Windows 10: Car sub-woofer + home system speakers to computer - help!

Hello!
Sorry for the messy title, not sure how to explain the issues I have with a few words only.

I'm using a NAD Stereo Power Amplifier 214, two speakers from a JVC UX-S59 'micro component system' and a car sub-woofer.
I connected the speakers and the sub-woofer to the amplifier, and connected the amplifier to my computer via the green input on the back of it. I used some sort of conversion cable having yellow, white and red cables (I only used the red and white one). The system played music, but only from the left speaker, and the sub-woofer played the same sounds as the speakers. The cables I used to connect the speakers and sub-woofer to the computer are 'touching', not sure what this does, but I'm guessing it's supposed to be different.

How can I make both speakers work, and is there a way to specify the use of the speakers and sub-woofer on the computer to make the sub-woofer only produce bass etc?
Please help me out and educate me if you can, as I'm pretty sure I don't know what I'm doing!
Thanks for any answers in advance!

Edit; Imgur album of the speakers, amplifier and sub-woofer and how I connected them to the computer. Figured it'd be easier to tell me what I've done wrong using the pictures!

:)

 

Irregular audio from the 5.1 speaker system

I thought the issue was fixed with the new account. But it seems it is still the same. I still hear the sub woofer sound from center channel. and no sound from sub channel.

 

Audio Issue

Kapil:

I ran the playing audio and system device troubleshooters and that did not fix my issue. I ran the troubleshooters as administrator.

I am using a KVM switch for 2 computers. One is a Windows 10 computer and the other an older Windows XP box. The XP box plays audio just fine with sound from both speakers and sub-woofer. The Windows 10 box plays only on the left speaker and sub-woofer.

I have tried using the IDT High Definition Audio Codec as well as the generic Windows codec.

Any other suggestions?

 

I can't look at your picture archive from where I sit.

For just the stereo signal, you'd need a 3.5 mm to RCA plug adapter. I'd guess that you have something like that, but typically red and white would be for audio, while yellow would be for analog video.

Here's a link to a really cheap one:

Amazon.com: Belkin Audio Y Cable Splitter 1-Mini Plug, 2-RCA Plugs (6 feet): Electronics

If you want to add the subwoofer, you'd need a crossover network. (Splits off the midrange and high frequencies from the bass.) The ones I've seen in the past operate with a "line level" signal, but apparently you can buy crossovers intended for use after the amp.

Whether this all makes any sense, you must decide. It's possible (at least in the US) to buy 2.1 channel (stereo plus subwoofer) systems for not much cash, although the cheap ones wouldn't have the lease breaking power that you seem to be going for.

 

The Y cable splitter I have is more or less the same, but it has the yellow cable as well which I won't use.
I have a 2.1 channel system I can use if this doesn't work, but as you said they're in general not as good, pretty bad in comparison.
If crossovers aren't very expensive I'd love to see if I could get this to work!
I've connected both the speakers and the sub-woofer to the same input on the amplifier, would this even work?

 

I'm not sure what you mean.

The speakers would usually be connected to the amp's outputs. (Call me literal minded.)

It's not obvious to me what you'd connect the subwoofer to. (It wants a monaural input.)

I vaguely recall that some powered car subwoofers are intended take the high-level output from a car stereo and take out the bass from that. Do you have something like that? (You'd need a 12V power supply for the subwoofer.)

I think that I was mistaken about passive crossovers. A quick check shows only ones to split the signal between midrange speakers and tweeters. None split off the bass.

I didn't say that the 2.1 systems aren't good. They may not be as loud, though.

 

You know what would be helpful, if we knew what sound card you have or integrated sound card, plus connections on those and back of NAD Amp or model number too. Sound card can either have RCA outputs or your using then the 3.5 mm outputs, usually go to speakers with an amp or not.
Most amplifiers will have as shown by bobkn RCA jacks. Some sound cards not integrated will have more connections to work with this type of setup. Typical diagram of a sound card, although many different types of cards and connections.

 

I've connected the speakers to the output, and the sub-woofer to the same output, but it should be mono for the sub-woofer. (You can see this in one of the pictures in the imgur album)

I don't think the amplifier I have is 12 V, but the amplifier does apparently give the sub-woofer enough power to play music, it's just that it's not playing the bass only. So the sub-woofer is playing the same music as the other speakers I have.

The weird thing about the speakers is that only one of them is playing music, it's like the speakers all count as one speaker when connected to the computer. Guessing this is because all of the signals go through the green port on the back of the computer?

I've been using the 2.1 system I have for a few years, they're definitely not bad, but nowhere near as good as I imagine this setup could be if I get it working.

Guess I'm rambling, I have no clue what I'm doing here.

Edit; The soundcard I have is integrated into my motherboard, and is honestly not very good, but considering I have an external amplifier I guess it doesn't have to be other than the inputs and outputs on it? There's a bad picture of it in the imgur album afaik

 

Green on integrated card in front left/right speakers output, you are using a cable Y has left (White) and right(Red) RCA and a 3.5mm on other end to the green connection on PC. Yellow on PC i believe is SubWoofer, black being rear channels and grey being side speakers. Believe hooking all the speakers to the amp, then only bringing left/right channels from the PC to the amp not going to work well, for the sub for one.Sound card is what is producing the sound to be amplified by the external amp, know this can be done with a PC, but with the right connections.

