Sony KD-55AF9 digital output volume control

[khaeid2]

Hi,

I intend to connect the digital output, optical or HDMI ARC, to an external sound system, that most likely will not have it's own volume control, I will not be using AV receiver.

Is it possible to change the audio level from any of these outputs by changing the volume in the TV using the normal up/down volume control on the remote?

[rooobb · Accepted solution]

I'm not aware of any sound system that does not have its own volume control, anyway via HDMI-ARC you'll be able to fully control it (or at least the volume and switching on/off) while via optical no

[khaeid2]

I got this one, it's Optical to Stereo, unfortunately this is the one I ordered for now

But Probably I should try this then 

[rooobb]

I did not understand what is the actual setup you want to create...

Those devices only split the digital signal coming from the tv into analogue, than you'll need in any case an amplifier to drive your speaker and this will be the one who will control the volume. None of those devices will receive or change the volume. AFAIK

[khaeid2]

I already have active (powered) speakers, I am sound engineer, I do not like the normal Hi-Fi, speakers sound or the TV built in sound

I have Genelec powered speakers for L&R, compatible powered Genelec Subwoofer, and few powered studio speakers for surround, so I need to connect line level audio to them, a signal which I should be able to change volume before the extraction

[rooobb]

Wow kind of expensive pieces

Did you check on their own forum? https://www.community.genelec.com/web/guest/forum/-/message_boards/message/912409#/

BTW i do not want to write an heresy since you are more expert than me, but until you have only L&R speaker you could enjoy them by simply connecting them with a correct cable (3.5 jack to XLR ) from the headphone out of the tv.... Obviously not anymore when you'll have the full system since over there you'll get only stereo output

[khaeid2]

ah Thanx, I did not think this would be discussed in Genelec forum.

I will try to get this with least equipment needed, AV receiver will be my last solution 

[khaeid2]

a question, the ARC in the TV, can it be connected to non ARC device and use it to transfer audio out of the TV?

[royabrown2]

@khaeid2 

If you connect the HDMI cable from the ARC-enabled HDMI input/output on the TV to a device that doesn’t understand ARC, the TV will detect this and not supply ARC.

But I think you are on the right track with the optical out, since if you go into the relevant Audio menu on the TV, you should find that you can both set a suitable volume level on the Optical Out, and then choose whether that is a fixed level, or whether it can be varied by the volume control on the remote.

As here:-

https://helpguide.sony.net//tv/daep1/v1/en/04-04_02.html

Slightly confusingly, it talks about Headphones/Audio Out, which kind of makes it sound like it doesn’t apply, but it does, as you will be controlling Audio Out here.

I’m hoping setting these will mute your TV speakers, but if not, a trick I have used in the past is to put a 3.5mm stereo jack with no cable attached to it in the headphones socket on a TV; the mere presence of this is enough to make the TV switch to headphones out instead of speakers out, thus muting it. Though this doesn’t work on every TV.

I’m pretty sure I got my 2015 Sony Android TV to work the way I wanted through optical into a surround system with no ARC though, much as above.

Though there, the surround system did at least have Optical In. For surround, you will need a gizmo like the HDMI to HDMI device you pictured, but with Optical to 5.1 RCAs, instead of the Optical to stereo (2.0) in your first picture. But if you get it working in stereo with the device you have, this will be a good proof of concept, and then you can maybe hunt down a 5.1 splitter, like this one:-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Adapter-Decoder-Optical-Coaxial/dp/B00AZHNXNO

I’ll be interested to hear how you get on. 

[khaeid2]

Thank you for your reply.

1- I was able to get stereo sound using Optical output with the small optical/Analogue 2.0 device I got

2- as you mentioned whether I choose audio system or TV speakers, the optical will always output sound, so I did think of using the dummy jack in the headphones

3- I heard and read a lot about the Fixed/Variable headphone and how it affects the optical output, but very strangely I could not find this setting anywhere in my AF9, maybe they removed this setting from the latest software, or maybe I am searching in the wrong place

4- I wanted to get what you suggested, but then I found this, and unfortunately I have to use this as I am not able to find the variable headphone settings

https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B07QD3P3WQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1