Setting up 2.1 sound

[Wmacky]

Why can't things ever just work? Ever!

Here's a head scratcher.

Trying to set up my new Klipsch r-51 speakers with my old Dayton 10" sub for a 2.1 sound setup.

I set it all up correctly within windows. I set this Audio card to 5.1, and with 2 front speakers and the sub only. In the little windows speaker diagram, I see only the 2 front speakers and the sub highlighted as it should be. All looks good.

Did the sound test within that setup, and it all works. The fronts have output, and so does the sub! All good right? Wrong!

I can not get the sub to output. I tryed several Steam titles, youtube 5.1 test videos. THX videos. Nothing. It's just dead!



I know the sub is OK, and the sound card can output LFE as the windows setup test DOES work.

What the hell Jonelle?

 

[Emery]

I tryed several Steam titles, youtube 5.1 test videos. THX videos. Nothing. It's just dead!

In my experience, Wreckfest is the only sim title that makes use of the LFE channel. ACC outputs frequencies low enough for the subwoofer, but I don't believe it specifically uses LFE. Youtube doesn't directly support LFE, but the videos can have soundtracks with low enough frequencies. Do you have a recent DVD you can play?

For the Youtube soundtracks, make sure you have the crossover frequency enabled and appropriately set for your speakers.

Hope that helps you track down the bug!

 

[Wmacky]

Thanks, I have partially solved the issue. The LFE channel still doesn't work as a discrete channel But I'm now able to get it to output bass taken from the front stereo channels. I enabled the "Bass Management" setting from the motherboard audio software.

So - even tough this isn't a true 2.1 setup, from what Emery posted, this is probably the better option. This way I get deep bass from everything I play.

 

[Ormy]

Yeah as you have discovered, games outputting deep bass to two or five (or more) speakers and outputting any sound to the LFE channel are two very different things.

Usually it doesn't matter to the user because an AVR or similar does bass management which means it takes deep bass from all the speakers and sends it to the subwoofers. Lots of games assume that any sound system with a sub will have it's own bass management and so don't bother using the LFE channel.

I'm assuming you're using a stereo amp for the Klipsch which doesn't have bass management & LFE out connection?

Your situation is exactly why modern computers often have some bass management buried in the options. Since you already found it you're good to go. Enjoy the bass, it's one of the most immersive aspects of many games IMO, my subs are my favourite toy

If you want more customisation of the bass management itself there are various software solutions that can offer that, but with increased customiseability comes increased complexity, they won't be as easy to use or set up as the built-in solution you are using now.

 

[Mr Latte]

PC audio in general and in particular the whole multichannel sound scene is a bit of a mess.
Below is a resource with some good info on the topic but not really with Sim titles being covered.
Here

I don't think you mentioned what audio card you are using and what amplification for the main speakers (assuming your sub is powered) with its own amp?

Having EQ/Crossover control would let you better tune the sub to your speakers but yeah, it's best that you just have low frequencies from the main channels being fed to the sub. You can also duplicate this output for one to go to a transducer (using the game audio) to combine the felt bass with the audible bass.

One of the things I will be doing with the hardware configuration I am building is being able to monitor all 7.1 audio channels and see exactly how different game sound effects are used over different channels. I am a bit intrigued with this in an audio nerd perspective as its not something we see being shared or covered in detail.

 

[Wmacky]

Thanks for the comments.

Yeah, I'm just using a FOSI 2 channel chip amp for the mains, and LFE out from the card to a powered sub. The card is the built in realtek solution from my Asorus motherboard.

I happy just using card bass management. but I am surprised true 2.1 didn't work. I remember years ago when I got my first 5.1 card, and sub. I tested it with THX videos on YouTube,and they all outputed a great LFE channel with no real setup needed. It just worked. I couldn't get anything on YouTube to output a LFE signal this time around.

But, bass management does work, and it seems would be the best universal option given the current state of Sim audio affairs!