[mikert]

Hi, I have a Panasonic SC-BT230 system, http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/SC-BT230

Can anybody help with a simple solution so I can use headphones with this please. I cannot use the TV's 3.5mm jack as it is tight to the wall and would need to be plugged/unplugged whenever needed.

Mrs is complaining I have my music discs on too loud at night,

Thanks,

Mike.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Can't the TV have the headphone socket switched from the menu to disable the speakers or not, so you wouldn't have to unplug the headphones.

[chrisjr]

There is no simple solution.

The Panasonic system has no output suitable for connecting to headphones, either directly or via an amplifier.

When you say you would need to keep plugging/unplugging the headphones from the TV does that mean that the TV's speakers are muted when a jack is inserted into the socket? I'm tempted to ask if this really matters as surely you would not normally be using the TV's speakers but playing everything via the Panasonic system?

If you never use the TV speakers then one possible solution is to plug a short extension lead into the socket. That way you can leave the extension plugged in and have the socket end in a more convenient position to plug the headphones in.

Some TVs allow you to use headphones and speakers independently so you can select whether the speakers mute when headphones are plugged in and maybe also allow independent volume control of speakers and headphones.

Mind you seems a bit of a pain whatever you do having to use the TV as a headphone amp. Would have been a lot easier had Panasonic fitted some sort of output on their system.

The only other solution is messy. You would need a HDMI splitter connected to the HDMI out of the Panasonic. Feed one splitter out to the TV and the other to a HDMI to analogue audio/video converter such as this

http://www.lindy.co.uk/audio-video-c...er-p7356/s7507

then take the analogue audio outs of the converter into an amplifier to drive the headphones. Or use wireless headphones and plug the converter into the base unit for the headphones, no amplifier needed in that scenario.

[mikert]

Thanks for your replies.

I have tried the TV jack already, when there's anything plugged into the jack, it cuts out the TV speakers (as expected), but on pressing the menu/audio button on TV remote, all the audio functions are greyed out until unplugged again.

I had though I'd found the solution with one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prosteruk-Di...xp_grid_pt_0_0 to fit into the optical out of TV, the trouble is there's only the one optical out of TV (which is connected to the panasonic bd). I've googled looking for some which have an optical through so I can have optical & analogue out but can't find one.

It looks like the HDMI splitter is the only solution then.

Thanks again.

[chrisjr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikert

Thanks for your replies.

I have tried the TV jack already, when there's anything plugged into the jack, it cuts out the TV speakers (as expected), but on pressing the menu/audio button on TV remote, all the audio functions are greyed out until unplugged again.

I had though I'd found the solution with one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prosteruk-Di...xp_grid_pt_0_0 to fit into the optical out of TV, the trouble is there's only the one optical out of TV (which is connected to the panasonic bd). I've googled looking for some which have an optical through so I can have optical & analogue out but can't find one.

It looks like the HDMI splitter is the only solution then.

Thanks again.

There is this as an option

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Neet®-Conver...dp/B00H8T1DJ8/

Plug an HDMI lead from the Panasonic system into the HDMI in on the Neet box and a second lead from the Neet HDMI out to the telly. No splitter required and it extracts and converts the audio on the HDMI in to a socket on the front.

I doubt the 3.5mm jack will drive headphones directly (and probably have no volume control anyway) but with an amplifier of some sort could do the job.

[grahamlthompson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjr

There is this as an option

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Neet®-Conver...dp/B00H8T1DJ8/

Plug an HDMI lead from the Panasonic system into the HDMI in on the Neet box and a second lead from the Neet HDMI out to the telly. No splitter required and it extracts and converts the audio on the HDMI in to a socket on the front.

I doubt the 3.5mm jack will drive headphones directly (and probably have no volume control anyway) but with an amplifier of some sort could do the job.

Should be ideal to connect to a pair of cordless phones base station. The headphones themselves have the amplifier. You can even get surround sound from some headphones that have a digital input (not cheap though).

eg

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-MDRDS65...und+headphones

[chrisjr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grahamlthompson

Should be ideal to connect to a pair of cordless phones base station. The headphones themselves have the amplifier. You can even get surround sound from some headphones that have a digital input (not cheap though).

eg

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-MDRDS65...und+headphones

Very true. Was assuming though that the OP would be using his existing headphones with the unit. Though if he was needing to buy an amplifier just to drive the headphones then cordless headphones could be an option.

An alternative to the above if you only want stereo

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-W...dp/B005SO0OFE/

You can probably get cheaper units but I rate Sennheiser highly for sound quality.

[mikert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjr

There is this as an option

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Neet®-Conver...dp/B00H8T1DJ8/

Plug an HDMI lead from the Panasonic system into the HDMI in on the Neet box and a second lead from the Neet HDMI out to the telly. No splitter required and it extracts and converts the audio on the HDMI in to a socket on the front.

I doubt the 3.5mm jack will drive headphones directly (and probably have no volume control anyway) but with an amplifier of some sort could do the job.

That looks like just the job.

One thing I know I should have mentioned in the opening post though, Mrs has already bought me wireless headphones for Christmas, will this work with all types/makes of wireless headphones?

