speakers or have both on at the same time.

Alexandralouise · 27-01-2010, 5:37 PM

Thanks NST. If I had both sets on at the same time, wouldn't that be more than the TV's amp can cope with?

NST · 27-01-2010, 7:53 PM

It should be OK, but you'll get a more even soundstage if you stick to using good quality external ones.

clemenzina · 29-01-2010, 4:48 AM

Alexandralouise - you must post back here so we know you haven't electrocuted yourself

clemenzina

Alexandralouise · 02-02-2010, 7:45 PM

Hi Clemenzina and thank you for your concern. I'm quite sensible really - I've not electrocuted myself yet. Thanks also NST for your advice on this.

So, when I took the back of both TV's, it was immediately clear why the Panasonic sounded so much better - its speakers were at least twice the size of the Sony ones. The Sony's were very weedy little things about an inch and a half across - why would they couple such pathetic speakers with such a lovely screen?

The Panasonic ones also have a plastic casing in front of them which lets you have the speakers set back in the TV where there is lots of space but then funnels the sound to the front of the TV where the speaker grills are. They probably also act like speaker cabinets to some degree.

Anyway, with some cutting of plastic protruberances, 2 new screw holes in the Sony casing and some deep frowns, I managed to fit the Panasonic speakers complete with casings inside the Sony (without fouling or obstructing any electronics of course) and it works great. Sounds just like the Panny - nice round bass and interestingly, more clarity at the top.

Also interesting to note, I have to have the volume turned up a touch higher to achieve the same sound levels.

Now I can get on with building a particle accelerator in the bathroom

Thanks again,

Alex.

NST · 02-02-2010, 8:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexandralouise

Hi Clemenzina and thank you for your concern. I'm quite sensible really - I've not electrocuted myself yet. Thanks also NST for your advice on this.

So, when I took the back of both TV's, it was immediately clear why the Panasonic sounded so much better - its speakers were at least twice the size of the Sony ones. The Sony's were very weedy little things about an inch and a half across - why would they couple such pathetic speakers with such a lovely screen?

The Panasonic ones also have a plastic casing in front of them which lets you have the speakers set back in the TV where there is lots of space but then funnels the sound to the front of the TV where the speaker grills are. They probably also act like speaker cabinets to some degree.

Anyway, with some cutting of plastic protruberances, 2 new screw holes in the Sony casing and some deep frowns, I managed to fit the Panasonic speakers complete with casings inside the Sony (without fouling or obstructing any electronics of course) and it works great. Sounds just like the Panny - nice round bass and interestingly, more clarity at the top.

Also interesting to note, I have to have the volume turned up a touch higher to achieve the same sound levels.

Now I can get on with building a particle accelerator in the bathroom

Thanks again,

Alex.

Nice one Alex

clemenzina · 02-02-2010, 8:31 PM

I think you're either (1) wonderful, or (2) an electronics engineer in disguise.

Well done Alex!

clemenzina