Subwoofer not responding to music being played on computer

[Pancakes™]

hello everyone, we just got a home theatre in our house. all is going well when we play movies etc.

one thing thats got me disappointed is that: the sound from the computer is plugged in the back of the amplifier so that it plays the music through the home theatre speakers. it plays the music fine. but the subwoofer doesnt work..

i dont know why, but the woofer works when we watch movies..

if this helps: the amplifier is: Symphony Orchestra X-710V. 2 front speakers are also Symphony Orchestra and so is the centre. the rear 2 are infinity home theatre speakers. and the subwoofer is a JBL 15 Inch. originally there was a different branded subwoofer in the box. but my brother put a JBL woofer in there.

im not sure if this could be a factor or not but: the computer sound card is 2.1... what ive done is plugged 2 RCA's into a 2x female RCA to 3.5 adaptor which goes into the computer, and the other end in the back of the amplifier where it says mp3. thats pretty much all the info i can give. if yous need to know anything else, ask and ill find out for yous!!

help will be greatly appreciated. thanks

Pancakes™

 

[markw]

I'm not a computer geek, but when you say you have a "2.1 sound card", that implies three channels. The right, left, and a common bass channel, most often mistakenly referred to as a subwoofer.

Check the manual for the sound card, particularly for the configuration of the outputs. I think some 1/8" mini plugs actually pass three channels of stuff.

 

[Pancakes™]

by outputs you mean the inserts of the sound card on the back panel of my computer right?

theres a line out(green), line in(blue), and mic in(pink)

so in other words for 2.1: 2 is left(1) right(2) and .1(3) is the bass?

you only get bass from a subwoofer though... i dont understand why it doesnt work. ive configured the computer to be 2channel audio because the card only supports 2.1 and ive pressed 2.1 on the remote for the amplifier which puts it in 2 channel mode. the subwoofer is properly connected.. it cant be wrong because my brother is in car audio and knows a fair amount about home theatre as well. so i dunno. blehh.

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum!

I don't have time to check out your owner's manual (sorry), but I have some ideas. It all comes down to having the computer send the full audio to the front left and right speakers, and having the receiver in a sound mode that will direct the low frequencies to the sub.

1. Check the sound mode that your receiver is in when you play audio from your computer. Sometimes, receivers have a 2-channel mode that will not use the subwoofer. You might just be in that sound mode, and switching to a different 2-channel mode might work.

2. Try setting the computer up for 2.0 sound, not 2.1. Without researching which jack is for which speakers, if you set a computer to 2.1, it will be doing some bass management and directing low frequencies to a sub. You are only connecting the computer to your receiver with the signal for the front right and left speakers, so you don't want the computer to do any bass management - you only want your receiver to do that.

Those are my thoughts.

Adam

P.S. Very cool how you use the TM in your screen name. I've never seen that before.

 

[Pancakes™]

No.1: I see what you mean, but all i can find is 2.1, 3.1, 5.1 and 7.1 modes on the receiver

No.2: I just set it up in 2.0 mode, at least im 90% sure its in 2.0 mode because on the computer i go to test the speakers, it shows left and right speakers only. no centre etc. so it must be in 2.0 mode correct? also: the sound management console on my computer is Realtek AC97 audio, it features 2 channel mode for stereo output, 4 channel mode for 4 speaker output and 6 channel mode for 5.1 speaker output. so i chose 2 channel mode.

i forgot to mention that the sound card is the onboard motherboard sound. its not an aftermarket product.

so i found the manual in pdf format..

and by the looks of it my sound card DOES support 6 channel audio??: this is what it says in thr 6.1 section:

"Use the back audio panel to connect the audio output
without any additional module.
STEP 1:
Connect the front channels to "Line Out",the rear
channels to "Line In", and the Center/Subwoofer channels
to "MIC In".

and the 2 Channel mode: "Connect the stereo speakers or earphone to "Line Out."

Conclusion: so right now, im using the 2 channel mode which is ONLY for left and right and NO subwoofer.. and what im guessing is: to be able to hear the subwoofer, i need to do the 6 channel mode..

@ Adam. haha thanks man i love the trademark symbol for some reason !! i dunno why. i just like it


EDIT: i think that the subwoofer isnt working because simply the Amplifier doesnt support the way ive connected it to the computer and therefore only lets front work?? one thing i dont understand: the computer is set in 2 channel mode, when i press 5.1 on the amplifier remote, all speakers respond except the subwoofer. how can this be when the computer is in 2 channel mode :S..

until i figure out the problem, i have turned loudening on the amplifier which sends out more bass sound..

 

[Pancakes™]

its been a while.. problem solved though.. it was actually a faulty soldering job on the amplifier.. all fixed

thanks for the help thoughh

 

[Adam]

Thanks for letting us know!

 

[mtrycrafts]

its been a while.. problem solved though.. it was actually a faulty soldering job on the amplifier.. all fixed

thanks for the help thoughh

Thanks too, but I may have missed something. If it worked with movies, why would a faulty solder connection solve it in 2ch stereo?

 

[Pancakes™]

thats what i didnt understand either!!

different bass frequencies? i dunno.