Modern televisions make streaming live events simple: just about every set on the market these days is a ‘smart’ one, connected to a home internet service using either Ethernet or Wi-Fi, and so can access online streaming services either using a dedicated app or – in the case of services for which no app is available – via the integrated web browser the TV provides. Yes, entering long URLs can be a bit of a faff with some of these sets, requiring multiple key-presses to enter the letters one by one, but if you’re going to be doing a lot of browsing on your TV, many sets can be used with a Bluetooth keyboard to simplify matters. Having a quick web search just now, I found at least one suitable model listed at just under £20 (and at the time of writing selling for half that), which would certainly make typing into the TV a much simpler matter.

And if your TV doesn’t offer such connectivity, all isn’t lost: it’s possible to connect most modern computers to the screen using an HDMI cable, just as one would a disc player or a digital set-top box: the TV then becomes the display for the computer, and whatever you see on the computer’s screen can also be viewed on the bigger display.

If the TV and the computer aren’t close together, that’s still not a problem: you can buy a 5m HDMI cable, or even a 10m example, for less than £20: even in quite large rooms that will allow you to choose your streamed event on a laptop, and then send it to your TV.

It’s worth taking a close look at your home Wi-Fi network, especially if you have multiple wireless devices in your home accessing it

Or, if you want to take the wireless approach, you can even share the screen of your computer, tablet or even phone with your TV over your home Wi-Fi network using devices such as the Apple TV box, or Google’s Chromecast. They’re a cost-effective way to update an older TV set – one with limited or no ‘smart’ features – and bring it into the streaming video world.

And while you’re setting all this up, it might be worth checking out the service you’re getting from your internet service provider (ISP), and tidying up your Wi-Fi network, too. Yes, most streaming services have been rapidly reconfigured to take up less bandwidth than before, acknowledging the pressure on networks created by many more people working from home – and spending a lot of time watching and listening to streaming services when they should be working! – but if you’re on a budget internet plan, or have several people in the same household wanting to stream different content at the same time, it may well be worth enquiring about upping the speed of your service if possible.

For example, where available, upgrading from a basic 108Mbps Virgin Media service to one twice as fast will only add £14 to the monthly bill, while switching from BT’s 36Mb Fibre Essential service to Fibre 2, which has almost twice the capacity at 67Mb, will cost you an extra £12. All the ISPs have similar deals, so it’s worth trying one of the popular price comparison sites to see what’s available.

Similarly, it’s worth taking a close look at your home Wi-Fi network, especially if you have multiple wireless devices in your home accessing it, it’s surrounded by neighbours’ networks (which can cause interference, slowing speeds) or the room in which you wish to stream is physically distant from the location of the hub/router provided by your ISP. If I look on my phone as I write this, there are eight Wi-Fi networks available in addition to my own, and in densely populated urban environments there may be even more, so keeping one’s own Wi-Fi strong is worthwhile to resist these ‘invaders’.

The ability to have internet access everywhere in the home may still seem like a miracle to many, but the truth is that Wi-Fi works best in free space, and doesn’t like walls too much, let alone ceilings. The solution is to consider a better – more powerful – router than that supplied by your service provider, and use that to form your wireless network, perhaps with the assistance of some repeater devices – which receive the Wi-Fi signal, then amplify and re-broadcast it – to help achieve a stronger signal in the further reaches of the home.

BT, for example, will supply its customers with up to three ‘Wi-Fi discs’ – range extenders – to go with its Smart Hub 2 as part of its promise of providing wireless networking to every room in the home, but there’s no shortage of third-party devices available to improve and boost the signal. In my relatively compact home, I use an Apple Airport Extreme as my main Wi-Fi router, from which are slaved two Airport Express units – one at the other end of the ground floor, the other upstairs – to boost signal strength. Meanwhile in a friend’s home where I was asked to troubleshoot a weak network, I used a combination of a Netgear Nighthawk router and a couple of plug-in range extenders from the same brand. In each case, the Wi-Fi in the ISP’s ‘hub’ – in both systems from Virgin Media, coincidentally – was turned off, leaving them functioning purely as modems connected to the router.

Big screen, tiny sound

So you’ve boosted your network and connected your TV – I’ll come to improving the experience on a computer a little later – and, once you’ve accessed the event you want, and settled down in front of your huge flatscreen TV, you may find that the sound on offer comes as something of a disappointment.

Yes, the sound quality of these ultra-slim sets has improved hugely since they first appeared, with a lot of development going into the seemingly irreconcilable requirements of keeping the TV as slender as possible while finding space to fit in decent speakers and providing them with enclosures in which to work. For those used to hearing their music on a high-quality hi-fi system, however, even the best-sounding current TVs can be something of a disappointment.

A TV mere centimetres thick, however clever the engineering and digital signal processing employed, is probably the worst possible environment in which to try to house speakers and high-quality amplification, especially when it comes to delivering sound of decent scale and detail. As generations of hi-fi speakers have proved, there’s no substitute for shifting plenty of air when it comes to a full-rich bass.

