You received a nice pair of headphones as a gift and you would like to connect them immediately to your new TV, so you can enjoy a good movie or an episode of one of your favorite TV series without waking up the whole neighborhood. Unfortunately, however, you have never connected modern headphones to a Smart TV: you thought it was enough to find the right jack or press just a few buttons to be able to use them but, in practice, you discovered you were wrong.
If you are having difficulty connecting headphones to TV, you don’t need to fear failure, because I’m here to help you: In the following lines, I’ll show you how to connect headphones to TV wirelessly via Bluetooth or radio receiver, so that you can use the apparatus without having to suffer the disadvantages of close distance to the display, either via cable. In general, it is advisable not to move the wireless headphones more than 10 meters from the transmitter or equipment, in order to maintain good transmission quality and stability.
So, without wasting any more time, make yourself comfortable, take a few minutes of your time and read very carefully everything I have to explain to you in this guide. I’m sure that, among the suggested procedures, you will be able to find the one that best suits your case and brilliantly complete the undertaking you have set for yourself. Having said that, there is nothing left for me to do but wish you a good read and have fun!
Index
- How to connect headphones to TV with Bluetooth
- How to connect headphones to LG TV
- How to connect headphones to samsung tv
- How to connect headphones to Sony TV
- Other systems to connect headphones to the TV
- Bluetooth receiver (wireless)
- RF receiver (wireless)
- 5 mm jack or RCA (cable)
How to connect headphones to TV with Bluetooth
Do you have wireless headphones compatible with Bluetooth technology ? In this case, if you have a television equipped with a Bluetooth connection module, then you can make the direct connection between the latter and your audio device.
The first thing to do, in this case, is to set the Bluetooth headphones in discovery mode , or pairing : this is a particular operating state, in which the headphones are detectable by external devices and ready for pairing to them.
To access it, generally, simply press and hold the power button (with the headphones off) for a few seconds, or until the status LED starts flashing rapidly. On some Bluetooth speaker models, you can enter pairing mode by pressing two or more buttons simultaneously, and holding them down for a few seconds. In any case, the successful entry of the headphones into pairing mode is signaled by a visual or audio feedback.
If you are unable to enable the pairing mode of the headphones by following the instructions I have given you so far, try consulting the user manual of the device in your possession, or searching Google for phrases such as pairing mode [headphone brand and model] .
Once the headphones are set in pairing mode, access the TV configuration menu: generally, you need to press the gear -shaped button on the remote control, or press the Home button and then select the Settings/Menu button from the virtual panel that goes to open up.
Next, go to the section dedicated to audio or devices , choose the Bluetooth menu or option , press the item to associate a new device and wait a few moments for the name of the headphones to appear on the screen. When this happens, select it with the remote control, press the OK/Enter button and wait patiently for the pairing to complete.
If everything went smoothly, the pairing procedure should be completed and the audio from the TV should pass through the headphones. To switch back to the TV speakers, simply turn off the external audio device, or re-enter the audio settings menu and indicate that you want to use the internal speaker as the output device.
Of course, the names of the buttons and menus you see on your TV screen may be different from those shown above, due to the natural differences between one operating system and another. As an example, however, I can show you how to act on modern Smart TVs marketed by some well-known big names in the sector.
How to connect headphones to LG TV
For example, if you have an LG TV with WebOS operating system at your disposal, press the gear symbol visible on the remote control and select the All settings item from the menu that appears superimposed on the screen. Alternatively, press the Home button on the remote control and press the Settings button , visible in the panel that appears.
Now, use the arrow keys on the remote control to reach theAudio> Audio output sections , highlight the LG Sound Sync/Bluetooth wording and press on it to activate it; at this point, press the Select Device/Select device button , wait for the name of the headphones to appear in the dedicated panel and, when this happens, press on it.
To ensure that the audio is restored for listening to the internal speaker, go to the All settings> Audio> TV audio output menu and select the Internal TV speaker item , from the panel that opens. For more info, check out my guide on how to connect speakers to your LG TV .
How to connect headphones to samsung tv
If, on the other hand, you have a Samsung TV , first press the Home or Smart Hub button on the remote control (in the shape of a house or a colored prism ), go to the Settings> Sound sections and open the Audio output menu . At this point, select the Bluetooth Loudspeaker list item , wait for the name of the Bluetooth headset to appear on the screen, select it with the remote control and click OK to complete the procedure.
If you want to go back to playing audio through the TV’s built-in speaker, simply turn off the headphones, or go to the Settings> Audio output menu and select the TV speaker item from among those available. If you have any questions or problems, check out my guide on how to turn on Bluetooth on Samsung TVs .
How to connect headphones to Sony TV
The steps to take to pair a pair of Bluetooth headphones with a Sony TV equipped with Google TV/Android TV are quite similar to those required on Android smartphones (or tablets): first, press the Home button on the remote control, select the Settings button visible on the screen and give OK .
