Can I use optical-out and RCA at the same time?

[Dukenukem117]

Hi,
I'm new to proper AV setup. I use to use hillbilly "surround" by tethering a lot of speakers around me, but I just moved and would like to set up a better home theater sound system. The new place has 4 ceiling speakers built in, but from what I've read, I'm best to avoid them.

I also own two Energy Take subs due to one being physically (but not functionally) damaged in the mail. I'm thinking about purchasing a soundbar that doesn't include a sub, and hooking up my existing subs. The soundbar I'm currently eyeing only has optical-in, with no outputs. So I'm thinking about using both the optical out and the RCA out from my TV to hook up both subs and the soundbar. It would look something like this:

TV -> optical cable -> Soundbar
TV -> RCA splitter -> RCA cable -> 2x Subs

Would something like this work? I'm worried about plugging something into the optical-out and then it disables all other audio outputs. Has anyone known that to happen?

Any advice would be much appreciated. Happy Independence Day!

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

Would something like this work? I'm worried about plugging something into the optical-out and then it disables all other audio outputs.

Hard to say, it’s impossible to tell things like that with TVs these days until you get them home and check them out. For instance one brand/model will have the internal EQ sent to the RCA outputs to utilize with external speakers, while another doesn’t. No mention of it in the manual of either TV.

If it does work, you’ll have another problem: Separate volume controls for the soundbar and subs. The sub volume is going to stay where it is when you turn the soundbar up or down, unless you adjust it separately.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[BMXTRIX]

I wouldn't necessarily avoid ceiling speakers if my other options were a soundbar or the TV speakers.

I would strongly recommend a proper A/V receiver, then if you want more, then get better speakers. A soundbar over in-ceiling speakers is not an improvement.

 

[Mark of Cenla]

I have simultaneously used RCA outs and optical out from a Sony CD player into two amps I was comparing. With a TV I cannot say for sure, but it should work.

You said that you used speakers for this before. What was the amp for them? Why can't you use that? What were the speakers you used before? Some soundbars sound OK; most do not. Peace and goodwill.

 

[Dukenukem117]

Thanks for the feedback. I had these decade old Creative 7.1's that I bought for my computer. We're talking about a speaker set that costed less than $100. Pretty newbie stuff haha. After more research, I'm leaning towards the following build if I decide to go all out and stretch my budget:

Denon AVRS710W-R - in 7.2 mode with Dolby Atmos enabled
Dayton Audio T652 Tower Speaker Pair - Front
Dayton Audio C452 Center Speaker - Center
Dayton Audio B652 Bookshelves - Sides (I already own these)
Ceiling Speakers (??? spec) - Rears (Already installed)
Energy ESW-C8 Subwoofer x 2 - Side Subs (I already own these)

This is looking to be a ~$550 build (yeesh), but I can't imagine myself wanting more after - ever. I'm also seriously considering putting up 2" insulation foam on the one shared wall my town-home has with our neighbor, which is across from the TV/speakers. I'm not sure if Dolby Atmos is really needed as there isn't a ton of content, but the S710W seems to be a quality receiver with a lot of future-proof features, so I might as well take advantage of it. The cheaper receivers I was considering were the Sony DN850 and Yamaha RX-V379BL, but for $100 more, the S710W seems to blow them out of the water in features.

My original idea was to buy a quality soundbar like the Klipsch R-10B by itself, and using that with the ESW-C8 subs. The subs have dials on the back, so I could never control them by remote anyhow. I can find pretty discounted soundbars by itself on my local craigslist, as people charge a lot less for an incomplete set.

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Since I already have the bookshelf speakers and subs, I think I'm going to try wiring them all to my DTA-120 Mini Amp to see how 2.2 sounds. The subs can't be specifically timed, but if I place them symmetrically on opposite walls, I'd imagine it should be fine. I just don't know whether to split the signal before the amp or after the amp. My concern is that if I pigtail it after the amp with the same wire that powers the speakers, the sub may be damaged as it is self-powered. At least one sub is going to be plugged in by its RCA jacks, whereas the other one has working RCA jacks and wire spring clips. Not sure if that makes a difference or not.

I can totally see why a lot of people just get a soundbar system and say "screw it" though, haha. This stuff can get pretty messy pretty easily it seems.