help setting up home audio

[bshipper]

Hello,
I'm new to this kind of stuff and haven't been able to set it up right. No good idea's and don't know where to start looking so i thought i'd just ask and hope somebody knows what i need to do or extra stuff i need to get.

I have a computer that's hooked up to my tv via dvi to hdmi cable. The video card is an older nvidia 7900 or something so no hdmi out to get the audio to the tv, so i thought i'd hook the audio straight to the receiver. the receiver is sony str-k790 and i have an older 5.1 sony speaker setup. I have a 3.5 audio cable from the computer split to rca going to the receiver. I setup windows 7 to run 5.1 channel speaker setup.

The problem is i get good sound out of the left front speaker but all the other speakers are super quiet. I can only hear them if i unplug the left front speaker and it's very faint and far away sounding.

What do i need to do to set this up correctly?

 

[Ponzio]

You need to make sure that your 3.5mm male plug, connected to the audio out of the MB/sound card is a stereo connector. Verify that the male plug end is flush with the audio I/O out. Also rotate the male plug end manually, to make sure your connection is making solid contact with the internal contacts.

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum!

Is this what the back of your Sony receiver looks like? If so, you don't have 5.1 analog inputs, so you used a 3.5mm to stereo RCA cable - correct? A couple of things come to mind in addition to what Ponzio said, so I have some comments/questions:

1. Windows should be set up for stereo output.
2. How many audio output plugs does your computer have? If you have three 3.5mm output jacks, for example, only one of those is for front left/right stereo output. The other two are for left/right surround sound and center channel/sub output. So, if you have three and pick the wrong one, it's entirely possible that you are hearing the center channel output through the left speaker.
3. You say that the other speakers are quiet. Is the Sony in a surround sound mode? With only stereo output from the computer, you wouldn't hear anything except from the front left/right speakers unless you use a surround sound mode.

 

[bshipper]

I have it connected to the green output on the computer but there's also mic, side, rear, c/sub, in, and spdif. I've also tried wiggling the connectors and making sure they're all connected.
The back of my receiver looks just like the picture except only one plug for subwoofer instead of two. Doesn't matter how i "configure" my speakers in windows from the computer: stereo, quadraphonic, surround, 5.1 surround, etc. i still only hear it from left speaker. I double checked some settings on the receiver and all speakers get the same audio when testing them so the receiver seems to be working correctly to all speakers.

the cable i'm using between the computer and receiver is actually 3.5mm to 3.5mm but the one end has a 3.5mm female to rca stereo splitter.

 

[Adam]

Have you tried the SPDIF connection, yet? I recommend using that one. It can transfer 5.1 audio to your receiver.

 

[bshipper]

I haven't tried the spdif i don't think i have a spdif cable, i'll go get one if that's all i need

 

[Adam]

What does that connection look like on your computer?

 

[bshipper]

well it's got both the toslink and the coax on both

 

[Adam]

well it's got both the toslink and the coax on both

Sweet - that makes it easy! You can use any RCA cable to connect the coax connectors. You might need to set up Windows to use that output. I had to do that years ago on Windows XP, but I don't know about 7.

 

[bshipper]

ok thank you so much for the help. I'm gonna go get one after work today. I do have one question however.
Do you know why i can't send left/right stereo audio to the receiver and then the receiver takes that audio and simulates 5.1 surround? i thought that's what it's supposed to do. there must be something i'm missing.

 

[Adam]

ok thank you so much for the help. I'm gonna go get one after work today. I do have one question however.
Do you know why i can't send left/right stereo audio to the receiver and then the receiver takes that audio and simulates 5.1 surround? i thought that's what it's supposed to do. there must be something i'm missing.

Happy to help. I don't know why it isn't working right now. It could be an issue with the cable/splitter that you're using (maybe a bad connection somewhere), maybe the input that you're using on the Sony is faulty, maybe the jack on the computer is faulty, or something else. That does make me think of something - have you tried more than one of the inputs on the back on the Sony? Looks like you've got three sets of stereo analog inputs on the back. If you've only tried one of those, you could try a different one and see if it works.

You certainly can output a stereo signal from all speakers on your system. The issue is that you're only getting the front left sound. If you were getting both front left and right, then it would be some setting on your receiver. Just getting one channel, though, seems to be related to the connections.

 

[BriDown]

What kind of Sound Card do you have? You can connect the card’s discrete analog outputs to your A/V receiver’s multichannel inputs... as long as it has 5.1 inputs (not outputs). You’ll need three cables, each with an 1/8-inch stereo connector on one end and left/right RCA stereo plugs on the other- Front L and R, Surround L and R, sub-woofer + center... 1/8 from PC to Receiver 2 RCA.

Whether u use this method or the optical / SPDIF, once connected, right click on the Speaker Icon in your Tray and select Playback Devices. Make sure the right selection is made. Also, Highlight your Selection and choose Configure. Make sure it says 5.1 here. Most Software or Overlay Software controls this setting, but some are separate. In addition, whether a dedicated or not Sound Card, you have have a manufacturer software Sound Card Control Center. It may be in your Sys Tray Hidden Icons, click on arrow icon on right and in the popup see if you have one present. In there, you will probably have Jack Setup options as well as maybe output options. Make sure these are set and configured correctly.

My Sound Blaster TruStudio has 2 locations for speaker configuration. Obviously, the Jack Setup is one tab. Another is Headphones / Speakers. There I have Internal, Headphones, Stereo and 5.1. When I switch one, the other is supposed to reflect the same settings. But I have read not all do.

Here is a basic to advanced exhaustive How-To on what you want to do - How To Connect Your PC to Your Home Stereo or Home Theater | Hardware Secrets

Goodluck!