Altec Lansing ADA885 issue

[Threshr]

I was just recently given a set of Altec Lansing ADA885 5 piece speakers. I hooked them up on my PC and couldn't get any sound out of the subwoofer. I thought that it may be a sound card issue (I have a Biostar mobo with onboard AC97) so I purchased a Creative SoundBlaster Live! card and installed it. Still nothing.

I called Altec Lansing's tech support and the guy answering the phone mentioned something about adjusting the subwoofer volume by pressing the bass button on the volume control panel for the speakers and holding it down until the lights flash. I don't get that when I hold it down. I get a "Center" adjustment.

Can anyone with these speakers (or similar A.L.'s) offer any words of wisdom?

 

[Threshr]

Another thing that I just noticed.

I thought that my rear speakers were working correctly until just now when I was checking my connections. It appears that my rear speakers are feeding in off the same audio connection as my front speakers. I have my system set up in 4.1 (quadrophonic) mode so why am I not getting anything on what is supposed to be my rear port out?

 

[gotsmack]

did you put a check box by digital only on the sound options?

 

[Threshr]

Actually....as the story unfolds, I spoke with the son of the man who gave me these speakers and asked him if the subwoofer worked on his old system.

He replied that it did indeed work......as a footstool. He advised lifting the sub about 3 feet off of the ground and dropping it to the floor saying that that would normally get the woofer to come back on from time to time....

(sigh)

Somethings are too good to be true. Anyone out there ever tried repairing a subwoofer?

 

[alkemyst]

I know some of the earlier ones had to be remanufactured for subwoofer problems (the 880 series).

I have 885's I got from Dell for $24.95 a couple years ago.

There was alot of these sets sold at that price.