HTPC no audio through reciever (Gateway DX4831; Onkyo HT-S3500; HDMI and TOSLINK)

[asnelson33]

I recently bought an Onkyo HT-S3500 5.1 Receiver. I have a Gateway DX3852 with standard onboard Realtek audio and integrated video (Motherboard>>HDMI). I have had this PC connected to a TV (HDMI) and Receiver (Optical: S/PDIF,TOSLINK) with stereo tower speakers for several years and they worked fine. But now that I have set up the new system, I am only able to get video, NO AUDIO.

Here is what I have tried:

I have set the optical port as the default device both in the Realtek HD Audio Manager and the Audio Devices Manager in the Control Panel.
I have swapped TOSLINK cables and ensured a proper connection.
I have tried all Sample Rates and Encoded Formats. As well as setting the default format back to 2 channels.

In fact, in my efforts to get this working, I accidentally disabled the Realtek Digital Output (Optical) and was unable to re-enable it and it no longer appeared as a device. Shortly after, I began getting a Blue Screen error and had to reinstall windows.

Is this a compatibility issue? I know my HDMI is carrying audio because if I change default audio device to TV Display (note: it is not labeled HDMI), I Get audio only through the front L and R speakers. Switch it back to Optical and it is silent.

Or could it be that the TOSLINK is too long? Mine is about 12ft. and who knows how old. Still very bright and have worked before with another receiver for stereo.

Or is it that the stock integrated motherboard and soundcard are not compatible with this specific receiver? And in that case should I invest in a quality NVIDIA or ATI card to resolve the problem.




http://support.gateway.com/s/desktop/2009/gateway/dx/dx4831/DX4831sp2.shtml#


Gateway DX4831 specs. However mine is i3 @ 3 GHz.


PLEASE HELP!!!

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum!

One thing that you didn't mention doing was making sure that the input selection on the Onkyo that you're using is assigned to the optical input that you're using. It's pretty common for people to miss that step, so in case you haven't done that - check out page 17 (for default assignments) and pages 39-40 (for how to assign the optical jacks to other source selections).

 

[asnelson33]

I apologize for not mentioning that.

I have the "GAME" input set both to HDMI 4 and Optical 1 where these are connected. As I said, I have video, no audio. My receiver has the ability to assign HDMI source inputs (up to 4) to any named input (GAME, SAT/CBL, AUX, DVD/BR, etc.) as well as selecting either coaxial or optical for digital sound as an alternative audio source to them as well.

I do not think that this is an issue of "not setting up properly." I believe there to be either a compatibility issue between the computer/receiver, a computer settings issue (though I have thoroughly exhausted all options here), or a degradation of the optical signal as my TOSLINKs are 12 to 15 ft long (though they have worked perfectly before with other receivers.

 

[Lordhumungus]

Is there any way for you to independently verify that the receiver is working correctly AND the PC is working correctly? For example can you borrow a PC or Blu-ray player or something and hook it up the same way and see if you get audio? Can you also try hooking your PC up to another receiver in an identical fashion and see if everything works? My gut tells me that one or the other is not going to work correctly and then from there you can work on fixing the problem.

Also, just for reference, check out page 39 and 40 of the Onkyo manual and verify that it is setup correctly (I know you said it was, but if you haven't, check anyway).

Lastly, take the optical cable out of ONLY your receiver and point the end at your hand. If you see the red light shining on your hand, it's transmitting something, otherwise it's not.

 

[Adam]

I have the "GAME" input set both to HDMI 4 and Optical 1 where these are connected. As I said, I have video, no audio. My receiver has the ability to assign HDMI source inputs (up to 4) to any named input (GAME, SAT/CBL, AUX, DVD/BR, etc.) as well as selecting either coaxial or optical for digital sound as an alternative audio source to them as well.

If you have an input set to use HDMI and one of the digital audio inputs, then HDMI is the default audio source. You'll need to set it up to use the optical input source in that case. If you didn't do that, then you won't have audio until you do, and it's explained on page 43 of your manual.

 

[Beatmatcher247]

I'm really not trying to insult your intelligence, but if the audio inputs for the source on the preamp/receiver are set correctly, it is the only other thing I can think of besides a bad cable (they are sensitive to getting kinked, stepped on etc..).

In your system tray by your clock, did your right click your sound card, go into the properties and set the output correctly? I have kicked myself for not doing so myself before.

If you have a seperate pci slot sound card and an on motherboard type, make sure you disable whichever you are not using in device manager... make sure you have the right one set to SPDIF output (i believe is usually what they call the setting for TOSLINK).

Check the speaker configuration options on the sound card control panel as well. Sometimes it defaults to something strange like headphones, etc..