Is there an easy/cheap way to convert stereo to a five channel speaker amp?

Question

I just got a new surround sound setup but I have an older tv that only has left and right audio output.

Answer 1

With 5 channel, there's really no way around it without 5 amplifiers.  The cheapest way to do it would be to sell your stereo amp/receiver and buy a new or used surround sound receiver on eBay.  It's really not out of the question to find a used surround receiver for $20 plus shipping.  Do a search.

Answer 2

First of all, nothing you can do at this point will give you true five channel surround sound - not for 20 bucks anyways.  However, most surround sound systems have a pseudo surround sound setting that will take the left and right audio outputs of your TV set and try to recreate surround sound from it.  It may or may not be to your liking but you would have to try it to see.

Answer 3

Buy a used pro-audio home theater system eg. Denon. It has various forms of circuitry to convert mono/stero sound to 5.1 or 7.1

You should be able to get a good quality denon of about 5 years old for a few hundred bucks

http://usa.denon.com

Look for "Neural Surround"

Answer 4

If your new surround sound setup has 'Dolby ProLogic II', it will decode stereo into a surround 'sounding' format. most any new receiver worth it's salt will have this feature.