After finishing much of the current remodeling project I purchased several smaller flat screen LCD HDTV, a 19" Samsung, a 19" LG and a 23" LG that also can double as a computer monitor. All of these sets have absolutely TERRIBLE sound. I'm not expecting anything I could remotely call "high fidelity"from these sets but the sound is really bad. What's more interesting is that as the volume level is lowered (which is where I need it most of the time) the sound gets really "buzzy", almost Kazoo-like. I've changed all the audio settingsa number of times and it really doesn't make much difference. Anyone else experiencing this? And what's going on that the sound gets so bad at low volume levels?

My guess is, along with the ongoing cheapening for the "good enough for less" crowd, as well as flat panel tv's do not allow for the enclosure to double as space for proper sized speakers and the air space within, used to create a fuller sound.

However, even with my last CRT, while the internal speakers were quite good and even had licenced a BBE circuit, the output line from it was so noisy, it rendered it useless to chain through.

Now on my new Samsung LCD, while they have decent RCA outputs to connect to my pre, it doesn't do variable out, so I can't control the volume with my TV remote and last I checked a remote for the McIntosh C26, will never exist.

 My Samsung 50" Plasma has mediocre sound, especially for a $1500+ unit.  The audio outs were fine when run through my vintage Sansui.  Of course, now that I run my source inputs to my AVR it is a moot point.

dollar bill:

My guess is, along with the ongoing cheapening for the "good enough for less" crowd, as well as flat panel tv's do not allow for the enclosure to double as space for proper sized speakers and the air space within, used to create a fuller sound.

However, even with my last CRT, while the internal speakers were quite good and even had licenced a BBE circuit, the output line from it was so noisy, it rendered it useless to chain through.

I replaced it with a 32" Hi-Def Bravia Sony, which has a thin flat LCD screen and small VERY shallow cavities at the bottom that can hardly hold more than automotive speakers.  The sound was so AWFUL that I couldn't STAND it!  I think it was mostly electronics distortion from terrible amplifiers.  The baseline distortion level was so high I couldn't turn it down because the distortion made even voices unclear, and I couldn't turn it up because I couldn't stand the lousy, irritating quality.

The only solution I could find: a $990 pair of 13"-high Polk speakers (great sound, good deep bass) which I fastened to the wall next to the TV cabinet, and an Arcam integrated amp which was shallow enough to fit behind the TV.

Fortunately, the Bravia has remote-adjustable volume, so remotes work just fine.  HT it ain't (I don't have room for surround speaks), but I'm quite happy with it.  The Polks have a nice dark cherry wood, and black grill cloth and black plastic tops, so people don't notice them.  They produce full frequency range by hanging only 1" away from the wall, as designed.

Too bad TV manufacturers put such a pathetic emphasis on quality sound.  It's market manipulation IMO to force people to buy HT amps and speaks instead of putting all good innards into the TV chassis.

I just replace the old CRT television in my son's room with a Samsung LCD. Nice picture, weird sound. Sound and picture inputs "get there" via his receiver. Normally the sound is turned off/down and I just have the receiver provide the sound to the K'horns in the room. Well I tried to turn the TV sound up to "mimic" a center channel and it was very strange. There was a time delay and it sounded like I was in an empty football stadium! LOLOL!!! In any event, the volume on the TV was turned back down to "0".... By itself (receiver turned down), it's not too bad for watching his xbox game, etc., but when compared to old time TV speakers it is not, shall we say, up to any standard any more..

Groomlakearea51:

There was a time delay and it sounded like I was in an empty football stadium! LOLOL!!! In any event, the volume on the TV was turned back down to "0"....

Same problem with mine.

Hmm, yet another reason for me to hold off buying a new TV.  The audio from my old JVC CRT is just fine (for a TV) and so is the sound from the bedroom Sony Vega TV, a flat-screen CRT.  In both cases, I run audio from the TV Audio Out to the AV receiver and have no complaints.  It's sometimes convenient to be able to just turn on the TV and use its speakers, without having to turn on the sound system.

