Trying to set-up the Audigy 2 with my subwoofer

[BentValve]

I am trying to set-up my speakers and subwoofer with this sound card and it does not seem
to have the settings I need.
I have 2 tower speakers and a 900watt amp and the 1/4" to RCA cord to connect it to the front channels.
I also have a seperate subwoofer with a 120watt amp and the 1/4" to RCA jack needed to connect it to the sound card.

I guess the only way I can have a seperate subwoofer is if I have a 5.1 system? I would have thought the Audigy 2
would be advanced enought to downmix the 5.1 to my needs but I guess not.

Also I tried running it in 5.1 and it seems the subwoofer output is non exsistant for regular music playback.

What am I doing wrong or is this just the wrong card for me? I enjoy using my subwoofer for everything , not just
DD DVDs.

 

[RanDum72]

Go to the Creative volume control panel, then speaker settings. Under speaker/headphone selection, select 2.1. Then go to Bass Management and check the option for 'Bass Redirect'. You can select the cross-over point too under 'Crossover Frequency'.

 

[BentValve]

I see that line out #3 feeds the center , subwoofer and rear center.. how can this be? Is a 3 way 1/4" connector needed? Perhaps this is my problem because I have a stereo connector.

 

[BentValve]

Originally posted by: RanDum72
Go to the Creative volume control panel, then speaker settings. Under speaker/headphone selection, select 2.1. Then go to Bass Management and check the option for 'Bass Redirect'. You can select the cross-over point too under 'Crossover Frequency'.

I cannot access the crossover frequency in 2.1 , only 5.1 or 6.1

 

[RanDum72]

If you have a regular stereo mini-plug, one channel is for the center and the other is for the sub.
Did you check 'bass redirect'?


UPDATE: Well, I guess if you choose 2.1, bass redirect is not even an option...try 5.1 then enable the bass redirect option...Also, make sure to turn off CMSS so stereo music plays properly on 2.1 speakers.

 

[BentValve]

Also selecting 5.1 and running the "noise" test there is hardly any subwoofer output at all which makes me think either I am using the wrong 1/4" connector or my card is defective.

 

[BentValve]

Originally posted by: RanDum72
If you have a regular stereo mini-plug, one channel is for the center and the other is for the sub.
Did you check 'bass redirect'?

Bass redirect is disabled in 2.1

 

[RanDum72]

The noise test doesn't seem to output anything to the sub even in a proper 5.1 setup (like I have). Correction: yes it does ( I was talking about the channel test), you probably have the wrong channel plugged in. Try the other RCA plug.

UPDATE: Well, I guess if you choose 2.1, bass redirect is not even an option...try 5.1 then enable the bass redirect option...Also, make sure to turn off CMSS so stereo music plays properly on 2.1 speakers.

 

[BentValve]

Also, make sure to turn off CMSS

Where is this setting?

 

[RanDum72]

under EAX console, right next to speaker setting button.

 

[Baronz]

With my logitech 5.1 setup the front channel/sub connector goes into the digital connector on the audigy, and the other speakers go into their respective analog ports....odd way of working, you could try it I suppose.

 

[BentValve]

I give up, I cannot get any output out of the subwoofer at all. I even attached a y cable and am running the center and sub to the sub and
still nothing.

 

[RanDum72]

I give up, I cannot get any output out of the subwoofer at all. I even attached a y cable and am running the center and sub to the sub and

OK, lets go back a little bit. You have a stereo miniplug connected to the 'line out 3' (right next to the firewire plug), correct? Then, you have one of the two RCA plugs connected to the sub. Have you tried both RCA plugs into the sub individually?

 

[BentValve]

Originally posted by: RanDum72

I give up, I cannot get any output out of the subwoofer at all. I even attached a y cable and am running the center and sub to the sub and

OK, lets go back a little bit. You have a stereo miniplug connected to the 'line out 3' (right next to the firewire plug), correct? Then, you have one of the two RCA plugs connected to the sub. Have you tried both RCA plugs into the sub individually?

