No sound from Subwoofer

[blacksaibot]

I've connected everything correctly, I assure you. It worked before, except now instead of my receiver being connected to my PS3/TV it is now being connected to my computer.

I have an Onkyo HT-S9100THX

Details:

I have a 7.1 surround audio card in my PC (RealTek HD Audio)

I have the plugs from my computer going into the receiver's DVD surround RCA jacks. The sound is going to the speakers just fine, but none of it is going to my subwoofer. I have all the correct connections, and all the connections are tight.

Can anyone provide some insight into this? I really doubt the computer has to "tell" the receiver there is supposed to be bass, because there's always bass when I use my default PC speakers that came with a sub.

Here are some pictures of my connections (I realize the surround and rear surround are not plugged in. I don't need those for my computer)

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I've connected everything correctly, I assure you. It worked before, except now instead of my receiver being connected to my PS3/TV it is now being connected to my computer.

I have an Onkyo HT-S9100THX

Details:

I have a 7.1 surround audio card in my PC (RealTek HD Audio)

I have the plugs from my computer going into the receiver's DVD surround RCA jacks. The sound is going to the speakers just fine, but none of it is going to my subwoofer. I have all the correct connections, and all the connections are tight.

Can anyone provide some insight into this? I really doubt the computer has to "tell" the receiver there is supposed to be bass, because there's always bass when I use my default PC speakers that came with a sub.

Here are some pictures of my connections (I realize the surround and rear surround are not plugged in. I don't need those for my computer)

While I'm not sure your model of "sound card" can or cannot do Dolby Digital/DTS Live or not, Imo you'd be much better of connecting your pc to receiver using a single cable digital spd/if cable

Regarding no sound from sub - it depends how your configured your avr. Make sure to read AH guides (from front page), but two most important things are:
A) Run Auto Calibration on receiver
b) Set all speakers to "Small" (regardless if they are towers or huge)

 

[Grador]

Also set your computer so that it's not using a subwoofer. You do not have the subwoofer out of your computer connected, so if bass is going to that output it will be lost.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Also set your computer so that it's not using a subwoofer. You do not have the subwoofer out of your computer connected, so if bass is going to that output it will be lost.

I think that the cable just below the center is pre-in for sub... if so, do not disable sub on the pc

 

[Grador]

I think that the cable just below the center is pre-in for sub... if so, do not disable sub on the pc

I should in fact be judiciously ignored on that.

You can move the subwoofer interconnect to one of your mains to see if there is anything on that line.

 

[panteragstk]

It all depends on how you have the realtek control panel and set the speaker config to something with a .1 (2.1, 4.1, 5.1, 7.1). Not all versions of their audio chip's will have all of those options listed, but for the ones that do you will get the option for room correction in their control panel. If the sub is in the picture you can play a test tone from their control panel. If everything is connected you should get sound from your sub. Make sure you have the autosensing inputs set to what you want them to be. You can change them without unplugging if you need to.

 

[blacksaibot]

It all depends on how you have the realtek control panel and set the speaker config to something with a .1 (2.1, 4.1, 5.1, 7.1). Not all versions of their audio chip's will have all of those options listed, but for the ones that do you will get the option for room correction in their control panel. If the sub is in the picture you can play a test tone from their control panel. If everything is connected you should get sound from your sub. Make sure you have the autosensing inputs set to what you want them to be. You can change them without unplugging if you need to.

Yeah I told the soundcard to enable the sub, when it does the play test tone for the sub nothing, and I mean nothing is heard.

 

[Adam]

You can move the subwoofer interconnect to one of your mains to see if there is anything on that line.

Good idea.

To help troubleshoot this, you're going to want to check if it's a cable, the source signal, the receiver, or the sub that are causing this issue. You seem confident that it's neither the sub cable or the sub causing this, so let's focus on the others.

Here are some ideas to start with:

1. Try swapping the cables that connect your computer to your receiver. I'm assuming that you're using cables with a stereo 3.5mm jack on one end and dual RCA jacks on the other (one cable for front L/R, and one cable for center/sub). Switch those around, both where you have them connected on the computer and where you have them connected on the receiver. If both front speakers and the center speaker still work, then it's not the cables.

2. Check out page 88 of your Onkyo owner's manual (which, if I got the model correct, is linked here). It describes setting the subwoofer sensitivity for that analog subwoofer input. The default should be the loudest setting, but that setting might have gotten adjusted at some point in the past and is now causing you to not hear the sub (you can adjust it to be reduced by 15dB).

 

[blacksaibot]

Good idea.

To help troubleshoot this, you're going to want to check if it's a cable, the source signal, the receiver, or the sub that are causing this issue. You seem confident that it's neither the sub cable or the sub causing this, so let's focus on the others.

Here are some ideas to start with:

1. Try swapping the cables that connect your computer to your receiver. I'm assuming that you're using cables with a stereo 3.5mm jack on one end and dual RCA jacks on the other (one cable for front L/R, and one cable for center/sub). Switch those around, both where you have them connected on the computer and where you have them connected on the receiver. If both front speakers and the center speaker still work, then it's not the cables.

2. Check out page 88 of your Onkyo owner's manual (which, if I got the model correct, is linked here). It describes setting the subwoofer sensitivity for that analog subwoofer input. The default should be the loudest setting, but that setting might have gotten adjusted at some point in the past and is now causing you to not hear the sub (you can adjust it to be reduced by 15dB).

I may be blind but page 88 doesn't talk about input sensitivity...

 

[Adam]

I may be blind but page 88 doesn't talk about input sensitivity...

You're right. It's page 89. The manual directs the reader to page 88 which is where the "Hardware Setup" begins, and I forgot to correct it to page 89 for your specific issue when I typed that in.

 

[blacksaibot]

Well that sucks that it didn't work.