How To Connect Speaker To TV Without Receiver

If you are wondering ‘How to connect speaker to TV without receiver?’ then you have come to the right place. Although the best way to connect speakers to the TV is through an AV receiver, there are other alternative ways to do so.

Newbies just starting their way to build a home theater often look for affordable and simple solutions. People with budget limitations often want to ignore a new receiver nor want to replace a damaged one. This guideline will help you through the process. Not only that, you will be introduced to confusing cable names as well.

Without further ado, let’s dive in.

Why can’t you connect speakers directly to TV?

In many cases, you can’t connect the speakers directly to the TV. If you look at the rear side of the TV, you will see basic connections like RCA, Aux, HDMI-ARC and Optical. They don’t come with ports for speaker wires so you can directly use speaker wires to connect to the TV.

One of the reasons why you can’t use speaker wires for TV is, modern TVs are very slim and thin in size. This means, the inclusion of an amplifier which you get in AV receivers into the TV would have made them ‘fatter’ in size. However, there is always one way or another to solve an issue. Let’s look into life hacks or alternatives ways to connect speakers to the TV.

How to connect speaker to TV directly?

Well, in most cases you need a device between the TV and the speaker. You can use a control box, mini-amps, a Digital-to-analog converter in case you don’t want to use a receiver or large amplifier. We say most cases because, in most scenarios people try connecting a passive speaker.

Active vs passive speakers, what are the differences? Passive speakers don’t have built-in amplifier so they rely on external amplifier or stereo receiver. How to power speakers without a receiver? This is when you need active or powered speakers.

They have built-in amplifiers but their driver sizes are small compared to passive speakers. There is another way to power passive speakers without a receiver or amplifier. Here you need to connect speakers to a PC or computer that has built-in amp in them.

Also, with passive speakers you can add several speakers to create a 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound system. So, is there any way to connect speakers directly to the TV. Well, yes. You can connect powered speakers directly to the TV without any receiver or amplifier.

How to connect speaker to TV without receiver?

In this section we will talk in details of connecting external speakers to TV without receiver. In case you don’t want the hassle of a large AV receiver in your room neither do you like complicated wiring, this is best for you.

The first two methods talk about passive speakers that doesn’t have built in amplifier in them. They mostly have binding posts that support speaker wires.

Method 1: Mini amplifier

One of the easiest ways to connect speakers to TV without receiver is to use a tiny device called Digital to analog converter. There the digital sound from the TV is converted into analog which is fed into the speakers.

Auxiliary Port:

check for the auxiliary port on your TV. It can be named as Audio Out/Line Out or Headphone. Then check for the Aux port in your speaker, since they are passive speakers you won’t find any.

The next thing to select is a mini amplifier which is very small in size and very easy to use. then check whether the mini amplifier has Aux port, if so, you can use it. Or, it can have RCA ports, where you need to buy a Aux to RCA converter.

Some models of mini amplifiers are: Kinter K2020A+ or Fosi Audio BT20A Bluetooth 5.0 mini amp . The cost is also very cheap.

TOSLINK/Optical:

this is also known as S/PDIF. If you are connecting a soundbar then it is likely that it has optical port. So, you can easily connect it to achieve standard system like 2.0 or 2.1, or advanced systems like 3.1, 5.1 or 7.1.2.

HDMI ARC:

This is known as HDMI Audio as well. Most recent TVs are compatible with HDMI ARC. Look for the port labeled HDMI Audio Out in your TV. If you want to know, how to connect speakers to TV without a receiver via HDMI, then you can do so with soundbars.

Soundbars are the only devices that come with HDMI ports and support this connection directly with the TV without the need of any amplifier, DAC, or receiver between them. What if you don’t soundbars and want to connect a pair of bookshelf speakers or tower speakers?

Well, we have a solution for that too. To connect speakers to the TV, use the affordable DAC. Check whether the input supports HDMI connection and for output, it may have RCA, optical, or Aux connections. Make sure the output matches that of your speakers.

In case the speakers only support speaker wire connection, you need to add another tiny device which is mentioned in method 2.

RCA:

check on the rear side of the TV for Audio Out or Line Out. This connectivity becomes simple and straightforward if the speaker has Aux or RCA ports. If not, then you have a passive speaker where you need to add a mini amplifier.

Then use the RCA-to-RCA cable to connect the mini amplifier to the TV. Then use speaker wires to connect the amplifier to the speakers.

Method 2: Digital-to-analog converter

One of the easiest ways to connect speakers to TV without a receiver is to use a tiny device called a Digital to analog converter. There the digital sound from the TV is converted into analog which is fed into the speakers.

Only DAC:

If you are going to use the optical connection to connect speakers to the TV without a receiver, then you are not going to find it in passive speakers. Here you need a DAC to work between the TV and the speakers.