Next, access the Remotes and Accessories/Networks and Accessories menu > Bluetooth Settings > Bluetooth , set the switch located at the top of the screen to the ON position (if necessary) and wait for the name of the headphones to be paired to appear on the screen. When this happens, select it with the remote control, give OK and wait a few more seconds for the connection to be established.
To disconnect the Bluetooth headphones, open the Settings > Remote controls/Networks and accessories > Bluetooth settings > Paired devices sections , select the name of the headphones from the list displayed on the screen and press the Disconnect button located next to it.
Other systems to connect headphones to the TV
Your TV or headphones don’t have Bluetooth connectivity? In this case, you can follow one of the many alternative paths, equally useful for enabling listening to the audio coming from the TV through headphones. Find it all explained below.
Bluetooth receiver (wireless)
Do you have Bluetooth headphones but, alas, your TV does not integrate this type of connectivity? In this regard, you can buy a small adapter designed for the purpose, to be connected to the 3.5 mm jack output of the TV.
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These adapters, powered by an internal rechargeable battery, allow audio from the TV to be transmitted on Bluetooth frequencies: simply connect the adapter to the TV’s headphone output, set the headphones to pairing mode (as I explained in the dedicated chapter ) and press the special button located on the adapter, to finalize the connection.
If, on the other hand, your television only has RCA inputs , you can use another type of adapter powered by an internal battery, the operation of which is completely similar to the one seen a moment ago.
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The only difference concerns the connection method between it and the TV: in this case, all you have to do is use the supplied cables and connect the colored ends to the appropriate input holes of both devices. Once the connection is complete and the headphones are paired with the receiver, go to the audio settings of the TV to specify analog/RCA audio as the output device.
Finally, I point out that devices such as Amazon Fire TV , Apple TV , Chromecast with Google TV and Android TV Box are equipped with native Bluetooth support and therefore allow you to play the audio of their content through headphones of this type. For more information on this, consult my guides dedicated to the devices just mentioned.
RF receiver (wireless)
In addition to Bluetooth headphones, there are other wireless speakers equipped with a dedicated radio frequency (or RF ) receiver : the latter almost always offer greater coverage than Bluetooth headphones, but could be disturbed by the action of other surrounding devices, which use the same frequencies (e.g. baby monitors, walkie-talkies or other similar devices). In fact, this affects the maximum quality that can be obtained during the listening phase.
RF headphones almost always have an independent transmission/recharge base , or a small receiver to be connected to the TV: to establish the connection, insert the jack coming from the base (or the receiver connector) into the appropriate jack output 3.5mm headphones .
Subsequently, you also need to turn on the headphones and, if necessary, adjust them to the same frequency used by the receiver: this can be done by pressing a button or a physical lever , present on both the headphones and the receiver. With a bit of luck, audio transmission to the headphones should start automatically, without requiring any type of additional configuration; If you notice interference, try changing the frequency you are using on the receiver and headphones until you find the ideal setup for your scenario.
Note : some RF receivers can also be connected to the RCA output on the TV but, in this case, audio reproduction must be enabled manually. Find more details in the immediately following paragraph of this guide.
3.5 mm jack or RCA (cable)
Finally, if you particularly care about audio performance, if the TV is located in an area with a high intensity of electronic devices (and therefore potentially subject to interference during wireless communication), or if you have a pair of non-wireless headphones, you can always contact to the dear, old cable .
First of all, make sure that the TV is equipped with a special headphone input, i.e. the classic circular jack hole : the latter is generally found on the front or side of the TV, is identified by a headphones , or Headphones , AUX or H/P and could be hidden behind a protective flap .
Once you have identified the right slot, insert the 3.5 mm headphone jack into it, so as to “hijack” the audio produced by the TV directly into the headphones: no additional configuration should be required. When you’re done, you can start listening to sound through your TV speakers again by simply unplugging your headphones.
If your headphones are equipped with a detachable cable and the latter is too short, you can focus on a longer cable — called AUX — equipped with two identical “male” ends that must be inserted, respectively, into the appropriate headphone inputs and the television .
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If your TV does not have an audio jack input, check if there are RCA type inputs : there are usually three, they are colored red , white and yellow and always measure 3.5 mm. If so, you can still take advantage of the audio jack of the headphones by connecting a special RCA-Jack 3.5 mm female adapter , capable of receiving the audio signal from the RCA inputs present.
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Once you have the adapter, connect the headphone jack to the appropriate input located on it and then connect the RCA output cables to their respective slots on the TV.
However, in this case, audio playback through headphones must be enabled manually: you can do this by going to the TV Settings , accessing the Audio section and setting the RCA or Analog audio output option in the output devices menu . However, keep in mind that although this procedure applies to many TVs on the market, the menu items may vary slightly from model to model.