If was another type of Sound card with an Line out, example S/PDIF optical or Coax (Digital), and the AMP had this input , would be ideal, as far as i know. Unless talking crossovers for this to bring low tones to Sub. Amp had Composite or Coax input for a Subwoofer, use can the same hookup you used for left/right speakers to the amp, would connect Y cables 3.5 mm to the Sub output on card and RCA input end to the amp that has Subwoofer RCA or Coax input.So speakers would be correct hooked to amp. May work way you have it, but just may loose Bass.

Now that i even look better,my mistake, this is a stereo amplifier, no 2.1, no hookup for a subwoofer. As see means for crossover, but how did you have Woofer hooked up again.
http://www.nrpavs.co.nz/archive09/So...tm/NAD_214.htm

 

Back at home.

Your subwoofer connection is wrong.

The NAD amplifier has two modes: one is the normal stereo mode, the other is bridged. The bridged mode combines the outputs of the stereo amplifiers into a single high-power one. (You'd need two such amps in a stereo system. I had such a rig running until about two years ago. It dated from around 1983.) I presume there's a switch on the back of the amp to set the bridged mode (requires inverting the phase of one of the signals), and some means of locking that switch in place.

I have no clear idea why you were getting anything out of the sub, wired that way. If you put the same signal into both sides, in principle you'd get nothing out of the sub when wired between the two red posts (and the amp not in bridged mode).

I also have no idea what the third wire might be in your cable adapter. The green output has two channels only.

On my motherboard, the green output is stereo (or 7.1 front speakers), orange is front center speaker and subwoofer, and black for the rear speakers. I think the blue one is for the sides (in a 7.1 system; never went more than 5.1, personally).

I believe that there'll be no way to use that subwoofer with what you have. Sorry that I can't be more encouraging.

At the risk of giving insult, you need to study a bit more. At this rate you'll be letting the magic smoke out of your components.

 

Explain bridging, i am not familiar too much with for this amp
For maximum flexibility, the NAD 214 can operate in bridged mono mode, typically tripling its continuous power rating into 8ohms. This makes the NAD 214 an ideal choice for a sub-woofer amplifier or high power centre channel amplifier in home theater applications. A pair of bridged NAD 214 's becomes a high current, high power stereo power amplifier, while retaining the refinement associated with smaller amplifiers.

 

I don't really know what I'm doing, so I definitely have to study more, wouldn't want the magic smoke to escape!

So just to clear things up, is there no way to get the sub-woofer working, even without the speakers(and using the bridged mode)? I do have other speakers I could use that are better suited for a computer (from a 2.1 or from a 5.1 system), so I don't have to use the same input as the sub-woofer as long as I'd hook up the sub-woofer to the orange input and the speakers to the green(or black).

I guess I'm just experimenting, so it's not getting this to work wouldn't be that bad, I just figured there'd be a way to power the sub using that amplifier, if it doesn't work that's just too bad haha

 

You could power the sub from that amplifier. The challenge is setting up a complete system, with the small speakers and the sub operating over different frequency ranges.

It's not something I've done. My latest hifi (to use the 1950s term) setup combines a stereo receiver with a powered subwoofer. The receiver has a separate output for the sub. The main external inputs (TV, CD player) are digital. (One optical, one digital co-ax.) Not a lot of mental effort went into putting that together.

 

I'm no electronics engineer, but:

Bridging is connecting a load (speaker) across the outputs of two amplifiers. (The two amps could be from a stereo amplifier.) One of the amps gives an inverted output. Suppose that amp A made +5V at a given instant; then amp B would be at -5V.

From the point of view of one of the amps, the load impedance is cut in half. That is one reason NAD mentions that their product can tolerate very low load impedances; that's necessary fro bridged mode.

There must be something a little naive about this view, else bridging two amps would give twice the effective output signal, or 4X the power.

You may ask: why not simply buy a bigger amp in the first place? One reason is that it allows adding an additional power amp to the system without discarding the old hardware. It could also be used in a 12V automobile system to avoid needing a DC to DC converter (to make a higher voltage).

 

I don't think I have a receiver just laying around, but wouldn't the computer work as a receiver? Since when I'm connecting the sub-woofer to the orange port, it is recognized as a sub-woofer/middle speaker or something similar in the Realtek HD sound manager or whatever it's called. It definitely works when plugged in, it's just that it's making the sounds I'd expect would come out from the regular speakers, not the sub-woofer.

I have a few 2.1 systems as mentioned, but doesn't seem like I can power the speakers without the sub-woofer just because of the cable layout. And without another amplifier it doesn't seem like I'll be able to power the other speakers that's pictured in the imgur album.

So I'm not sure, I'd have to get the sub-woofer to work, and I'd have to find a way to power at least two speakers it looks like.