When building a TV sound system, the choice of speakers is very wide. Which kind of speaker is more suitable for use as TV audio? What are their respective advantages and disadvantages? In this issue of audio-visual strategy, I will talk to you about whether you should choose active speakers or passive speakers for the TV sound system.
Which HIFI enthusiasts are active speakers suitable for?
Every HIFI enthusiast will have different requirements for sound quality, as well as personal hands-on ability, breadth and depth of knowledge about audio equipment. Therefore, to choose a suitable speaker for TV as sound, we need to treat different groups of people differently.
For Buddhist HIFI enthusiasts who want to no longer endure the poor sound quality of the TV’s built-in speakers, but do not want to go to war and spend a lot of money and energy on it, it is a good choice to use active speakers as TV sound equipment.
The advantages of active speakers as TV sound
Everything and any solution has both advantages and disadvantages. Let us first take a look at the advantages of active speakers as TV sound.
Out of the box, save the complicated process of connecting devices
In the design process of active speakers, the power amplifier circuit must be integrated inside the speaker box. This also allows it to be directly connected to the audio output device introduced in the previous guide. Once the connection is completed, the sound from the TV program can be played. It is very convenient in terms of operation, almost out of the box. It greatly reduces the knowledge and technical threshold for setting up a TV sound system. At the same time, it can also significantly improve the sound quality of the TV. It can be said that it is the preferred speaker type for “lazy people” to improve the sound quality of the TV.
The price is close to the people, everyone can start
The price selection range of active speakers is very loose, and the price of some active speaker products can even drop to within a few hundred yuan. Such a price can be said to be available to everyone, without any cost threshold. Compared with a TV that is several thousand or even tens of thousands of RMB larger than a non-starter, it can be said that it is very affordable to add a set of affordable active speakers to significantly improve the original sound quality of the TV.
Some people may ask, is the sound quality of such a cheap active speaker better than the speaker that comes with the TV? So, let us analyze this problem rigorously from a technical point of view. The built-in speaker of the TV is mainly limited by the thickness of the TV body is too thin, and the volume of the speaker cannot be enlarged, which eventually leads to the sound quality of the speaker being significantly lowered. An external active speaker does not have this problem.
Generally speaking, for an active speaker with qualified quality and produced by a regular manufacturer, the volume inside the box must be much larger than the built-in speaker of the TV. This is true even for active speaker products with a price of only a few hundred yuan. Therefore, using active speakers to set up a sound system for the TV can be said to be an act of “all benefits but no harm”.
Small size, can be integrated into the layout of the original TV cabinet
The power amplifier circuit is directly integrated in the active speaker, which saves the trouble of purchasing an additional power amplifier, and also saves space, and there is no need to reserve an open space for the power amplifier. If the selected active speakers are dual-channel, you only need to simply place them on both sides of the TV, two pairs, very simple and beautiful, without affecting the original layout around the TV at all.
Furthermore, active speakers are usually bookshelf speakers, and their volume is not very large. Compared with floor-standing passive speakers that are one or two meters high at every turn, the volume of active speakers is still relatively “mini”.
Therefore, based on the above points, active speakers can be well integrated into the original position of the TV in the room, almost no additional layout changes are required, and the trouble of re-planning the layout of the viewing environment is reduced.
Which active speakers are not suitable for TV sound
Although active speakers have the characteristics of being ready to use out of the box, small size, low price and high quality, there are still some minefields that need to be avoided. In case after buying active speakers, the ideal sound quality and sound field effect cannot be achieved.
First of all, we must avoid buying some active speaker products that are too “small” on the market. These active speakers are often not suitable for TV sound. Due to its “small” volume, the maximum sound pressure level that this type of product can output is low. When this type of product is used as TV audio, the ability to restore various audio signals in TV programs is often not good. If the overall volume is turned down, the sound of the TV program cannot be heard clearly; on the contrary, if the volume of the program is turned up, there will be obvious three-band unevenness. The main reason for this phenomenon is that these products are not designed for medium and long-distance listening, and their main application scenarios are generally computer desktop environments, that is, for ultra-close-range audio listening.
In addition, when choosing a 2.1-channel active speaker for TV sound, you need to pay special attention to some situations. There is an extra subwoofer speaker in the 2.1-channel active speaker combination, and in some products with extremely low prices, it is more likely to have three-band unevenness. Generally speaking, 2.1-channel active speakers with a price of less than 200 yuan are not suitable for use as TV audio.
The price index given here is only used as a reference, not as an absolute basis. It is theoretically supported to say that this type of product is not suitable for TV audio. When purchasing, we need to pay attention to the volume ratio of the left and right channels of the active speaker to the subwoofer. If the speakers of the left and right channels are very small, but the subwoofer The volume of the cannon is obviously larger than the speakers of the left and right channels. Then, after this kind of active speakers are connected to the TV, there will be obvious three-band imbalance. The main point is that when watching a TV program, no matter how you adjust the volume or EQ, the viewer will still be unable to hear the vocal dialogue in the TV program clearly, and the background music and ambient sound will be too heavy in the bass part.
The main reason for this kind of phenomenon is that these 2.1-channel active speakers designed for PC computers are mainly used in close-range desktop scenarios. Once they are connected to a TV and used as sound speakers, the usage scenario becomes In addition to the usage scenarios where the distance is at least 2 meters away, the long-distance usage scenarios are no longer a situation that this type of active speakers can control.
Therefore, when we purchase active speakers as TV sound speakers, we can focus on those 2.0-channel bookshelf active speakers designed for listening to music. The size is also suitable for long-distance listening effects. It is an ideal TV sound speaker. The price and effect can meet the expectations of mainstream HIFI enthusiasts.