[glow9]

Okay so, I'm not too bright in terms of this stuff so bear with me if you would. I'm trying to hook my Samsung TV to my older Logitech 5300e 5.1 speakers. I was going to go with something fancier but the apartment I'm moving into has a small living room and won't need much. I realize the easiest option to hook everything up would be to use one of these Logitech 5.1 Game Console Adapter Convert RCA Plugs (seen in picture below). But is there a way that I could just buy some cheap cables to do the same thing or is there a little circuit board in there doing something?

I'm curious if I could skip the adapter and do this: use a 3.5mm (1/8") Male, 3x Female Stereo Splitter, >>> 3.5mm Stereo to Dual RCA Audio Adapter, to Dual RCA to RCA cables. Maybe it wont work and there needs to be some sort of circuit board telling signals where to go but I figured I should ask.

  +    +  
 
 

I think anyway I do this I lose 5.1 surround and get more of a 5 speaker 2.1 type setup? Maybe someone can confirm.

Thanks!


Logitech adapter picture:

: 

 

[MindsMirror]

You should be able to connect only the front L/R channel. The Logitech manual mentions a "matrix surround mode" setting which is used with a 2 or 4 channel source to play sound out of all the speakers. This is the type of adapter you need.
 
Unless your TV has 5.1 channel audio outputs, you will lose surround sound.

 

[glow9]

My TV's manual says it has the following feature so I am guessing it's stereo but I'm not sure since it does have hdmi as well? 
"SRS TruSurround HD (Off / On) SRS TruSurround HD is a patented SRS technology that solves the problem of playing 5.1 multichannel content over two speakers. TruSurround delivers a compelling, virtual surround sound experience through any two-speaker playback system, including internal television speakers. It is fully compatible with all multichannel formats."
Link to manual: http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/UM/201203/20120322100054092/[LD550-ZA]BN68-04313A-00ENG-0223.pdf
 

So on the back of my sub is where all the inputs are and as the manual mentions the 2,4, and 5.1 settings, I'm guessing I will select 2 like you said unless it does not send anything to my sub. Then I would select 5.1 and hope for the best. I'm running this system in 2.1 right now and I have 5.1 selected and all is fine but its connected to my computer with 3, 3.5mm cables going from my soundcard to the sub connections.

The cable you posted above 6" 3.5mm Stereo Female to 2 RCA Male Y-Cable, I'm thinking I can then hook it up to a Headphone Splitter 5-Way Adapter. The adapter will then have the three 3.5mm cables running to the front, rear, Center/sub, connections on the back of the sub. Basically I wouldn't bother with this at all if it doesn't make use of the sub but. In this video they seem to think this will work what do you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk3_AEj-2H4

 

[PurpleAngel]

  You should be able to connect only the front L/R channel. The Logitech manual mentions a "matrix surround mode" setting which is used with a 2 or 4 channel source to play sound out of all the speakers. This is the type of adapter you need.
 
Unless your TV has 5.1 channel audio outputs, you will lose surround sound.

 
+1, what MindsMirror said.
 
Run a 2.0 channel analog audio signal from the RCA outputs on the Samsung TV to the Front Speaker input (green jack) on the Z5300 and setting the select switch to "2" on the back of the Logitech sub-woofer, will give you an Expanded Stereo audio.
Where the 2.0 signal is expanded to fill all six of the Z5300 speakers with audio.
The Matrix surround sound button on the Z5300's remote does the same thing (giving you Expanded Stereo), but you should not need to use it, as your already set the sub-woofer switch to 2.
 
So you really only need to get the adapter listed by MindsMirror, dual RCA male to 3.5mm stereo female adapter.
 
What is the model of your Samsung TV?

 

[MindsMirror]

The speakers in the video do not have the matrix surround mode setting like your speakers do. With it set to 2 it already does what the 5 way splitter in the video is doing, so since you have the setting, you don't need the splitter. You don't need to connect the black and yellow cables to anything.

 

[glow9]

This one: Samsung LN40E550F7F,  http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/LN40E550F7FXZA-specs
I'm confused why all of these people buy the logitech console adapters then or some people buy the 5 way splitter? I guess my biggest worry is by switching it to two and using the 1 wire above the sub won't get a signal. I'll hit the matrix button then and see what happens. I'm basing this off of the fact that the centre/sub has its own 3.5mm connection but it won't be plugged in only the green front 3.5mm input will be used.You guys are the experts, I'm just being cautious since my stuff isn't in front of you.  

Can I use a 3.5mm Stereo Male to 2 RCA Male Y-Cable and plug directly into my sub or do I need to use the female in? I ask cause apparently I have one sitting here. <- Tried this and doesn't seem to work, looking in manual for hints.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  This one: Samsung LN40E550F7F,  http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/LN40E550F7FXZA-specs
I'm confused why all of these people buy the Logitech console adapters then or some people buy the 5 way splitter? I guess my biggest worry is by switching it to two and using the 1 wire above the sub won't get a signal. I'll hit the matrix button then and see what happens. I'm basing this off of the fact that the centre/sub has its own 3.5mm connection but it won't be plugged in only the green front 3.5mm input will be used.You guys are the experts, I'm just being cautious since my stuff isn't in front of you.  

