Help! 5.1 setup driving me nuts

[k.jacko]

Someone please help me before i hang myself with these ******* speaker cables.

The frikkin dealio:
got 2 x identical setups; Gigabyte GAP35C DS3R, E2160, 2gb corsair ram, 250gh hdd, 3870 (512mb), vista home premium 32bit.

Ok, bought 2 sets of Logitec X530 5.1 speaker systems.

Installed one set on PC1 fine, all works, no problem.
PC2 is proving a damned nightmare.
FL and FR no sound on setup test
FR, RL and RR emits sound on RL test
RR emits sound on RR test.

I've deleted the hd audio drivers (realtek) and scanned for hardware changes, no difference.
I've tried to uninstall realtek hd audio driver from add/remove progs, but it says "No driver was supported in this driver package" wtf that means i don't know.
So i check PC1. and last night i installed xbox360 wireless controller receiver software, and thats the drivers the speaker setup is using.
So i do the same on PC2 and reboot, so that both pc's are using microsoft audio drivers, still no difference to the initial problem.
When i do reboot i get a horrible kind of high pitched hum (unlike feedback) from the RL speaker until it reaches the vista login page then it stops. But on testing the speakers again, still no FL and FR sound.
I swapped the sub and FR speaker from each pc around to see if it is a faulty 5.1 set, but nope, nothing has changed on either pc. I should mention that the FR speaker has a cable (looks like a d-sub vga connector) that plugs into the sub, also the 3-jacks (green, orange and black) that plug into the rear of the pc. Thats why i swapped it as a test.

The kids are back from holiday on saturday and i desparately want to have this sorted for them.

Please advise if you can.
Thanks

 

[turbo1]

Nice speakers you got there.

seems nothing wrong with the speakers (with the swapping method).
& both are identical PCs.with identical speakers.

did you check the configuration settings of the sockets in your sound manager?
ie: 2ch/5ch/6ch?

your board i guess supports 7.1 channel against 5.1 X-350.but it will
definitely work if you made the correct settings in the sound manager.

and to add,this is usually the problem of Logitech X-530:
when playing regular MP3 this speaker system will not play sound from the rear or center speakers.This is because mp3s are not encoded in surround sound, so the playing music will not be sent to these speakers.also try playing identical music or sound....surround sound movie will do.

And for the high picthed hum,please ensure that the shoulder of any of the mini jacks or connector of that particular plug is touching the base of the socket & not shorted to any metal part of the case.

 

[k.jacko]

thansk for the reply turbo1.

All connections are correct.
The mini-jacks are right-angled connectors so once plugged in cannot touch any metal.
I did go through the mini-jack port config in the sound setup, assigning green to front speakers, orange to centre/sub and black to rear speakers. Although this option was only available in the realtek software, which didn't work. Adn as it wasn't (for some reason) installed on PC1, i tried uninstalling it from PC2 and used the same 'microsoft' drivers as PC1.
Again, when i run a test by clicking on each speaker in the setup picture, nothing comes out of the front pair (see op for test results).
Its totally bizarre.

And for the high picthed hum,please ensure that the shoulder of any of the mini jacks or connector of that particular plug is touching the base of the socket & not shorted to any metal part of the case.

But why would it suddenly stop when the vista login screen appears?

 

[pdyckman@comcas]

Have you tried trading sound cards? Forgive me if you mentioned that you have but I only scanned your posts. The 5.1 system you have is reliable but your card might be the culprit. I have a Creative card with it's own self test and has many different configs. Look into your soundcard's options for testing in the 5.1 mode. You could also use your Realtek onboard output to test your speakers with a couple of patch cables. Or you could test each lead one at a time using the motherboard's stereo output, (except the one speaker plugged into the bass enclosure). Good Luck.

 

[k.jacko]

its onboard 6.1 channel sound.
I'm using the sound & audio devices setup test.
Each sat speaker plugs into the subwoofer, apart from the FR speaker which has leads that plug into the sub via a serial/dsub type cable and then the standard 3 min-jacks plug into the onboard sound card (green, black and orange).

I'm clueless as to what i can try next to be honest....and i'm desparate for a fix.
RMA'ng the mobo isn't an option at the moment.

 

[turbo1]

check your sound outputs one by one (sockets) if they are firing sound by just plugging one mini jack to all of the sockets at a time.

please ensure your sound manager is switched to 6.1 so all your lines (sockets) are live before testing your outputs.

 

[k.jacko]

sorryi meant its a 8 channel card, capable of 2.1, 5.1 and 7.1. I'm trying to use 5.1.

I'm not sure of the best way to check each speaker.
I have 3 mini-jacks, all attached to the FR speaker.
Each speaker plugs into the subwoofer and the connectors are bigger than mini-jacks.
Whether i use the microsoft driver or Realtek setup, i get the same problem.
The software reports that its working fine, but i get no sound as per the orignal post.

 

[turbo1]

your speakers are fine as they are working in the other PC.

what we are going to test is your audio outputs (sockets) of your onboard sound,i assume its still the onboard since in your last post you stated 8 channel card.but either way,you still neeed to check each output if they are firing sound.

set your sound manager to 7.1 ch or any radio button that will give you the 8 ch.

this time take off your x530 first,you just need an ordinary left & right channel amplified speakers (you can borrow nearby) that's known working of course.... with compatible 3.5 mini jack.

play a music then plug the jack at a time to all existing audio sockets you have there.that will tell you if you have a non-working output.all your sockets should be firing sound each time you plug the mini jack to each & every audio sockets.

 

[k.jacko]

Hi,
ok i plugged in a 2.1 speaker set, into the green mini-jack. Stupid Realtek thought it was the blue one (??) but it worked.

But when i plug my X530's back in, it creates loads of rumble in the speakers a bit like feedback. As soon as i plug any of the X530 minijacks into ANY of the connectors in the sound card it starts making noises like a muffled car engine. Yet i know the X530 is fine because only one hour ago, i tested the whole set on the other pc and it was fine.
When i plug the 2.1 speakers back i they make teh rumbling too now.
Are there any audio settings in the bios that i could tinker with?
I'm getting really frustrated with this now.
Thanks for your help so far though, i appreciate it.

 

[turbo1]

BIOS will only give you the "on/off" option of the on-board sound.but who knows if there are settings for channel options.better check it too.

most settings & sliders are all in the sound manager (software).

try un-installing the sound driver,boot to safe mode & re-install the sound driver
then re-start to normal windows & try the sound.

if all your audio sockets are working then hunt around on the software side.
(sound driver & sound manager).

 

[k.jacko]

i uninstalled all drivers last night and vista auto re-finds them again, and they are the latest ones.
There doesn't seem to be too much in the bios that i can alter as regards sound.

Its the constant bumping noise that the speakers produce now that worries me. I reckon its dodgy hardware. I don't know, maybe the connectors aren't correctly shielded or something because as soon as a mini-jack plug gets near the connectors you can hear a kind of static buzz, then when its plugged in, and it can be any of the 3 plugs into any of the 6 holes....and all you get is thump...thump...thump...thump!
I think rather than rma the board i may need to invest in a x-fi sound card.
Again, thanks, i'll keep looking for a solution though.

 

[turbo1]

yup,good point.

sound card it is.

it will give a good kick to amplify your sound into your amplified speakers.