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Hi. Haven't been here for a while but hope I'm in the right forum. I have a fairly old TV, maybe it's 10 years old, but my hearing is going and some stations are not so clear. I'm not going to wear a hearing aid right now but I wonder what instruments can help me hear better, like a soundbar or something like that? Suggestions (short of getting a hearing aid) would be welcome. Thanks!
P.S. I'm willing to buy a new TV but wonder what I should look for. I have a small space, the TV is like 32 inches wide, that's all, and I'm satisfied with that.
TV's in general have crappy sound, old and new, but some are REALLY bad. The TV specs are irrelevant as far as sound. Soundbars can absolutely improve the sound.
- I was in a similar situation with someone experiencing some hearing loss, and due to that, was turning their TV volume up and disturbing people in adjoining rooms.
- After some research, I purchased and set up one from this company (soundbar style) - this is their Amazon storefront:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/ZVOXAu...5?ref_=ast_bln
- These units aren't just soundbars, they are developed to improve listening for those suffering hearing loss.
- The unit I purchased is no longer available, but it appears that the new units have more adjustments available.
- The TV being used has a digital optical (Toslink) plug in it (there's a picture on their site that shows what it looks like), so I also added a long Toslink cable to reach from the TV to the speaker (25') - this allowed the speaker to be placed closer to the main space used when watching the TV (and reduce the overall volume level). Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- I was also able to set up control of the unit from the user's Dish TV remote for volume adjustment (one remote controls the TV, Dish and the speaker).
- Overall sound quality has been quite good, with the user no longer complaining of not being able to hear "the voices" at moderate volume levels; decent bass response and no longer hearing the sound in other rooms.
Agree. My current TV is my first flatscreen. I had heard many of them were notorious for poorer sound quality unless they were a component in some sort of home theater setup, but I waited to find that out for myself. It's a modest TV so I didn't expect anything stellar. Sure enough, the sound was dismal, and my hearing is generally fine. It isn't just a matter of volume, its clarity. Finally bought a modest sound bar for it. Quite a difference!
You'll need to determine if there's an auxiliary jack on your particular TV that will accept accessories such as a soundbar OP.
TV's in general have crappy sound, old and new, but some are REALLY bad. The TV specs are irrelevant as far as sound. Soundbars can absolutely improve the sound.
Thanks. Are they hard to install? I'm gettin' old. One of my associates (my age) told me when I told her I'm getting old she said, We ARE old. (Oh well.) So that's my excuse now about putting things together. I should be able to afford a sound bar. Is it hard to install? (Thanks, btw.)
Agree. My current TV is my first flatscreen. I had heard many of them were notorious for poorer sound quality unless they were a component in some sort of home theater setup, but I waited to find that out for myself. It's a modest TV so I didn't expect anything stellar. Sure enough, the sound was dismal, and my hearing is generally fine. It isn't just a matter of volume, its clarity. Finally bought a modest sound bar for it. Quite a difference!
You'll need to determine if there's an auxiliary jack on your particular TV that will accept accessories such as a soundbar OP.
Thank you. I will do that ASAP. That way I don't have to pretend I hear what they're saying.
For me, not really. Although I did buy headphone (the big ones that cover the ear) because if I go to a restaurant or supermarket and hear a screaming child that will not stop screaming, it's best I put the headphones on. I literally start shaking if the kid won't shut up. In fact, now that you mention it, I can't figure out yet how to attach them to music but it does block the sound so maybe I'll just take them along until I figure out how to get music. :-) They do block sound.
You'll need to determine if there's an auxiliary jack on your particular TV that will accept accessories such as a soundbar OP.
Any TV from the last 10 years will connect to a soundbar, and I never use an auxiliary jack. Attached below are the connections that a TV and soundbar might have.
Cindy, are you using an antenna, or do you have another source (cable box, streaming device, etc)?
Last edited by akrausz; 01-17-2024 at 06:19 AM..
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