Insert the optical cable to the DAC, then see the outputs of the DAC. If it has RCA ports, you can use RCA-to-RCA cables to connect it to the speakers. if it has an Aux port, you can still use it with an Aux-to-RCA cable.

You can check the MYPIN 192KHz DAC Converter Multifunction Audio Converter or the PROZOR 192KHz Digital to Analog Audio Converter DAC . FiiO

Both DAC and Mini-Amp:

in the above scenario, if you want to use speaker wires, then you need to include a mini-amp. This means, use the optical connection to connect the TV to the DAC, then use RCA-to-RCA to connect DAC to the mini-amp, and finally use speaker wires to connect the mini-amp to the speakers.

This combination of DAC and mini-amplifier is also needed if you are using an HDMI connection between TV and speakers. in case the speakers only support speaker wire, you need a DAC and then a mini-amp to complete the connection.

Once you decide to buy both DAC and mini-amp, you can connect TV to speakers in several other ways as well. These devices give you versatility.

Method 3: Powered Speakers or Soundbars

• Check whether powered or portable speakers have RCA ports. Then take an RCA to Aux converter  to connect the Aux port to the TV and the RCA end to the speakers. you can also connect the RCA end to your soundbar.
• Look for an optical port in the powered speaker. You will find one in Edifier R1280DB Powered Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers
• You can also check whether there is any Aux or RCA port on your speaker. If your TV support RCA, then you can direct your RCA-to-Aux cable to connect the TV to speakers. you can also use RCA-to-RCA cable . This is also applicable to the soundbar.
• Soundbars aren’t tiny speakers anymore. They offer some of the most versatile options and increase their setup to 5.1 or 7.1.4 setups. To connect soundbars to TV, you can use the best method which is HDMI connection. It also supports optical, Aux as well.

Method 4: Bluetooth

This is very easy if you are using Bluetooth speakers. you can directly connect speakers to the TV with a Bluetooth connection without the need for any additional wires.

Method 5: Hub

You can also use a hub to connect speakers to the TV. Between active or passive hubs, active ones are smarter but for this case, you can use the cheaper passive hub.

How To Connect 5.1 Speaker To TV Without Amplifier?

Till now we mostly talked about 2.0 speakers, that is just a pair of active or passive speakers. what if you want to create a home theater and connect it directly to your TV? If you are wondering, ‘how to connect 5.1 speakers to TV without amplifier’, then we have solution for that too.

Powered Speaker Systems:

How to connect surround sound to TV without HDMI? Well, look for powered surround sound systems. You can check the GPX HT050B 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System . This has 5 speakers and a subwoofer. You can connect this 5.1 speakers to TV without amplifier or receiver.

They have RCA inputs through which you can connect TV to the 5.1 speaker system easily.  What if your modern TV doesn’t support RCA? Then you can easily use an RCA-to-Aux converter. Some other 5.1 speaker systems are Logitech Z906 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System  or the Acoustic Audio by Goldwood Bluetooth 5.1 Surround Sound System

Connect 5.1 Soundbar To TV Without Amplifier

You are not only limited to 5.1 speakers. Soundbars offer some of the most versatile options where there are rear speakers and additional subwoofer that adds up with the soundbar creating a 5.1 system.

The VIZIO 5.1 soundbars are quite affordable. The SB36512-F6 36” 5.1.2 Channel Home Theater Surround Sound Bar is a good option . You can complete the 5.1 system setup with TV using HDMI connection.

Parting Words:

‘How to connect speakers to TV without receiver?’ this question can come to anyone’s mind who doesn’t want to spend on a receiver or replace a broken one. Some people also don’t have additional space and don’t want to take the hassle of understanding the amplifier or receiver.

The best way to connect speakers to TV without receiver or any additional device is to use active or powered speakers, or soundbars. With soundbars you can create 7.1 or 11.1 systems. However, passive speakers are more versatile and are often thought to produce better audio quality due to large drivers.

Other popular ways include buying the most affordable and small devices like a mini amplifier or a DAC. These connections often need RCA-to-RCA, RCA-to-Aux cables that are very cheap and easy to buy from anywhere.

FAQ

As you leave, we hope that our parting gift i.e this FAQ section will bring a smile to your face. May it be the first in what is sure to be many adventures of success! Best of luck with your purchase!

Why the speakers don’t have any audio after connecting it to the TV without any receiver?

If you have completed connection is one of the appropriate method described above, then you are in the right way. Even after this, if the speakers don’t speak, go to the TV audio settings, then select external speakers.

How to connect home theater to TV without HDMI?

In case you want to connect Home theater receiver to TV without HDMI, you can use RCA cables, Component video cables, composite video cables or a converter. You can use the LiNKFOR converter.