KD49XH8505 Internal speakers and headphones at the same time ?

[swebb99uk]

Hi there,

Just a bit of help really. I've ordered a KD49XH8505 for my parents and it has just struck me I might have an issue with sound on the TV. My father is hard of hearing and on his existing TV he can use wireless headphones which the base unit connects to the TV via the headphone jack and my mother can still hear the TV speakers. Reading the manual it now looks like the KD49XH8505 can't do this and the speakers will be muted.

Can this TV be setup to allow the sound through bluetooth headphones and the built in speakers at the same time. It's not really clear from the online manual !

Thanks

[royabrown2]

@swebb99uk 

No, you can’t do it as standard, but you could get an inexpensive optical to Bluetooth sender off Amazon, and run the headphones off that. Optical out is always on, and not affected by speaker settings,

One word of caution though; are you sure his headphones are Bluetooth, which not all wireless headphones are? Bluetooth headphones don’t usually run off a minijack connection.

If they aren’t Bluetooth, they will likely have their own wireless sender, so you will need to get an ‘optical to analogue minijack socket’ audio sender, like this:-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Converter-Techole-Aluminum-Digital-Toslink-Black/dp/B07MB8VCWQ/ref=sr_1_8?d...

instead of ‘optical to Bluetooth’, and plug the headphones’ dedicated sender into that, just as if he were still using the headphone Jack on the TV.

[swebb99uk]

@royabrown2 

Ah great thanks for that you are correct they are wireless but the base unit connected via the headphone jack on their old Panasonic which allows the speaker and headphones to be on at the same time.

So the optical out is always on then! I wasn't sure about that because I did consider using a DAC but it looked as though the TV turned the optical out off if the output was configured for speakers. I wasn't sure really because item 5 in this link seemed to imply that it might not and the manual for the TV implied it might not also. Is this something to do with just outputting PCM and there is no feedback to the TV to inform it a soundbar is being used or something like that ?

So basically I just need one of those boxes, leave it connected to the TV speakers and headphone base unit and whenever the TV is turned on it will output to the TV and a data stream to the DAC unit which will also output a analog signal to the base unit, is that correct ?

Thanks again

[royabrown2]

@swebb99uk 

The link you give, under Troubleshooting, says 

• Some TVs require that the internal speakers be turned off before outputting the audio signal to another device. This step turns off the internal speakers.

There is also a comment there that maybe not every HDMI input goes out over Optical.

So we should ask @Peter_S, perhaps, if these things apply to the KD49XH8505 or not; the manuals that come with Sony Android TVs fall far short of the level of detail required, and the web guides tend to be too generic to give a specific answer.

[swebb99uk]

@Peter_S. 

Hi Peter,

I've been told you might be able to answer my question as the online manual isn't really that clear.

Do you know if the optical out on the KD49XH8505 will continue to send a signal when the TV speakers are on ? Basically my father is hard of hearing so my mother usually listens via the TV speakers and my father has a wireless headset that he would normally plug in to the headphone socket. As the KD49XH8505 doesn't allow the speakers to play when a headphone is connected @royabrown2  mentioned that  I could connect a converter on the optical out which would play through a headphone 3.5mm output. This obviously only works if the TV will output PCM or any signal via the optical port if the speakers are still on.

Thanks

Steve

[swebb99uk]

Just an update, I took the plunge and opened the box and set the TV up and connected a DAC I had bought and can confirm that by default it plays through the speakers and sends a signal down the optic cable, so all good.

Thanks

[royabrown2]

@swebb99uk 

Excellent result!

AAMOI, can you provide a link to the DAC you had success with?

[swebb99uk]

Yes @royabrown2  the DAC I bought was this one which so far workers perfectly and is clear as a bell

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08318WQWR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 

Thanks for your help

Steve

[royabrown2]

@swebb99uk 

Thanks - I’ve made a note of it.

I like the volume control, giving you a choice of how you control the volume, though I expect you will set it once to something ‘about right’ and then fine tune with the headphones volume control.

Glad it works well!