If you are going to connect speakers to a TV, here are the primary things to consider -
1.) What are you connection options? That is, what does the TV have available for output?
2.) Volume Control - You Need One.
If the TV has
Headphone Outputs, they will be controlled by the TV volume control, and the Headphone Out can be connected directly to an amp or to Active Speaker.
If the TV has
Analog RCA Red/White Outputs, then we have three options, those outputs can be FIXED, VARIABLE, or Selectable between those two, but today very few TVs have this feature. If the Analog Outs can be set to VARIABLE, then they will respond to the TV Volume Control and everything will be fine. However, if it is locked on FIXED, then the external device, whether Amp or Active Speaker will need its own Remote Volume Control.
The last and far more common option is
Digital Audio Out, typically Optical, these are always FIXED, and to control the volume, the external device
(amp or Active Speakers) will need to have its own Remote Volume Control.
3.) Budget - £250-ish is very lean. But there are options. You can get a fair amp for about $150 with remote control, you can get the most basic Optical/Coaxial DAC (digital to analog converter) for about $25, and you can get some decent speakers for about $100/pr. That's pretty close to your budget, and there might still be some room to tweak it a bit.
Denon PMA520AE Amplifier - Superfi
Digital to Analog Audio Converter - 192kHz: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 Speakers (Pair) - Superfi
I think the total of the above comes to about £282. Though if you can stretch your budget, there are other options.
One thing people forget about until it is too late, is having the ability to Remotely control the Volume of the TV. There are many very good Active Speakers ...but... they don't have remote volume control.
The
Audioengine A5+ are an active speaker that does have its own Remote Volume Control, but the price is getting up there at
£350/pr.
Audioengine A5+ Powered Multimedia Speakers Pair in: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
Also available in White at the same price or Bamboo for a bit more.
The above
Audioengine would still require a DAC, assuming your TV only has Digital Audio Out, that would be an additional (approx) £25, so roughly £375 total.
Now, going back to the beginning, if your TV has a
Headphone Output, then that is the simplest solution of all. You have an unlimited supply of
Multimedia, Active Speakers, and
Studio Monitors to choose from. Simply plug the Headphone Out into the Active Speakers, adjust the volume levels, and you are set.
If you can find Bluetooth Speakers, that is speakers with a Bluetooth Receiver, then you can Stream music directly from a Smart Phone or other Smart Device.
Besides the
Q Acoustic BT3, consider the
Mackie CR5BT for about £160/pr -
Bargain - Mackie Bluetooth Multimedia Speaker - on-sale
Amazon.co.uk: A Acoustic BT3: Electronics & Photo
Both these options take you well under budget. And the
Q Acoustic BT3 does have a Remote Control.
Even if you TV does NOT have a Headphone out, the
Q Acoustic BT3 (~£180/pr) Plus a simply basic
DAC (£25) would keep you well under budget.
Q Acoustics BT3
That is probably the most minimal system that has all the necessary features.
Steve/bluewizard