Sound Card / Gaming Headset / Installation All-In-One Question!

[Jak]

Eh, it's all good for now.. I found a work around.

It seems I can turn my comp. volume all the way up to 100% and make the computer think everything is super loud.. and just turn the volume down on the speaker control box thing itself and all is well. :-/ Just gonna have to get use to this method, I guess.

[Norellicus]

If that works then I'm pretty sure the issue is underpowering the speakers. I wanted a model number to verify the exact specifications of the speakers since you mentioned 1000W, which is a LOT for a set of speakers even for a home theater. Turning your PC volume all the way up significantly increases the output to the speakers themselves so they continue functioning even with the "quiet" material, and turning down the volume control on the speaker itself usually is just an attenuation resistor so yeah, it wouldn't cause an issue.

Glad you got it worked out

[Jak]

RT2870 is the only number I could find aaanywhere, lol. Otherwise everything just says RCA Dolby Surround Sound and the such. Is that the number you were looking for?

[Norellicus]

Yeah that's what I thought, those are a full home theater speaker set, not usually intended for use with a PC (at least, not without some kind of digital output from your PC sound). Because of how 'volume' is attributed across an analog signal, turning the volume down too low causes the amp to not have enough energy to properly drive the speakers to produce it. Fancier amps can probably 'buffer' the difference but most expect a certain amount of energy coming in to send back out, and a PC doesn't usually supply that at low volume.

So keep that PC volume cranked up and adjust with the speakers (this is the preferred method usually anyway) and you'll be fine.

[Dmitry]

I just want to add something after reading: I think you said you were plugging your speakers into the surround jack on the back and they weren't all working, but on the front audio jack they are? I have surround myself and the way it's set up is the audio comes to the subwoofer/receiver (all the jacks for the speakers are on it) from the green audio out jack on the computer. I'm not sure what the surround jack is for, as the subwoofer has a surround jack as well but I don't have anything for that.