Big Telly - small problem !

[#1]

Or maybe a big problem.... ok... so we have this new big 42" telly !... great pic... love it to bits..  missus is chuffed with it... and so am I!..

I have got some music videos prepared to view/listen to, saved on a USB memory stick...  ( checked them out on the older telly, and they are fine).  I would like to watch listen to them after the missus has gone to bed... so I would have to use my `phones for the sound.... not a problem  got a nice long extension lead,.... however, the place to plug in the phone extension lead, as tucked away about 9 inches from the edge of the screen,...

and difficult to get to,... ( cant even see the hole, when I try to fiddle around to plug it in cos my hand gets in the way)... so I thought... hah... get a short extension lead and plug it in,,... leave it there, and I can then plug in my long extension when I want to..  then, I thought... ah but......... plugging in the phones ( or anything ) to that socket will probably switch off the sound to the internal speakers...  ... so that idea is in abeyance at the moment.

Other connections on the side panel connector....

I reckon there would be enough output to cope with a couple of small speakers, but not sure if I would need to have them "powered" separately.

EDIT EDIT.... just checked with another telly,... there is no sound, by  just plugging in one speaker... so will need a powered set ...

I don`t want to go the "soundbar" route... as that would be a waste of money and far too much for missus to cope with on a day to day basis, as she has the volume turned down quite low, as her hearing is very good.. ( I have the subtitles on, when watching, so not a problem to me )

What I am thinking of, is something simple, that would mean the short extension lead is plugged in permanently, then having a split lead for a pair of small speakers to "hang" from the back of the telly out of sight, to give enough sound for missus,.. ( which would probably be better than the internal speakers anyway ! ! ! !)...  . I could then "pull the speaker" connection from the short extension lead, and plug in my phones.... this would be the neatest of solutions..

There is a gap about 3 to 4 inches between the wall and the back of the telly, and I could easily form some kind of bracket for them to just clip over the top edge of the telly. 

Any suggestions welcome, Please, .

Thanks...

[#2]

Cable tie and stick on "holder" to position the extension cable at the correct point. Then when you want to listen via headphones, plug them in and push the plug in, pull it mostly out to go back to tv.
I went the soundbar route but only when watching some things like movies.
I also need the sound turned up compared to SHMBO.

[#3]

I gave up on corded headphones some years ago as cannot sit comfortably with the cord and even forgot it and walked out the room with the headphones being pulled off me.

Why not get a cheapish Bluetooth adaptor.

I now use a pair of Sony DR- BTN200 wireless headphones but any Bluetooth headphones will do and saves the hassle of plugging/unplugging them.

[#4]

I have to agree with Mav, wireless would be the way to go. 

[#5]

Having said that it looks like @shutter's TV has only one USB so if he want to listen to/watch stuff on his USB stick he'll have to get an adaptor something like this?

[#6]

@HairyMcbiker  Seems to have grasped it,... but it would still be tricky to do, especially if I pulled the plug all the way out.. .

The idea is to be able to "mute" the sound, when she is in bed, and I can watch and listen on my phones... so I don`t think Bluetooth adapter would be any good...

I already have a pair of bluetooth phones... but use them wired on my laptop, as the bluetooth seems to have a delay on another application that I use...

I also have a pair of RF wireless phones, that I use with my laptop, when I am upstairs but want to listen to my music on the laptop.(downstairs)

@Mav suggestion of a splitter for the USB has brought to mind something like this....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Portable-USB-Multimedia-Stereo-Speakers-System-For-PC-Laptop-Computer-Desk...

USB powered, with a separate audio lead... If I use a "3.5mm twin spliter"   in the original socket,  and @Mav idea of a USB splitter, I think that would work.    The speakers should sit on the mantle shelf just below the telly, and have their own on/off volume control , and the phones can be plugged into the short extension as required... ( switching off the speakers when phones in use )..

There is a slim USB soundbar for similar price, that would "lodge" behind the top of the telly on the bracket, but unfortunately, the audio feed to that is also on the same USB cabling....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/White-Digital-Media-Sound-Bar-PC-Speaker-Wired-USB-Powered-For-Laptop-iPho...

[#7]

Small mirror mounted below the sockets so that you can see what you are up to, or a smartphone in magnifier mode held in the other hand to show you where you are.

[#8]

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@shutter wrote:

... so I thought... hah... get a short extension lead and plug it in,,... leave it there, and I can then plug in my long extension when I want to..  then, I thought... ah but......... plugging in the phones ( or anything ) to that socket will probably switch off the sound to the internal speakers...  ... so that idea is in abeyance at the moment.

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Maybe, maybe not ..... our (oldish) set has a setting so that the phones output is either controlled by the set volume and mutes the internal speakers or has a fixed level output, which I use with phones with their own volume control. Unfortunately, using the handset to mute the TV always mutes the phones!

Phil

[#9]

@PeeGee  your post has prompted me to try it ... and yes... it does mute the "onboard" speakers...  so, it`s looking like  USB powered speakers, with a "line jack" from the phones oulet.. and hopefully the speakers I find, will have a phone socket on them, which mutes the speakers...

Thanks for all the input fella`s... as always... much appreciate the community spirit. 

[#10]

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@shutter wrote:

much appreciate the community spirit. 

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I'll have some of that with ice and slice

[#11]

Having done some searching on various "local shopping" sites.. Maplin, Asda, PCworld, I eventually had a look on Ebay, and have ordered these...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191920571286

USB powered, and with a Phone socket on one of them to plug in my external phones... I think this should solve the problem.... Missus wasn`t too happy about external speaker taking up space on "her" mantle shelf, where she has dust collectors  ornaments and photo frames .  I had to explain that the sound quality will be much better, ( I`m happy with it as it is ..... says she )... and that they would not need a lot of space, so she will still be able to have her dust collectors ornaments and photo frames... just in a slightly different location.. !  WIMMIN  Huh !..   ( I hate to think what she would have said, had I ordered a 50watt sound bar with extra woofers and tweeters to be placed all around the room  !  )

[#12]

Actually, those expensive sound bars are only needed because the television is too thin to hold a decent loudspeaker.

[#13]

@VileReynard  is that so ? ? ?  

I thought they were just some kind of "fashion fad"... like running shoes, to get you to the station quicker, in the morning... giving you more time in bed !