TV Sound Is Definitely Substandard

[Lucky Luke]

Hi, TV sound experts. We have a Samsung television set that is fifteen years old. In recent months, I have become aware that the sound is now very sub-standard, though for years, it has been OK. I do yoga exercises, lying on the carpet in front of this TV, while my wife watches the set, on most afternoons. While I am on the floor particularly (though this effect can be detected while I am upright, though not quite as noticeably), it is as if the people talking on the screen are "spitting bullets" — that't the only way that I can describe the appalling sound quality. It sounds very unpleasant, and is not at all as a voice should sound. It is also very "woolly".

I was wondering whether anyone could say, with reasonable certainty, whether it is possible to have the sound of this TV set put right in some way, by a technician, or whether it would be more sensible to jettison the set.

Actually, because the sound was so bad (by the way, my wife thinks it's OK — she is hard of hearing) I have just bought a new TV, and, because the features and layout of our lounge and furniture are how they are, I was constrained to look for a replacement that had a screen no bigger than a 26-inch, to fit on the stand under the window. A bigger set would not look right — it would hide a part of the window sill and window (This is how we see the matter, of course). It was very difficult to find one of that size, so, for this reason, I would be reluctant to get rid of the old one, if it could be made to sound good again. In all other ways, it is a very good TV, and we don't have money to throw around. If anything happened to the new set in a few years, we could be in a fix, trying to buy another of this size, so I should like to keep the old one as a safeguard, if the sound could be improved.

Is there anyone that can comment usefully and knowledgeably about this old TV?

Thanks in anticipation!
L.L.

 

[Mottie]

What about external speakers or a sound bar?

 

[Lucid]

You said you have bought a new TV. Has that cured the sound issue?

 

[Lucky Luke]

What about external speakers or a sound bar?

Mottie, if the sound used to be OK and is not now, I should not be willing to spend more money on it. There must be something wrong with it, whatever that may be. Really, I should like to have it sounding, on its own, as it used to sound.

 

[Lucky Luke]

You said you have bought a new TV. Has that cured the sound issue?

Lucid, it has cured the problem, in that it no longer sounds as if it is spitting bullets (not even if I lie on the floor, and listen). I don't think the sound of the new TV set is all that good (it sounds a bit tinny), but I suppose you get what you pay for, eh? However, it is not as annoying as the old set's sound was, and I accept it.

 

[JP_]

If you want good sound, get an AV amp and some speakers, or a cheaper AV system (that has an amp built in, usually into the subwoofer unit I think). You'll love the cinema sound once you have it, and also great for playing music through the TV/boxes

Obviously its a minefield of info out there, and you can spend anything from a few hundred to tens of thousands!

Budget: Wharfedale DX-2 5.1 Speaker System

probably worth heading to Richer Sounds if there is one nearby, telling them your budget and seeing (and listening to) what they have.
https://www.richersounds.com/home-cinema.html

 

[Lucky Luke]

If you want good sound, get an AV amp and some speakers, or a cheaper AV system (that has an amp built in, usually into the subwoofer unit I think). You'll love the cinema sound once you have it, and also great for playing music through the TV/boxes

Obviously its a minefield of info out there, and you can spend anything from a few hundred to tens of thousands!

Budget: Wharfedale DX-2 5.1 Speaker System

probably worth heading to Richer Sounds if there is one nearby, telling them your budget and seeing (and listening to) what they have.
https://www.richersounds.com/home-cinema.html

Well, thanks, JP, for the wealth of information/advice that you have given. However, I don't want to be spending money on high-tech equipment, so I shall pass on that. I should have liked to know whether it's possible to mend the old TV's sound, so that it would sound as it used to sound. No-one seems to be able to tell me that (which comes as a bit of a surprise).

 

[JP_]

probably cheaper to just add a cheap soundbar then, rather than try to fix, if that is possible on a TV of that age.

 

[sxturbo]

Lucid, it has cured the problem, in that it no longer sounds as if it is spitting bullets (not even if I lie on the floor, and listen). I don't think the sound of the new TV set is all that good (it sounds a bit tinny), but I suppose you get what you pay for, eh? However, it is not as annoying as the old set's sound was, and I accept it.

That would likely be attributed to it being a much newer TV, and the speaker sound does improve slightly with each generation.

A 15 year old set would be appalling by today's standards of TV especially as it has been quite a talked about subject in recent years with many people complaining at the lack of decent sound quality in flat screen TV's, which has made manufacturers try much harder in recent times.

That said manufacturers have a limited desire to improve the sound a great deal as many of the manufacturers want to push their add on sound equipment, especially as they have basically lost revenue from auxiliary items like set top boxes and dvd/Blu-ray players. So they will only make standard TV speakers that just about pass for the cost of the TV.