However, help is at hand: just as some TV manufacturers have turned to established loudspeaker companies in the search for sonic solutions – for example, some upmarket Philips TVs draw on the experience of Bowers & Wilkins – so it’s possible to improve on the sound of your TV by handing the audio side of things over to the experts in the field. Just about every modern TV has a sound output, whether on an optical digital socket, via the HDMI ports you use to connect the likes of Sky and Virgin boxes or (admittedly less common these days) a pair of analogue audio outputs.

To one of these options you can connect a sound system, whether it’s your main hi-fi set-up – usually via a digital-to-analogue converter with an optical input or (in a few cases) HDMI capability; using a dedicated home cinema receiver via HDMI, which will also open up the possibility of full surround sound; or the simplest way, which is to use a ‘soundbar’ designed to sit below your TV on a stand or wall-mount above or below it.

Soundbars

Like TVs, soundbars have come on a long way since the earliest models, and you can buy them with wireless subwoofers, multiple drive units and digital processing to create (in some cases) credible surround effects, and even voice control for wireless music streaming from online audio services. TV connection is either via that optical connection or, in more expensive models, using HDMI making use of the Audio Return Channel (ARC) part of the HDMI specification now pretty much standard on TVs.

ARC allows sound to be passed back through the cable to suitable audio devices, such as soundbars and AV receivers, and is usually partnered with HDMI-CEC (for Consumer Electronics Control), allowing HDMI-connected devices to be controlled by a single remote handset.

Slimline soundbars start from as little as £100 or so, for a compact model best used with what these days are considered as smaller screen sizes (42in or smaller), while further upmarket are more complex models designed to give not only a big, rich sound but a fully enveloping surround sound field. One of the earliest exponents of this ‘surround from a single source’ trend was Yamaha, and its current line-up shows the benefit of all that experience: its YSP- range of Digital Sound Projectors uses complex digital processing and multiple drive units to deliver not just a wraparound sound field, but also one with the ‘height channels’ required for the latest ‘3D audio’ formats, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

I can’t promise even these speakers will bring you that rustle of a programme or irritating cough from three rows back, but combining a high-quality TV with an impressive sound system will create a truly immersive concert experience.

Computer listening

Even if you’re only going to watch your streaming concerts on a computer, you don’t have to settle for second-rate sound and vision. As I’m typing this I have before me a Mac mini computer running into a 28in 4K-capable Samsung monitor and a compact sound system, which is my desktop set-up, and it makes for a very compelling viewing experience with the many events on offer from a variety of musicians and organisations. But you don’t have to go that far: it’s easy to improve the sound of laptops, tablets and even phones with an affordable add-on digital-to-analogue converter and a pair of headphones. Such a set-up also has the advantage of portability for streaming wherever you are – assuming we’re actually allowed to go anywhere by the time you read this!

I’ve suggested some suitable DAC/headphone amplifiers below – though of course you could simply use a pair of Bluetooth headphones – but in every case the principle is the same: yes, your device may have a headphone output, but in most cases the electronics feeding it won’t be very good, so we’re adding better digital-to-analogue conversion and amplification, better able to drive a range of headphones.

The good news is that many of these add-on DAC/amplifiers are compact – some are no bigger than a USB memory device, and others offer even better performance in a very pocketable form – and affordable. In many cases they use the same digital conversion technology you’ll find in very expensive high-end hi-fi separates, and all of them are just about ‘plug and play’ – and as well as being perfect for watching online video streams, they’re also exceptionally good at playing audio-only content, too.

And of course they have the distinct advantage that, using one of them with a pair of headphones, you cannot only have concerts, recitals and the rest streamed into your home, you can also make it truly personal – whatever else is going on around you.

Improve your TV sound

Cyrus ONE Cast

The compact Cyrus amplifier is both high-quality hi-fi and a streaming solution, with built-in Google Cast wireless connectivity. It also has an HDMI input to take the sound from a TV – just add speakers for a complete high-quality sound system.

Denon DHT-216

Slender enough to sit under the front of almost any TV, or mount on the wall – it’s only 6cm tall – the Denon soundbar uses clever signal processing to create the impression of sound all around the room, for a truly immersive experience.

Yamaha Sound Projectors

Not the most affordable on the market, but these are no ordinary soundbars. Using multiple drive units and the company’s own digital signal processing, these models can create a very credible surround-sound effect from a single enclosure – some even have the ability to create 3D height effects with Dolby Atmos movies.

DACs for a computer

Audiolab M-DAC Mini

Using the technology of Audiolab’s full-size digital-to-analogue converters, this compact unit sits between the ultra-portable DAC offerings and high-end hi-fi models. It’s an excellent headphone amplifier, too, and very simple to use.

Audioquest DragonFly Black

The latest version of Audioquest’s original DragonFly design, and the company’s most affordable model, this is still a powerful DAC-in-a-stick, and exceptionally portable. It’s powered from the computer and can either power headphones or connect to a hi-fi system.

iFi Audio hipDAC

This British-based company makes innovative products, both analogue and digital, with fine-sounding designs. Don’t be fooled by the playful ‘hip-flask’ design: this is an excellent DAC/headphone amp, powered by its internal rechargeable battery.

This article originally appeared in the August 2020 issue of Gramophone. Read reviews of the most ear-catching new hi-fi equipment in every issue of Gramophone – subscribe today!