SONY A95L OLED /Bravia 9 Mini-LED: Internal Speakers for Center Channel?

In case placement and/or other issues arise for adding a good center channel speaker, I thought about using the internal speakers of one these two TVs to build a 3.3 system.

https://electronics.sony.com/tv-video/televisions/all-tvs/p/xr65a95l

https://electronics.sony.com/tv-video/televisions/all-tvs/p/k65xr90

Apologies for Sony's asinine manner of displaying detailed specs, when the rest of the civilized world does it with pdfs.

And leave it to Sony to only include a single digital audio output-the far less common optical outputs, and with only 16 bit depth at that. Unlike the Okto DAC Stereo 8, the DAC Pro 8includes no native optical input-nor does the Merging Hapi DAC card, and adding that connectivity is absurdly expensive. https://www.markertek.com/product/m...dm-multimode-option-card-for-horus-hapi-mk-ii

However, might JRiver or some other MCH software interface be able to feed center channel info to the TV's "S Center Channel input" from the Okto DAC 8 Pro or Merging Hapi? Presumably, it's an analog input, but even though my Pioneer BD player and my HDPC will connect to the TV via HDMI for playing DVDs and BDs, as required here https://helpguide.sony.net/ha/strtaan10/v1/en/contents/TP1000735399.html , how likely will I be able to create a 3.3 system using the TV as a center speaker?

7 hours ago, nxrm said:

Unlike the Okto DAC Stereo 8, the DAC Pro 8includes no native optical input-nor does the Merging Hapi DAC card,

Nope.  There may be no native optical input on the DAC card but it is standard on the Hapi base chassis.

On 7/1/2024 at 10:52 PM, Kal Rubinson said:

Nope.  There may be no native optical input on the DAC card but it is standard on the Hapi base chassis.

I know that using this otherwise great TV’s internal speakers are hardly an ideal way of getting decent (??) center channel sound, given that tonality and other aspects are bound to be quite dissimilar to my speakers, which are very similar to these. https://josephcrowe.com/products/speaker-system-no-2095

But a projector and acoustically transparent screen would present multiple installation and placement problems, where I could otherwise build a third speaker like my mains and put it behind the screen. Some I’m stuck with having to resort to a regular OLED TV like the Sony A95L. But at least if I could use the A95L’s speakers for a center channel speaker it might be pretty much on axis with my listening position.

The question is are there compatibility issues where the TV’s center speaker would work with AV receivers, or processors like these https://www.anthemav.com/products-current/type=av-processor but not with multichannel DACs https://www.oktoresearch.com/dac8pro.htm
https://www.merging.com/products/interfaces/hapi  ?

But this page has too little technical info about the TV’s center channel connectivity
https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00201071 to determine compatibility with the Okto Research and/or Merging DACs. And Sony Support offers nothing but an ignorant chat bot and no email address.

Please advise if possible.

Hard to give solid advice here.

1.  What inputs does the Sony have available?  What formats will it accept?

2.  Let's be specific about the outputs of those devices.  Do any have a center channel output to match those of the Sony?

3.  Are you familiar with and/or do you own a Hapi II?  It can be set up to output a center feed via analog, optical S/PDIF or AES/EBU XLR but I would not suggest going out and buying one just for this.  It is expensive and, compared to consumer audio, complex to set up.

That said, I am using a Hapi with mostly analog outs but with the SL/SR via AES/EBU.  It can do it.

6 hours ago, Kal Rubinson said:

Hard to give solid advice here.

1.  What inputs does the Sony have available?  What formats will it accept?

2.  Let's be specific about the outputs of those devices.  Do any have a center channel output to match those of the Sony?

3.  Are you familiar with and/or do you own a Hapi II?  It can be set up to output a center feed via analog, optical S/PDIF or AES/EBU XLR but I would not suggest going out and buying one just for this.  It is expensive and, compared to consumer audio, complex to set up.

 

That said, I am using a Hapi with mostly analog outs but with the SL/SR via AES/EBU.  It can do it.

I have neither the Hapi nor the Okto 8 channel DACs. Nor do I have a MCH processor (e.g. Anthem, Marantz, Denon, McIntosh, et al), which I truly detest as all of the better designed models have twice the number of channels I need; huge waste of money.

No live agents at the Sony website. Waiting another 30 minutes by phone an agent confirmed what’s said at this link that even if an optical cable is used (??) instead of an HDMI cable, an AVR is apparently needed to connect another (analog/digital??) cable between the TV and AVR.

https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00201071

So it looks like not even the Hapi configured with that optical module would work; and you advise against trying that anyway. The Okto has no optical connector, and as I’m not buying a lesser sounding 7 or 5 channel AVR I’m out of options. Even something like the Anthem processor wouldn't work because the Sony speakers must apparently be driven by AVR speaker outputs. What a sick waste in every way.

41 minutes ago, nxrm said:

No live agents at the Sony website. Waiting another 30 minutes by phone an agent confirmed what’s said at this link that even if an optical cable is used (??) instead of an HDMI cable, an AVR is apparently needed to connect another (analog/digital??) cable between the TV and AVR.

https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00201071

Judging from the information at that link, it seems that the CENTER SPEAKER IN connection is a pair of L/R speaker level wires and that's why they specify that you must use an AVR since AVRs have amplifiers with speaker-level outputs.  The other input, S-CENTER SPEAKER IN mode, is a proprietary connection between newer Sony TVs and specific Sony AVRs and soundbars.

Your only option, as I see it. is an AVR.

On 7/6/2024 at 3:54 PM, Kal Rubinson said:

Judging from the information at that link, it seems that the CENTER SPEAKER IN connection is a pair of L/R speaker level wires and that's why they specify that you must use an AVR since AVRs have amplifiers with speaker-level outputs. 

Don't see why those inputs have to be fed from an AVR. Why not use something like the Topping LA90 amp?