# How to connect HDTV to vintage Marantz receiver



## chrisfitzt (Nov 4, 2013)

First time here, and If I have breached posting protocol somehow, my apologies.
I have some questions for those of you who’ve kept up with electronics technology better than I have for the last couple of decades. 

First, I would really like to marry old and new technology by running the sound from my new Samsung flat screen tv (un39fh5000) through my old (and loved) Marantz 2270 receiver. I also have a Samsung blu-ray player. I don’t have a cable box – the only source for the tv signal is the blu-ray. 

Links to photos of the backs of the tv and receiver are below, so you can see what connections are possible (and not). 

Back of the TV: Support - LED TV UN39FH5000F | Samsung TVs. 

Back of the Marantz 2270: 
Marantz 2270 | Owners Manual, Service Manual, Schematics, Free Download | HiFi Engine 

Back of the blu-ray - can't find a link, but the only outputs are HMDI (in use, going to the TV, LAN, and Coaxial. 

Currently, the 2270 powers two sets of large Advent speakers from the same era (mid-70’s). The Advents are stacked, with the bottom set coming from the “main” speaker output and the top set coming from “remote.” The speaker outputs require that actual speaker wire be inserted into the holes at the back of the receiver and the other end wrapped around the two posts on the back of each speaker (so rca jacks won’t work for speaker hookup). Also, I’d like to add a subwoofer to get a good home theater sound (stereo is fine; I don’t think I can -- or need to -- go with 5.1 or anything more than stereo). 

I tried selecting “external speaker” from the tv’s menu and then running rca jacks from the audio out on the tv into each of the rca jack inputs on the back of the receiver (except phono – I read a post where someone said not to use phono), but got nothing. I guess the audio signal out from the tv is digital and the analog receiver doesn’t know what to do with it. I’ve done some research, but none of the solutions I’ve seen people suggest to others who want to run a modern tv through a vintage stereo (ie, mini headphone jack from back of tv, morphing into rca jacks plugged into the receiver) will work here. 

What I hope is that someone can tell me specifically what I need to do here, such as “run the optical audio cable out from the tv, insert it into a (specify model number of equipment needed, such as a DAC, which I think I may need although I also think maybe not all DACs are made equal), then plug rca jacks into the output from the (DAC?) and put the rja jacks at the other end into the (correct input on the back of the 2270). I don’t know what input to use on the back of the 2270, because I use the AUX for a CD player and would like to continue to use it for that. 

Also, can I add a subwoofer to this mix? Thoughts about a decent sub to buy, and how to connect it to this setup? 

Second question: I also have a M2285. The right channel doesn’t play at all…just kind of hums. Left channel sounds great. Anyone know what’s wrong, and how to get it fixed? What would be a reasonable cost to get that done? 

Sorry to be so long with the first question. I figure if I want an answer I can understand and that is useful, I need to make sure I am asking the right question. I hope I have…. Much appreciated, in advance! 
[email protected]


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

chrisfitzt said:


> tried selecting “external speaker” from the tv’s menu and then running rca jacks from the audio out on the tv into each of the rca jack inputs on the back of the receiver (except phono – I read a post where someone said not to use phono), but got nothing. I guess the audio signal out from the tv is digital and the analog receiver doesn’t know what to do with it.


That "should" have worked. Any of the "Audio" in jacks of the receiver should work.


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Hi chrisfitzt and welcome to TSF :wave:

Looking at the 'Quick Set-up' manual for the TV, it looks like there isn't any audio-out sockets there, the RCA sockets are audio-in from an external source like a DVD-player. The only audio-out is either optical or digital :sigh:

I can't really advise you on audio DACs, having never needed or used one, but I'd guess that, like most everything else, you get what you pay for. You might not need the most expensive top-of-the-range unit, but a cheap one will likely sound bad.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

Spec sheet lists a 'Audio out mini-jack' ; effectively a headphone jack. run that to the Aux in on your receiver.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

> I also have a M2285. The right channel doesn’t play at all…just kind of hums. Left channel sounds great. Anyone know what’s wrong, and how to get it fixed? What would be a reasonable cost to get that done?


Impossible to guess. Would require an hour or so of diagnostics to trace where the signal breaks down. May be possible to diagnose it visually; ie physically burnt component(s). You're looking at one to two hours of shop time plus parts.


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