Sound Quality of Built-in TV Speakers?

[Mermaidman]

I'm thinking of buying this 46" LED LCD (only $1200!). It's one of those ultra thin TVs that measures 1.2" thick, and I'm wondering if the built-ins' sound quality would be even worse than the typical stock TV speakers. Is it even possible to get "big" sound out of a tiny cabinet?

Disclaimer: I'm not a sound enthusiast, so it's unlikely that I'll set up a home theatre, but I don't want noticeably bad sound either. At most, I might install a sound bar. Would appreciate your thoughts on this. If it matters, the TV room measures 17' long, 12' wide, and ~22' tall.

 

[Anubis]

they will sound like crap, buy a soundbar

 

[NutBucket]

Or you could get this:

http://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-LT-...0508644&sr=8-1

Not sure how good it actually sounds but its gotta be better than your average flat panel.

 

[sdifox]

built in speakers on tv are dirt cheap. Like 100bux for a tonne.

 

[Rifter]

pretty much all TV speakers suck, its a fact of life. you dont have to setup a home theater but a pair of bookshelf speakers will be a good idea.

 

[f4phantom2500]

have you considered geting a "normal" lcd tv and using the savings to buy a decent pair of real speakers?

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN46C5...0514483&sr=1-2 - $830

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=AHF4SYKP09WBH - $150

http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Per...EB/ref=sr_1_91 - $150

TOTAL: $1130

here's a review on those speakers:

http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/1004polk/

 

[Mermaidman]

Thanks for the suggestions!

Or you could get this:

http://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-LT-...0508644&sr=8-1

Not sure how good it actually sounds but its gotta be better than your average flat panel.

Interesting . . . never seen that before. Only problem is that it's fat, which goes back to my original issue: Does thin mean crappier than usual sound?

 

[kornphlake]

Speakers need a box or cabinet with some volume to reproduce low frequencies. Small speakers are not physically capable of producing low frequencies. You don't need huge speakers or huge enclosures to get good sound, but you do need some volume that can't be contained in the housing of a flat panel television. That said, I thought the speakers on my television were adequate until I connected some real speakers, after I'd heard what television could sound like I always heard a tinny quality in the built in speakers. Unless you have heard something better for reference, you might not notice the inferior built in speakers sound bad.

 

[electroju]

Like others have said, TV have crappy speakers. You are better off using a stereo amplifier and any bookshelf speakers then hook it up to your TV. I do not recommend buying a soundbar because they also suck.

Use Amazon at your own risk because if the products fail who will you return the product. Also some brands require that you buy their products from an authorized dealer in order for their warranty to work.

 

[JSt0rm]

they mostly use a single driver to push all material and that sounds like balls mostly, mostly.

 

[Corn]

I've got a Hitachi LCD and by themselves, the TV speakers sound like complete crap as they had no bottom end at all. Then I found the subwoofer out jack on the back of the TV, hooked up an Energy sub I got at Costco for about $100 and it actually sounds pretty decent. Good enough for the kid and occasional TV show when the wife is hogging the real TV with her American Idol/Bachelor/whatever other reality show crap.......

 

[alkemyst]

Thin TV gives in to whatever speakers you need along the front wall. Since TV's began to get compact their internal speakers sucked.

 

[Modelworks]

Maybe if it were 3" or so there would be a chance but not with under 2" . There have been some pretty good designs where they locate the speakers in chambers and the sound is channeled to the front via tubes but I can't even see that working in something that thin.

 

[NutBucket]

Even when TVs were huge they had acceptable sound at best. The proliferation of flat panels hasn't helped things AT ALL.

 

[kalrith]

The only TVs that have half-way decent speakers are rptvs, but that's obviously out. I'd at the very least budget for a sound bar. $200 for a sound bar and subwoofer will be 50 times better than the flat-panel TV speakers (which still isn't saying much ).