Can I use a 3.5mm Stereo Male to 2 RCA Male Y-Cable and plug directly into my sub or do I need to use the female in? I ask cause apparently I have one sitting here.

 
Dual RCA male to a 3.5mm stereo plug cable will work just fine.
If we had known you had that cable in the first place we would have recommended you to use it.
 
If our advice does not work, come back and ask for more help.
 
I'm guess those people who spend cash buying the Logitech console adapter think they know it all and do not bother with asking others for advice?
 
What sources do you have that feed a signal to the Samsung TV?

 

[glow9]

   
Dual RCA male to a 3.5mm stereo plug cable will work just fine.
If we had known you had that cable in the first place we would have recommended you to use it.
 
If our advice does not work, come back and ask for more help.
 
I'm guess those people who spend cash buying the Logitech console adapter think they know it all and do not bother with asking others for advice?
 
What sources do you have that feed a signal to the Samsung TV?

Roku 2  via hdmi to the TV, I don't used anything else. Looked at the manual and now I'm at a loss. Usually when I plugged in speakers to a TV in the past the TV's speakers would stop working and signal would go to whatever is plugged in. :/

*update tried them with another TV, Roku and TV's internal dvd player both did not send audio to the logitech speakers. So I'm guessing it's either the cable or the something with the speakers. Here's the cable I'm using I figure it should work? http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/dynex-dynex-7-y-audio-cable-dx-mp3rca7-dx-mp3rca7/10067734.aspx I'll try to pick up a cheap RCA to 3.5mm tomorrow, hopefully it's just a junk cable, found this one nearby http://www.tiptopelectronics.com/home.asp?ProdDetail=44-233

 

[glow9]

Okay so I think I'm headed in the right direction! I am just hoping one of you guys can verify something. Okay so I hooked up my phone to the speakers and they were fine so I was like What mate? So then I contacted ROKU and they were like is the audio going to an in or an out. I assumed it was an IN since I've never not seen a TV with an out before (I did not buy this TV for reference it was a gift to my wifey from her Dad). So I am including a picture of the back of it so you guys can verify this, I thought the red and white RCA's on the left were outs and the 3 on the right were in's. Are all new TV's like this? 

So I asked him about a composite av converter I honestly didn't think composite could do 720p or higher so I figure this is what I can do again please verify if this makes sense. I will have the ROKU's HDMI > composite av converter > I will then hook up a video RCA cable, to the Green/Yellow Y/Video port shown above and use a RCA to 3.5mm Y cable for connecting my speakers. I'm looking on amazon for a RCA converter I'm guessing they are all pretty much the same but it still boggles my mind this TV doesn't have an outs. I figure this is the best option over buying a whole AV receiver since these speakers won't be in 5.1 anyway. 
________________________________________________
ROKU convo:
 
Hi Sean, it's my pleasure to be here with you.

SeanHello, I have a Roku 2, 2015 model. It's connected to my Samsung TV via hdmi. When I plug in RCA speakers to the back of the TV nothing comes out. Is this because the Roku 2 cannot do that?

CA - Raul PI will be more than happy to assist you, but before, may I please have your phone number and the serial number of your ROKU?

Sean############I'll have to go find the serial number

CA - Raul PSure!

Sean##################

CA - Raul PThank you for the information

Are the RCA cables connected to audio in of the TV or audio out?

SeanRoku > TV via hdmi.
TV RCA white and red RCA Y Splitter to 3.5mm to speakers

I'm surprised the TV cannot convert the audio from hdmi to the RCA speakers. So I'm curious if this is because the ROKU cannot.

CA - Raul PBut the speakers are connected to the TV audio in or out?

The Roku send the video and audio to the TV through the HDMI cable, if you want to get the audio from the TV, the withe and red cable needs to be connected to the RCA audio out on the TV

SeanSays Component | AV IN
on the one side the red and white, the other 3 RCA's PR PB Y

So using the red and whitehttp://cnet4.cbsista…sung_LN46E550F_35498309_05.jpg

thats a picture of it

CA - Raul PIf you have the RCA cables connected to the AV IN, that means the TV gonna receive the signal and displayed to the TV

SeanOh I thought the 3 ports on the right were just the In's

So can I use a Composite AV Converter? such as one of these then?http://www.amazon.co…words=+Composite+AV+Converter+

CA - Raul POne moment please!

You can use it

You have to use the yellow cable on the TV and the red and white on the speakers

And that's gonna work

 

[MindsMirror]

Those RCA connections are all inputs. The two on the left are obviously audio inputs. The three on the right are component video (not to be confused with composite) which can do 720p. You can also use only the yellow one labeled Y/video for composite video (again, different from component) which does not do HD.
 
