How to set up TV wireless headphones

This is a question that comes up a lot at HiFi Headphones, so here is our easy guide on setting up TV wireless headphones.

Before you go and buy your wireless headphones it is important to find out what audio outputs
your TV has. This is the best starting point as it will determine which wireless headphones are
compatible and if you need any extra devices, such as a DAC.

Based on the type of outputs, there are two types of TV’s:

TVs with analogue output:

Headphone Output/Jack

This is the most commonly known type of audio output, but not necessarily the best. Using the headphone output on your TV will cut the sound from the built in speakers so only you (or anyone else connected to the wireless system) will be able to listen to the TV.

The majority of TV wireless headphones come with a mini jack cable so there won’t be any problems connecting them via the headphone socket.

RCA Phono

This output is generally located at the back of the TV and has two circular sockets, one red and one white. This provides a pure line out signal and therefore won’t interfere with the built in speakers. This is probably the best option as the majority of wireless headphones out there use analogue inputs, and most of them will include appropriate adapters to connect to the RCA phono output.

Even though there will always be a way of connecting TV wireless headphones to the RCA phono socket, some models come with their own adapter to make this easier. Here are a few that I would recommend:

TV Ears Wireless Voice Clarifying Listening System
Sennheiser RS120-II Wireless Stereo Headphones
Sennheiser RS180 Digital Wireless Headphone System
Sennheiser SET 840 S Wireless TV Listening System for Hearing Aids

TVs with digital output:

Optical/Coaxial (Digital)

A lot of modern TVs now only have digital audio outputs, this is either as optical or coaxial. If your wireless headphone transmitter only accepts analogue audio then it’s not the end of the world, you can buy a device called a DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter). This device will sit in the chain between your TV and wireless headphone transmitter. You will need a digital cable to go from the TV to the DAC, this will be either optical or coaxial depending on the output. Then from the DAC you will need an RCA phono cable to feed into the transmitter.

With digital outputs becoming more and more popular, there are now headphones that can take a digital signal and convert it to analogue with their own built in DAC. This way you get a much higher quality of sound. Here are a couple that I would recommend:

SoundMAGIC WP10 Digital Wireless Headphone System with DAC
Sennheiser RS220 Wireless Audiophile Headphone System

With such a wide range of TV wireless headphones and accessories on the market at the moment, it doesn’t matter what TV you have; there will be a wireless headphone out there for your set up.