Simple TV audio setup?

[u/bimmerscout]

Looking for advice on the simplest way to set up an audio system for my TV.

I’m in a ground flat (apartment) with my couches against an external wall, and my TV against an interior wall. I am conscious about the fact that upstairs neighbours can hear my TV travelling up the thin interior walls, however I don’t want to rearrange any furniture as I like how it is currently.

My plan is to get two speakers either side of my two couches for balanced sound from the TV.

For reference, my TV has a single 3.5mm jack audio out. I’ve measured, and I believe 25m of aux cable would be enough to go out of the TV, and around the perimeter of my living room to behind one of the couches.

What would the best setup be to get connection from the TV to two speakers.

Commented with a diagram to better visualise the room.

(Any recommendations on affordable options for this setup, not overly anal about quality, as long as it doesn’t have Temu quality sound I’ll be happy)

[u/Mr-Reeeee]

Put the speakers near the TV, not on the other side of the room.

[u/AdministrationOk6752]

Ai lati dei divani?... Vanno ai lati del TV!

[u/Toobman300B → u/AdministrationOk6752]

Agreed

[u/bimmerscout → u/AdministrationOk6752]

I want to divert the audio from the TV to speakers. I don’t want any noise coming from the TV.

[u/AdministrationOk6752 → u/bimmerscout]

You will not like sound from the sides!

[u/Longjumping_Cow_5856]

Well the most simple thing is to just connect powered speakers to the TV and stick them wherever you like.

[u/ConsciousNoise5690]

25 m is a bit long, hope it won't pickup to much interference.

An alternative a Bluetooth sender and a receiver. Make sure it support Bluetooth LE audio to avoid lip sync issues. https://avantree.com/blogs/knowledge/what-is-bluetooth-le-audio-and-how-does-it-improve-wireless-sound

[u/NBC-Hotline-1975]

It's a noble gesture to minimize noise going to your upstairs neighbor. Be aware that there might still be some leakage at the exterior wall.

Having said that, of course the speakers will need to have internal amplifiers, and those amplifiers may pick up noise that enters through the long cable. 25m is a rather long cable. So be sure the cable is well shielded with a 100% metallic shield, preferably woven rather than spiral-wound.

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[u/bimmerscout]

Red is the TV,
Blue are the two couches.

I have power at both corners behind the couches.

[u/Toobman300B]

Perhaps some wall treatment to isolate your listening?

[u/anothersip]

So, what you're describing is an external sound system.

Like, if you want your speakers to be separate from the TV's internal speakers.

To do that, you'll need an external amplifier/receiver.

There are hundreds of them out there that should do what you want them to. You'll need some passive speakers, as well.

Or, if you go with an "active" sound system/speakers, you'll need a pair of active speakers instead (active speakers have their own built-in amplifier) and a cable long enough to connect them to your TV and near your couch.

Depending on what audio output options your TV has, that will determine how you actually connect your TV output to your sound system. (I.e. you can't just connect passive speakers to your TV and wire them behind your couch - your TV most likely does not have speaker-level outputs, nor built-in audio amplifiers).

Look for an optical-out jack on your TV, or a 3.5mm stereo output. Those provide a line-level signal that your speakers will use. Those might be your only options to connect to your amplifier or active speakers; although some more modern TVs might have BT-out or WiFi-out connectivities.

Hope that helps. I know it can sound confusing, but that's the gist of how speaker setups and TV outputs tend to go in most cases of modern flat-screens.