With the bedroom TV, I only use the receiver when listening to music, or if I'm watching a show with music being performed (or watching a movie, of course), so most listening is with the TV's speakers.

LarryC:

dollar bill:

My guess is, along with the ongoing cheapening for the "good enough for less" crowd, as well as flat panel tv's do not allow for the enclosure to double as space for proper sized speakers and the air space within, used to create a fuller sound.

However, even with my last CRT, while the internal speakers were quite good and even had licenced a BBE circuit, the output line from it was so noisy, it rendered it useless to chain through.

My experience too.  I had a 27" WEGA Sony that had TERRIFIC sound, and, yes, there was plenty of room in that chassis for fine, fully baffled speakers and good, wide-range amps.

I replaced it with a 32" Hi-Def Bravia Sony, which has a thin flat LCD screen and small VERY shallow cavities at the bottom that can hardly hold more than automotive speakers.  The sound was so AWFUL that I couldn't STAND it!  I think it was mostly electronics distortion from terrible amplifiers.  The baseline distortion level was so high I couldn't turn it down because the distortion made even voices unclear, and I couldn't turn it up because I couldn't stand the lousy, irritating quality.

The only solution I could find: a $990 pair of 13"-high Polk speakers (great sound, good deep bass) which I fastened to the wall next to the TV cabinet, and an Arcam integrated amp which was shallow enough to fit behind the TV.

Fortunately, the Bravia has remote-adjustable volume, so remotes work just fine.  HT it ain't (I don't have room for surround speaks), but I'm quite happy with it.  The Polks have a nice dark cherry wood, and black grill cloth and black plastic tops, so people don't notice them.  They produce full frequency range by hanging only 1" away from the wall, as designed.

Too bad TV manufacturers put such a pathetic emphasis on quality sound.  It's market manipulation IMO to force people to buy HT amps and speaks instead of putting all good innards into the TV chassis.

"The baseline distortion level was so high I couldn't turn it down because the distortion made even voices unclear, and I couldn't turn it up because I couldn't stand the lousy, irritating quality."

I think you hit it right on the head Larry. In particular, voice is extremely bad especially at low volume. I'm not positive, but I think this is probably a fine example of amplifiers that have "lower distortion" at higher levels, something we all know works real well on the test bench but has no bearing on reality.

And since my remodeling included new hardwood floors, the rooms are much more reverberent making this all the more irritating. Considering these sets are simply for office desks and kitchen there is no need to turn up the volume just so it doesn't sound so terrible.

"Too bad TV manufacturers put such a pathetic emphasis on quality sound.  It's market manipulation IMO to force people to buy HT amps and speaks instead of putting all good innards into the TV chassis."

Excellent point that I hadn't thought of. Unfortunately you're probably right-on about this one too.

As a side note, the Samsungs went back & exchanged for LG. I have a 61" Samsung LED DLP set which has a fantastic picture ~ extremely enjoyable. So I reasoned that I'd go with Samsung on the smaller LCD sets. No Way. No matter what I did I couldn't get the picture to "look right", especially with SD signals, HD was OK. It's amazing how one company can excel at one kind of product at the high-end of the market but their smaller sets stink, yet they think they can still charge a premium!

artto:

No matter what I did I couldn't get the picture to "look right", especially with SD signals, HD was OK.

Islander:

artto:

No matter what I did I couldn't get the picture to "look right", especially with SD signals, HD was OK.

That may not be a Samsung problem, but an HD TV problem.  Most people with HD TVs, no matter which brand, find the picture is terrible on non-HD channels.  That's one of the other reasons I haven't bought an HD unit yet.