[grahamlthompson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikert

That looks like just the job.

One thing I know I should have mentioned in the opening post though, Mrs has already bought me wireless headphones for Christmas, will this work with all types/makes of wireless headphones?

Yes they should. The neet box seems to have multiple audio output options.

[chrisjr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikert

That looks like just the job.

One thing I know I should have mentioned in the opening post though, Mrs has already bought me wireless headphones for Christmas, will this work with all types/makes of wireless headphones?

No reason why it shouldn't. It's just an audio output after all. About the only thing that can vary is how much signal level you get out of it. And that just means whether there is enough range on the headphones volume control to get enough noise to keep you happy

But as long as the headphones have a suitable lead to plug into it then should be no problem. I see the converter box comes with an adapter lead from 3.5mm jack to two phono sockets so even if the headphones only have a stereo phono lead for the input you should still be able to plug and play. Even easier if the headphones have a 3.5mm jack plug and can go direct.

[mikert]

That's great news,

Thanks all

[David (2)]

Just an idea, going back to the tv headphone socket - u can buy (very cheaply) right angled adaptors, would this work. The cord would no longer point outwards but down instead.

[chrisjr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by David (2)

Just an idea, going back to the tv headphone socket - u can buy (very cheaply) right angled adaptors, would this work. The cord would no longer point outwards but down instead.

Not sure it would help in this situation as plugging into the headphone socket mutes the speakers and doesn't appear to be any means to change that from what has been posted. So you'd still have the hassle of having to fiddle about round the back of the set trying to find the socket.

[grahamlthompson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjr

Very true. Was assuming though that the OP would be using his existing headphones with the unit. Though if he was needing to buy an amplifier just to drive the headphones then cordless headphones could be an option.

An alternative to the above if you only want stereo

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-W...dp/B005SO0OFE/

You can probably get cheaper units but I rate Sennheiser highly for sound quality.

Second the Sennheiser quality, I used those headphones before buying the Sony surround set I use now. They had a longer range than the Sony digital ones as well.

chris - owe you a vote of thanks, just realised I can use the Neet gadget you found to create a surround output from my Sony AV Reciever Zone 2 HDMI out to create a toslink connection to the Sony phones I linked to previously. means I can listen in surround to any connected kit independently of the main zone - The amp doesn't have a S/Pdif monitor output for the Zone 2 selected source - only analogue stereo.

[chrisjr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grahamlthompson

Second the Sennheiser quality, I used those headphones before buying the Sony surround set I use now. They had a longer range than the Sony digital ones as well.

chris - owe you a vote of thanks, just realised I can use the Neet gadget you found to create a surround output from my Sony AV Reciever Zone 2 HDMI out to create a toslink connection to the Sony phones I linked to previously. means I can listen in surround to any connected kit independently of the main zone - The amp doesn't have a S/Pdif monitor output for the Zone 2 selected source - only analogue stereo.

Just as long as you remember that I found that Neet device from a random bit of googling and have no personal experience of how good, bad or indifferent it is, Caveat emptor as they say

[grahamlthompson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjr

Just as long as you remember that I found that Neet device from a random bit of googling and have no personal experience of how good, bad or indifferent it is, Caveat emptor as they say

I will let you know. Had no issues with Neet kit in the past, seems to do what it says on the tin .

Should have it by tomorrow (Amazon Prime Member).

Amazon have a excellent returns system if it fails to do what it says anyway.

[lamzo10]

I had a similar problem trying to get headphone volume out of a Panasonic TV connected to a Panasonic sound base, tried both the Neet and a CYP de-ember, only to find that the ARC signal from the HDMI wouldn't allow the analogue audio out to function, looking at the minute as though a DAC is my only option

[chrisjr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamzo10

I had a similar problem trying to get headphone volume out of a Panasonic TV connected to a Panasonic sound base, tried both the Neet and a CYP de-ember, only to find that the ARC signal from the HDMI wouldn't allow the analogue audio out to function, looking at the minute as though a DAC is my only option

That would be because ARC works in a way that these units are not designed to handle.

They work by extracting the audio signal embedded in the video signals appearing on the HDMI IN socket. ARC appears as a separate pair of wires on the HDMI OUT socket of the device (as that is the one connected to the TV).

There is no technical reason why a box of this type cannot be designed to extract audio from either source. Just that I don't know of one off the top of my head.

[grahamlthompson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grahamlthompson

I will let you know. Had no issues with Neet kit in the past, seems to do what it says on the tin .

Should have it by tomorrow (Amazon Prime Member).

Amazon have a excellent returns system if it fails to do what it says anyway.

First the good news.

Box worked as expected, bad news though the toslink output failed after about 15 minutes (no optical led output). HDMI throughput continues to work. Awaiting replacement box.

[chrisjr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grahamlthompson

First the good news.

Box worked as expected, bad news though the toslink output failed after about 15 minutes (no optical led output). HDMI throughput continues to work. Awaiting replacement box.

Pain in the wotsits! Shame the headphones don't have a coax digital in you could have tried