Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions subwoofer not working..i think im an idiot

So i hook up my epic midi 125 http://www.axiomaudio.com/epicmidi_125main.html with my denon 2105 http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/451.asp. I use a monster THX Digital Coax cable http://www.monstercable.com/thx/productPageTHX.asp?pin=1599&LastPage=Digital%20Interconnects. I plug the cable in the Line IN from the sub to the Subwoofer jack in the receiver. I get nothing from the subwoofer. The little green light is on indicating power, but i get 0 sound. Am i using the wrong cable?

In the menu of the 2105 under speaker set-up, do you have yes or on for the subwoofer?

yes it is..i should also point out that my surrounds and center dont work either. Im only getting sound from my 2 fronts.

how is your DVD player connected to your receiver?

i have not hooked up my dvd player yet. Right now just tryin the radio.

No problem, but you'll need to make sure you are using a mode which takes the stereo signal from the radio and expands it out to a 5 channel signal to make all the speakers work.

Something like Dolby Pro Logic II would do.

Alternatively, you could start at the speakers and work back. Look in the manual for test tones and push whatever buttons you need to get the test tones running. That will put a "shhh" pink noise signal out on one speaker at a time and let you verify that the speakers are all hooked up properly and the amplifier channels are all working.

EDIT -- if you haven't already read this article from Alan, it's worth a quick look. Bottom line is that the problems you are having are really common... a whole bunch of things have to be set correctly to get 5.1 out, and if ANY of them are wrong you're only gonna get stereo until you find the right setting.

http://www.axiomaudio.com/archives/dolbydigital.html

Just keep telling us what you did and we'll get you through it...

... or just give the Axiom folks a call in the morning, they deal with this all the time as well. Home theater is like any other "open system" -- sure you get to mix and match, but you also need a room full of geeks to get the mix & matched system to work

try a DVD. The radio is 2 channel stereo. I guess you could apply a DSP to it to make it play in your surround speakers, but it isn't going to play in your sub because there isn't really any low frequency sound in FM radio.

A DVD will have a 5.1 channel soundtrack. The "5" stands for your 5 speakers (Left, Right, Center, Surround Left, Surround Right) and the ".1" stands for the Low Frequency Effects (LFE), which your subwoofer will play.

Your subwoofer can also play sound from the main speakers depending on how you set things up. But start with getting everything hooked up correctly and working.

woohoo ok now the surrounds and center are working...works when i switch it to 5 channel or dolby, thanks!. But my sub still doesnt work..whats up with that...am i using the right cable...i noticed there are "subwoofer" cables from monster. am i suppose to use one of those?

There really is no such thing as a "subwoofer" cable. They just market them that way. Any RCA type connector running from the sub out to line in will work just fine.

The receivers have many settings on them that need to be set to correctly represent your system. Although most don't like it, one of the best things you can do is read and re-read your owners manuals and apply what you learn to your system. It took me numerous reads of my receiver manual to figure out what each setting meant and what it did.

Don't overlook the subwoofer manual as well.

Jonn, just about any cable with RCA connectors works fine. If you haven't already done so you should do what John Bridgman suggested: look in the 2105's manual for the section on calibrating with the test tones and see if the test noise comes through the sub when it's the sub's turn.