Do not buy a HDMI to composite AV converter, or HDMI to component video converter. What you need is a HDMI audio extractor/converter so you can still use HDMI input for 1080p video. It extracts the digital audio signal from the HDMI, converts it to analog and outputs it to a 3.5mm or RCA output. It will also pass the HDMI video signal straight through to a HDMI output.

 

[glow9]

  Those RCA connections are all inputs. The two on the left are obviously audio inputs. The three on the right are component video (not to be confused with composite) which can do 720p. You can also use only the yellow one labeled Y/video for composite video (again, different from component) which does not do HD.
 
Do not buy a HDMI to composite AV converter, or HDMI to component video converter. What you need is a HDMI audio extractor/converter so you can still use HDMI input for 1080p video. It extracts the digital audio signal from the HDMI, converts it to analog and outputs it to a 3.5mm or RCA output. It will also pass the HDMI video signal straight through to a HDMI output.

Oh okay, wasn't sure since I saw ROKU's mentioned in comments of some of the converters. This TV only has 720p but I can look for an extractor for down the road. Just so I understand your first statement. The 3 on the right are component, the yellow one is the one I would use but can only do 720p?
It gets confusing since you have 3 different video component inputs I'm guessing for their own unique gear, but they use the same cables as composite which is again something else. I'm branching out beyond my headphone / computer audio comfort zone so thanks for the help folks. 

So for the HDMI Extractor the key thing I'm looking for is a hdmi in, hdmi, out, and 2 RCA cable outs right?
Example http://www.amazon.ca/Panlong%C2%AE-Optical-Extractor-Converter-Splitter/dp/B00ISQ8VB8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439050878&sr=8-1&keywords=HDMI+audio+extractor+converter

 

[MindsMirror]

Composite video contains the entire video signal on one RCA connection. Component video uses three connections for video, one is for luminance and two are for chroma. To get 720p using the RCA connections you need to use all three component video connections. If you use just the yellow one, that is composite which does not do 720p. But you don't need to use them since you can use HDMI. The product you linked should work perfectly. It would be better if it had 3.5mm stereo output instead of RCA for the audio so you don't need the RCA to 3.5mm adapter.

 

[glow9]

  Composite video contains the entire video signal on one RCA connection. Component video uses three connections for video, one is for luminance and two are for chroma. To get 720p using the RCA connections you need to use all three component video connections. If you use just the yellow one, that is composite which does not do 720p. But you don't need to use them since you can use HDMI. The product you linked should work perfectly. It would be better if it had 3.5mm stereo output instead of RCA for the audio so you don't need the RCA to 3.5mm adapter.

I just thought of something, if I use one of these because the audio is still going to the TV via hdmi I will be playing audio from the TV as well as the speakers. I want to be able to control the audio via the remote but totally circumvent the TV's ****ty ****ty speakers. I could mute the TV but I would need to control the speakers volume via the knob on the sub.

That being said I if I used a hdmi converter to composite I wouldn't be able to adjust the speakers with my remote either I would not think since only video is going in and I cannot control the audio with the ROKU remote either. 

Well this is totally screwy, I'm glad I didn't pick up an amp and two new Micca speakers for stereo. Is this how all new TV's are you just have to mute them and control the audio via your home theater/ receivers remote? Or is this just a stupid feature on my TV without any audio outs? I honestly have barely watched TV in the last 10 years so I really haven't kept up on the features. Computer monitors totally different story.

 

 

[MindsMirror]

I was just thinking, now that we know you can't use stereo audio output from your TV, you could buy a 5.1 channel HDMI audio decoder/extractor if surround sound is important to you.
 
This is the first one I saw on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/ViewHD-Extractor-Decoder-Headphone-VHD-H2HADi/dp/B00L0XIHEC
It has RCA outputs so you would need three RCA to 3.5mm adapters. You may be able to find one with 3.5mm connections already.

 

[glow9]

I was just thinking, now that we know you can't use stereo audio output from your TV, you could buy a 5.1 channel HDMI audio decoder/extractor if surround sound is important to you.


 


This is the first one I saw on amazon.


http://www.amazon.com/ViewHD-Extractor-Decoder-Headphone-VHD-H2HADi/dp/B00L0XIHEC


It has RCA outputs so you would need three RCA to 3.5mm adapters. You may be able to find one with 3.5mm connections already.

 


All of these options really don't seem to work out. I guess the days of plugging in your speakers to a TV and having the TV's speakers get cut off are over. Any of these converters I would use with speakers I could not use a remote which is pointless. Heck I'd be happy with a 3.5mm jack on the TV at this point. Netflix streams in Dolby Digital Plus that's the only way I can get surround, surround wasn't a huge deal honestly but not having to hear my TV's speakers and and using a remote was key. I'm looking at receiver, home theater, sound bar options now with hdmi in and out so I can crank my TV's volume to 0, but seriously finding DD+ in their details is such a pain.