Increase Small TV Sound Output

I am in a current bind. I have a small 20" samsung lcd in my kitchen, but upon hooking up the digital cable box, the sound has deminished to the point where full volume is quiet.

I am looking for a simple cheap solution (non audiophile setup, already have a decent one for another room).

There are two solutions that I can come up with,
1) Buy some computer speakers and hook them up with the AV hookups on the tv, but my only problem with this is i have been unable to find a pair, just 2.0 that come with a wireless remote (dont laugh at wireless, i found a couple with the old school wired remotes haha)
2)Find a cheap soundbar that will sit in front of the tv, that would put out louder sound. Thing is, i do not need a subwoofer, lets be real, its in my kitchen/dining room. I figured that most soundbars would come with a wireless remote.

So, the kicker, id rather not spend more than $100 for just a very basic setup. im just looking to boost some output so i can here the sound while watching the news and eating some grub.

So what are my options in this situation?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Thanks guys. I just double checked all the menus, i reset any audio related menus, and it seemed to boost it up a bit, at least when i increase the volume i can actually hear it, maybe something got screwed with one day haha.

it is now tollerable, far from clear though (just not clear/loud enough, hard to explain), do you think i would benefit from some external speakers of some sort, either computer or soundbar, and how do i find out if my output jacks have variable output?

Thanks for the help guys! I went and purchased a set of $30 dollar aztec computer speakers, the nicest cheap set of speakers i could find that were subtle in looks and goo sound.

Best purchase ever! i hooked it up to the headphone jack on the tv, and ran the power to the outlet (dam thing was usb powered, good thing i collect misc. electronic junk, had a usb phone charger adapter worked perfectly). these things get loud and do exactly what i was looking for. i was actually surprised it worked that well, there is actually a little bit of depth to the voices and everything when louder (nothing extreme, they are only little 1.5" speakers haha).

i would say something along this line of doing things would be a necessary purchase for anyone buying a new tv but not using a set of external speakers, albiet surround sound, soundbar or anything. it is so much clearer, and for $30 you cant go wrong!

Mrbobb i certainly agree on the external speakers, they are a must after this experience. but lets be realistic, i did not scimp on the sound, it had never been an issue for me before. i purchased this 20 incher to replace an old 13 inch crt, and i purchased three samsungs at that time, this one, a 40 and a 56 inch. i bought a onkyo 7.1 for the living room (amazing sound) a 5.1 samsung htib for the bedroom but figured i wouldnt need anything for the kitchen as it was just for supper and the news.

it was fine, pretty loud and understandable before i recieved a free digital cable box from my cable company (i was just hooked up basic cable before) and once hooked up, it cut the sound be at least half for no reason.

this was a cheap solution for a cheap tv(only paid like 200 for the tv) why would i go all out on the sound. there are a lot of people that could use a solution like this to increase output and benefit without the necessity of buying a 5.1htib or anything else. this does not require a reciever or anything.

mrbobb, i was not calling you out by any means, more clarifying than anything. as i said, did not realize they were usb powered (men and reading instructions haha). i was mearly saying that it is a very plausible solution for those who could care less about overall great sound quality, but have a hard time hearing the standard useless speakers in any new flat screen. this would be an ideal solution, something along this line at least for someone say, elderly that dont want a home theater system, but want to be able to hear not only see their new purchase.

i agree with athenian, its a shame that all these great companys have fallen for the overall profit sense and have taken away quality. they can make a tv damn near as thin as paper, showing clearer images that anyone ever thought possible, yet when it comes to something as simply as some decent audio they drop the bar big time on that one.

what happened to the days where you made an investment in a sense in your tv and got a product that would be good for not only a year, but 10-15. now you buy a tv and the next week its obsolete. all for a company to make a quick buck because they didnt put all the features in the current model, and held back so they could put out a "new" tv with the features that should have been in the original model.

anyways enough rambling. this was a simple solution to a simple problem. nuff said i hope