HT Sound vs. TV Speakers

[ducker]

For general/standard TV viewing... Do you always use your HT sound?

I've had my setup now for around 6 months. And I can't remember the last time I've turned up the audio on the TV. I don't have HDTV, just digital cable with coax audio hooked up.
I guess a secondary question might be... do you bother powering off your Sub if you always use your theater for standard TV viewing.

 

[Brandst]

I don't even have a signal running to the TV to listen to. Everything goes through the receiver, the TV is nothing but a monitor.

Steve

 

[Shadow_Ferret]

I don't own a true home theater. I have my 70s receiver hooked up to the TV outputs and when I watch a movie I turn it on, otherwise we generally listen to the TV.

 

[j_garcia]

My TV isn't connected to my receiver, so no audio for TV ever. I don't really have a need to listen to TV in surround, and I don't really watch a ton of TV. The damn TV is already quite loud. For movies, the DVD player has no audio connection to the TV, so it is receiver 100% of the time.

 

[Hi Ho]

I hate the tinny, muddy sound from TV speakers. I use my sound system at all times.

 

[supervij]

I don't even have a signal running to the TV to listen to. Everything goes through the receiver, the TV is nothing but a monitor.

Ditto. It's through the receiver 100% of the time.

cheers,
supervij

 

[gellor]

My audio goes entirely through the receiver, because of the Sirius satellite channels from Dish.

 

[charmed101]

I also have everything going into the receiver. but then that adds another question to the mix. Does everything going threw the receiver shorten the life of your speakers ? I usually have something on when I'm home, music or the tv, so will this almost continuous output be hard on your speakers ? Just a thought.

Thanks

 

[Nomo]

My TV has very good speakers. At low listening levels (early morning news, GF's home decorating shows ...) it's easier to listen to than the HT speakers. Mainly due to the more compressed sound and subdued bass from the TV.

 

[j_garcia]

I hate the tinny, muddy sound from TV speakers. I use my sound system at all times.

I don't have that problem. The speakers in my TV are surprisingly decent. I believe theres a 30w amp and some half decent driver arrays in there (Sony 34" WS).

but then that adds another question to the mix. Does everything going threw the receiver shorten the life of your speakers ? I usually have something on when I'm home, music or the tv, so will this almost continuous output be hard on your speakers ? Just a thought.

Shouldn't reduce their life span by much. If you're on a forum like this, chances are you will be upgrading sooner than the life expectancy for the typical speaker.

 

[markw]

Unless the show is musical in nature or a "worthy" show* I don't bother with the receiver. It's a waste of effort.

For movies, well, that's another story. For them I always use the receiver.

*Smallville

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Everything runs through my Denon, and the remote is programmed to kick on everything at the same time. I don't even know where the tv remote is. SD (cable) usually goes through 7.1 stereo, but occasionally I'll use DPLIIx C or DTS Neo 6 C.

 

[mulester7]

Everything runs through my Denon, and the remote is programmed to kick on everything at the same time. I don't even know where the tv remote is. SD (cable) usually goes through 7.1 stereo, but occasionally I'll use DPLIIx C or DTS Neo 6 C.

.....Buck, I believe my TV has speakers but I couldn't swear to it....I have used a JVC S-VHS VCR to send audio to my Mac pre-amp forever....cable audio and video go through the VCR....DVD audio and video go through the VCR, and the DVD video goes straight to the TV via a din-jack....red, white, and yellow rca's are on the front of the VCR for a Games Box.....if I want to record something, I pop in an S-VHS tape at fast speed and the copy is very good....a quality JVC S-VHS VCR has been my switching center since around 1980, and I'm on the third one.....

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

.....Buck, I believe my TV has speakers but I couldn't swear to it....I have used a JVC S-VHS VCR to send audio to my Mac pre-amp forever....cable audio and video go through the VCR....DVD audio goes through the VCR....red, white, and yellow rca's are on the front of the VCR for a Games Box.....if I want to record something, I pop in an S-VHS tape at fast speed and the copy is very good....a quality JVC S-VHS VCR has been my switching center since around 1980, and I'm on the third one.....

Wow, SVHS dubbed a receiver. Interesting. You wouldn't be able to enjoy 5.1 surround off your digital cable stations that way, but you're a stereo guy, and that's cool. Now if DVD audio goes through the VCR, then I'm assuming you have no center channel or surrounds? Are you missing out on DTS encoded dvd's?

 

[mulester7]

Wow, SVHS dubbed a receiver. Interesting. You wouldn't be able to enjoy 5.1 surround off your digital cable stations that way, but you're a stereo guy, and that's cool. Now if DVD audio goes through the VCR, then I'm assuming you have no center channel or surrounds? Are you missing out on DTS encoded dvd's?

.....well, Buck, ya' really know how to hurt a guy, haha.....hey, I'm looking at a processor down the way....probably one by Circle Surround......

 

[mulester7]

.....interesting read from the link below, imo....WmAx, I'll want your opinion on this one....and a question, WmAx....I want to run the stereo signals through the McIntosh pre-amp first, then to the processor....can this be done?....I don't see why it couldn't, working at pre-amp level, but a guy said some processors you can use a pre-amp to send to them, and some you can't....I'm just going to assume I can....a guy who IS a card-carrying Audiophile, advised this processor to me.......

.....edit....a copyright of 1996 appears at the bottom, so it's pretty current, I guess.....

http://www.smartdev.com/CS-paper.html

 

[STRONGBADF1]

Rarely.

Most of the TV I watch is History or Discovery channel like programming. Not very good audio on most educational/documenty or car oriented shows. The only time I turn on the receiver for TV is when I watch the Eagles or an Auto race. (F1 mostly if you didn't catch the name )Oh, movies off of digital cable if it is an action flick or has a really good sound track, but thats rare, most of my movie watching is DVD's.

A good remote that turns on everything at once would change things though.

SBF1

 

[mulester7]

.....WmAx, here's one by Circle Surround that's a decoder only....it would "need" the signals of my pre-amp....some of you hounds find this for me cheap.....

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_4_3/circlesurround.html

 

[Jack Hammer]

I've run my TV sound through my reciever for about 7 years now. I prefer the way it sounds. I watch most TV in 7 channel stereo, as the DD makes most show sound weak to me.

Jeff

 

[charmed101]

Not sure if this is the proper place for this , because like I said above, I also use everything through my receiver, but here goes.
I posted a thread a couple of days ago about my new speakers sitting on top of an older set of tower speakers and asked if it would hurt or be helpful to add them to the B speaker hookup at the same time. And I understand that that would not be any help at all or even harmful in fact.
K, now I tried to hook up the towers for the TV only,,, I hooked them to the B hookup in the receiver. I though this would give me TV with the old speakers only ( by selecting the B speakers only, I could use these for TV only and give my ears a rest ) but all it did was replace the left and right speakers, and still gave me the centre and back speakers to the new system.

Could I hook the towers to the zone 2 hookup ? thus giving me power just to the towers for the TV ? I'm not very up on electronics, so I thought I would ask before doing something that I shouldn't.
Thanks to anyone with any help !!