I generally agree with your assessment but I don't have this problem on the 61", maybe partially due to the cable set top box upsampling the video to 720i or 1080i. But even before the digital cable box was installed, the SD pictures never looked as bad as on the 61" as on the 19" & 22" Samsungs. You would think the smaller sets would produce a sharper picture at the same (supposed) resolution but it didn't. The SD picture, especially on facial/skin tones looked very "flat", like it was composed of only 3 or 4 color tones, no shadows, that kind of thing, almost like a bad "paint by number" painting. The LG aren't quite as bad (and less expensive). Keep in mind my smaller sets are simply hooked up directly to cable, no set top box, so the only HD channels are those that are normally broadcast over-the-air.

With the set top cable box and digital HD service (Comcast) on the large Samsung the picture is absolutely fantastic. IMO anyone who purchases an HDTV really needs to consider also upgrading to HD cable or satellite. Without that they're not going to utilize much of what they paid for in that HDTV. For me, these little sets, like the one in my office, are primarily used for business news (CNBC, Bloomberg) during the day, niether of which are in HD here anyway, which is why this became an issue for me.

The sound however is something else. I don't think I ever even had transistor radio when I was a kid that sounded this lousy, especially at low volume.

Pah, you call this a problem? I bought a 42 inch LG with the catchy title 42LG5000. Supposedly - according to the reviews this has great sound from invisible speakers. According to me - the speakers are invisible - correct - the sound is dreadful - and I mean diabolically bad.

Worse - there are no analogue audio outputs on the TV - just a digital out (optical). Funnily enough my tube amp doesn't have an optical in - so that is as much use to me as a gold plated tuba.

With a hell of a lot of cabling and some rather clever tricks I can now get the output from all my sources (and there are a lot of them) out to the stereo - but sometimes there is a slight pause as I try to remember how the hell I get the sound from a given source.

Needless to say my old 32 nich Sony had both great sound from its attached speakers (which could also stand alone if required) and an analogue audio out.

To be fair - the new TV does have an astounding picture on HD sources - but god knows why they even bother pretending it offers sound. It also has about 6 sound settings - bad, worse, attrocious, drunk under water, after the explosion and even deaf people complain - but they use other names - like cinema, clear voice and such like.

Max, that's hilarious!

It would be interesting to see what percentage of people actually listen to audio through their TV.  Personally I haven't listened to any kind of audio through my last two TVs and it is the absolute last thing I consider when buying one.  

• Are they trying to simulate the distorted standard computer or MP3 sound?  "Ears will become habituated to inaccurate sound," PWK 
• This is just another sign of the arrogant contempt that too many manufacturers have for the consumer.
• We will be getting a digital flat screen for our bedroom, and it had BETTER have good clean stereo analog outs!  Right now, we are using Klipsch promedia with carefully padded down T35 (AKA K-77) tweeters, and they sound amazingly good, believe it or not.  Either the TV program material is better than in the past, or we just haven't had halfway decent speakers and poweramps on a TV in a long, long time.  Actually, when I was in high school and the first year of college (c1960) we had an RCA table top set (mono) playing through a JBL D130/o75 combo in a Karlson horn loaded enclosure, and I had wired in a Centralab continuously variable loudness control, with switches that gave one a choice between flat treble, or a maximum  8 or 12 dB boost up there -- I could make nearly any TV program or movie sound pretty good with that thing and all those choices.     Can anyone recommend a smallish HDTV flatscreen with L and R RCA audio outs, so we can bypass the probably distorted TV power amp stages?
• Max, I have a garage full of languishing gold plated tubas (McIntosh, Dyna, Luxman, Crown, EV)

maxg:

sometimes there is a slight pause as I try to remember how the hell I get the sound from a given source.

Needless to say my old 32 nich Sony had both great sound from its attached speakers (which could also stand alone if required) and an analogue audio out.

To be fair - the new TV does have an astounding picture on HD sources - but god knows why they even bother pretending it offers sound. It also has about 6 sound settings - bad, worse, attrocious, drunk under water, after the explosion and even deaf people complain - but they use other names - like cinema, clear voice and such like.