A TV that's 15 years old I would be surprised if you could get replacement parts for it.

Your only option would be to replace the internal speaker/speakers, but this may well not cure the sound issues with it.

 

[ETAF]

model of Samsung of the TV may help , but at 15 years old ,as already said, parts likely to be an issue.
often the sound was better then new TVs because A) the cabinet was larger and so better/larger quality speakers could be used and b) wasn't the expectation of sound systems being connected up to it.

Cost to have someone's labour to look at will be very high, and chances are all the audio circuitry in on one main board in the TV, so if part is available i suspect very very expensive.

If it has a menu setting on the TV , maybe have a look and see if any settings may have been changed accidentally from the remote control
How is the TV getting the signal - is it a Digital Tuner ? or are you using a separate box to get the TV signal and if so , how is this connected to the TV
My 2006 hitachi TV only had an Analogue Tuner and so when the changeover to digital occured ( 2009 I think in crystal palace) then i used a PVR

 

[Lucky Luke]

That would likely be attributed to it being a much newer TV, and the speaker sound does improve slightly with each generation.

A 15 year old set would be appalling by today's standards of TV especially as it has been quite a talked about subject in recent years with many people complaining at the lack of decent sound quality in flat screen TV's, which has made manufacturers try much harder in recent times.

That said manufacturers have a limited desire to improve the sound a great deal as many of the manufacturers want to push their add on sound equipment, especially as they have basically lost revenue from auxiliary items like set top boxes and dvd/Blu-ray players. So they will only make standard TV speakers that just about pass for the cost of the TV.


A TV that's 15 years old I would be surprised if you could get replacement parts for it.

Your only option would be to replace the internal speaker/speakers, but this may well not cure the sound issues with it.

Thanks for the considered reply, sxturbo. I suppose it's not worth the trouble of enquiring of a local firm, then. (I didn't want to ring a local firm with my query, without first sounding out this forum, because I feared that they might go through the motions of fixing it, just to get the business, while knowing (possibly) that it was not going to be any different. Besides, it would have been a lot of trouble for me, to have them come along, connect it up (that would not be convenient), and listen to it. Ha ha! — to me, buying a television set is a big deal (we are well into our eighties), so I had the idea of trying to saving my old set.

 

[Lucky Luke]

model of Samsung of the TV may help , but at 15 years old ,as already said, parts likely to be an issue.
often the sound was better then new TVs because A) the cabinet was larger and so better/larger quality speakers could be used and b) wasn't the expectation of sound systems being connected up to it.

Cost to have someone's labour to look at will be very high, and chances are all the audio circuitry in on one main board in the TV, so if part is available i suspect very very expensive.

If it has a menu setting on the TV , maybe have a look and see if any settings may have been changed accidentally from the remote control
How is the TV getting the signal - is it a Digital Tuner ? or are you using a separate box to get the TV signal and if so , how is this connected to the TV
My 2006 hitachi TV only had an Analogue Tuner and so when the changeover to digital occured ( 2009 I think in crystal palace) then i used a PVR

Thanks for your comments, ETAF. Yes, what you say sounds sensible, especially after reading sxturbo's comments. The old set received digital TV signals. There is a menu to be set, by using the handset, but it's most unlikely that it has been altered accidentally (no one touches the settings except me, and I am very careful indeed).

 

[ETAF]

There is a menu to be set, by using the handset, but it's most unlikely that it has been altered accidentally (no one touches the settings except me, and I am very careful indeed).

nothing to lose by looking, maybe a remote combination of key pushes changes things, i know my humax had loads of buttons to change things without using the menu

OR even retuning the TV , They frequently change the channels and often needs a re-tune.
Maybe a loudness settings for improved bass & treble at low volume, they may even have sound modes which changing may help

 

[Lucky Luke]

nothing to lose by looking, maybe a remote combination of key pushes changes things, i know my humax had loads of buttons to change things without using the menu

OR even retuning the TV , They frequently change the channels and often needs a re-tune.
Maybe a loudness settings for improved bass & treble at low volume, they may even have sound modes which changing may help

Thanks Etaf, I would do what you recommend, except that it would be physically very strenuous for me at my age. (You would need to see the set-up of our TV, and the way the cables must be got at behind the stand that I made, to see what I mean. For this reason, it was very demanding for me, physically, to set up the new TV, and I don't want to go through that again, just for a speculative test.) I think that the best thing to do, now I have heard what the other commenters have said, is to get rid of the set.
With kind regards,
L.L.

 

[ETAF]

confused a little , is the old TV now nolonger in the location and you are not able to plug into a mains socket , switch on and plug an aerial lead into the TV.