Yes and yes

 

[RanDum72]

When you go to Bass Redirect, did you set the subwoofer volume to high?

 

[BentValve]

In the speaker calibration wizard the subwoofer control is disabled.

 

[BentValve]

Originally posted by: RanDum72
When you go to Bass Redirect, did you set the subwoofer volume to high?

yes

 

[RanDum72]

OK, where do you connect the outputs from the Audigy2? To a receiver? if so, how do you connect it to the receiver?
If you connect the subwoofer out from the Audigy directly into the sub, there will be no sound since the signal from the Audigy is line-level. The subwoofer needs a pre-amp signal. If you connect the Audigy outputs to a receiver with 5.1 analog inputs, you need to set your receiver to '5.1 direct input' or something like that.

 

[Pariah]

I don't think the problem is your sound card, but with your other equipment. I know on my receiver I get nothing from the subwoofer channel no matter what the stereo source if I have my main speakers set to large.

 

[BentValve]

Originally posted by: RanDum72
OK, where do you connect the outputs from the Audigy2? To a receiver? if so, how do you connect it to the receiver?
If you connect the subwoofer out from the Audigy directly into the sub, there will be no sound since the signal from the Audigy is line-level. The subwoofer needs a pre-amp signal. If you connect the Audigy outputs to a receiver with 5.1 analog inputs, you need to set your receiver to '5.1 direct input' or something like that.

Why cant I connect it directly to the subwoofer? BTW its this subwoofer ,
link

I dont use a reciever or it would pretty much negate the point of having the Audigy IMO, the Audigy is my pre-amp.

The front left and right channel output goes directly to a QSC amplifer not a receiver. The QSC then feeds my main
speakers the signal from Audigy/preamp.

The subwoofer is connected to the Audigy subwoofer output yet it is putting out nothing.

 

[BentValve]

I am taking this piece of crap back to the store if it cannot accept a basic 2.1 system

 

[BentValve]

If you connect the subwoofer out from the Audigy directly into the sub, there will be no sound since the signal from the Audigy is line-level. The subwoofer needs a pre-amp signal.

Please explain further, i do not understand.

 

[BentValve]

Here is an picture, perhaps this will make it easier........
pic

 

[Pariah]

After a bit of experimenting, here's what I found. Use a stereo 1/8 -> RCA cable. Plug the non-red (white/black) plug into your sub line-level input on your subwoofer. Enable 5.1 (or 6.1) in the speaker control panel, disable digital output only, click on bass management, and check the bass redirect box. That's how I got it working. From there you can adjust subwoofer volume and crossover in the bass management panel. Even when the sub is working, you will not get any audio from it using either of the speaker tests (channel/noise). In fact, if you do, you have it plugged in wrong. The Creative manual says the red connector is the sub while the white is the center. I tried that, and would get audio in the speaker test for the center channel from the sub, after changing to the other connector, it worked fine.

 

[RanDum72]

The front left and right channel output goes directly to a QSC amplifer not a receiver. The QSC then feeds my main

Does this QSC amp have some some sort of volume control? If it does, then it has a pre-amp built-in and it will output sound to speakers. The amp in a subwoofer does not have a pre-amplifier, it is only an amplifier. The 'volume' knob it has is not a volume control but rather a level/gain control. Here's how sound is usually setup:

-line level signal to
-pre-amplifier to
- amplifier to
-speakers

The subwoofer is missing the pre-amp stage. You shouldn't consider the Audigy2 as a pre-amplifier; its rather the line level source of the sound.
However, if the QSC amp does not have a pre-amp (and the 'volume' control is also a level control), then the only reason I could think of is that the Audigy2 IS capable of sending a pre-amp signal but only to front left/right outputs (and maybe the rear left/right outputs too).

If so, the only way to get sound off your subwoofer is if it has speaker level inputs. You will have to wire it like this:
-From audigy2 to QSC amp
-from QSC amp to speaker level inputs of subwoofer
-from subwoofer speaker outs to main speakers.

What is the model number of that QSC amp? Any links to it? How about the subwoofer?