Can you connect a speaker to a TV?
Matthew Barrera
Published May 08, 2026
Can you connect a speaker to a TV?
Most TVs do, however, provide audio outputs that allow you to connect them to self-powered (computer) speakers, a small external amplifier, or a home stereo receiver. The types of speaker system electronics & cables you need depend on your TV’s output jacks.
What kind of Jack do I need to connect speakers to my TV?
There’s no standard set of TV audio outputs, although most have RCA (stereo) jacks, a 3.5mm jack, digital optical/coaxial jacks, or something similar. For TVs with only an HDMI output jack, it’s still possible to connect an external set of speakers or amp. In that case, you’ll need an HDMI audio extractor that provides RCA output jacks.
How can I connect a Blu ray player to my speakers?
If you are using a set-top DV-R or Digital Cable box, you can use the HDMI or TOSLINK outputs that you can use to connect to your speakers. If you are using a DVD or Blu-ray player, odds are they still have RCA outputs. In this case, you can connect the HDMI for the video output and the RCA for the audio output to the speakers.
How can I get sound from my computer to my TV?
As you can see from my diagram above, there are 4 main ways to get sound by using external TV speakers. These are: Using a computer (self-powered) speaker set. This may need a 3.5mm to RCA adapter cable. Using a mini amplifier for powering small bookshelf style or other home stereo speakers.
Most TVs do, however, provide audio outputs that allow you to connect them to self-powered (computer) speakers, a small external amplifier, or a home stereo receiver. The types of speaker system electronics & cables you need depend on your TV’s output jacks.
There’s no standard set of TV audio outputs, although most have RCA (stereo) jacks, a 3.5mm jack, digital optical/coaxial jacks, or something similar. For TVs with only an HDMI output jack, it’s still possible to connect an external set of speakers or amp. In that case, you’ll need an HDMI audio extractor that provides RCA output jacks.
As you can see from my diagram above, there are 4 main ways to get sound by using external TV speakers. These are: Using a computer (self-powered) speaker set. This may need a 3.5mm to RCA adapter cable. Using a mini amplifier for powering small bookshelf style or other home stereo speakers.
If you are using a set-top DV-R or Digital Cable box, you can use the HDMI or TOSLINK outputs that you can use to connect to your speakers. If you are using a DVD or Blu-ray player, odds are they still have RCA outputs. In this case, you can connect the HDMI for the video output and the RCA for the audio output to the speakers.
