Bugging the hell out of me!

[pikey]

I have a hi-spec PC connected to a large screen and a hi-quality 5:1 setup. It rocks!

Kid comes over, installs all sorts of cr*p on, the PC is generally "quite unwell", so after farting about trying to remove all this viral-type stuff, I select the manufacturer's "recover from image" option. The PC rebuilds (all data is on a NAS so not such a big deal) and all is well with the world.

The 5:1 card wasn't shipped with the PC and is out during the recovery. Once the build is complete, I pop the install CD back in, then then card itself and up it comes with no errors. Excellent.

I connect it back to the amp and... nothing.

The connection is digital coaxial
The drivers are all showing as loaded correctly.
The option is enabled within Windows "Sound configuration" applet
The amp is on auto (it has options of analog or 'auto' which selects digital when available)
I've reseated the cable and tried another cable
I've reseated the card.
I've removed the drivers, powercycled and let it reinstall
The other outputs on the card work ok.
The amp doesn't have any other coax inputs (does have an optical, but this is on a separate source and working)

The manufacturer is C-Media and model is CMI8738

If it's faulty, then fine - I'll get another, but I can't see how it's suddenly failed after a rebuild and only on the coax output. Neither can I accept the amp has suddenly failed on that input.

I can't help but feel that I've missed something very simple - like a switch "on", or failing to plug it in, but can't figure it out.

If anyone has any suggestions, stupid and blindly obvious included(!), I'll be grateful to receive and try them.

THANKS!!

Ben

[nickd01]

said:

I have a hi-spec PC connected to a large screen and a hi-quality 5:1 setup. It rocks!

The option is enabled within Windows "Sound configuration" applet

Sometimes it needs to be also set as the "Default Device" as well.

What do you use to output the sound? Maybe that has "lost" the fact that you want the sound out of the digital output and has defaulted to something else?

[normalbloke]

Have you tuned it off and back on again?.....

[mammamia]

Have you cleaned the Fu-Fu Valve ?

[Digger]

It could be that the pc came with a later set of audio device drivers already installed than those on the recovery cd. Download the latest and see if that resolves the Digital Out issue.

[pikey]

Thanks.

Have tried going with the updated drivers, but no joy. Thing is the card is reporting as working correctly.

Yesterday I bought another card off ebay. Second hand and a different manufacturer. Worth a go for a couple of quid..

[Gaffer]

Not got the sound muted have you..?

Not that I have ever had that issue...no not at all

Claire

[Digger]

Ok try this.

Check the Windows Audio settings NOT the driver manufacturer's utility. Sometimes if the Windows settings seem to be configured for surround sound or 5.1 etc it might assume to be using the analog outputs and actually switch off the digital outputs on the card. If so then see if there is a passthrough option or something othee than the surround/5.1 config.

Having said that it might just be worth looking in the CMedia/manufacturer's driver utility for a similar setting ie switching off any analogue surround setting and see what gives.

Apologies if that sounds a bit vague as I'm thinking out loud, which can be dangerous.

Edited by Digger on Tuesday 10th January 11:37

[pikey]

Gaffer said:

Not got the sound muted have you..?

Not that I have ever had that issue...no not at all

Claire

You know, I'm sure the fault is something that simple!

Unfortunately, it's not muted. And nor is the Amp. And the speakers are definitely "on". And I am using the correct amp input selector.

Grrr...


PS. There's nothing wrong with you in a Cayenne Turbo

[pikey]

Digger said:

Ok try this.

Check the Windows Audio settings NOT the driver manufacturer's utility. Sometimes if the Windows settings seem to be configured for surround sound or 5.1 etc it might assume to be using the analog outputs and actually switch off the digital outputs on the card. If so then see if there is a passthrough option or something othee than the surround/5.1 config.

Having said that it may be worth looking in the driver utility for a similar setting ie switching off any analogue surround setting and see what gives.

Apologies if that sounds a bit vague as I'm thinking out loud, which can be dangerous.

Thanks.

The manufacturer doesn't have its own utility - it all goes through the Windows app. This allows me to configure the speaker setup for the analog output, but not for the digital. The digital gives me enable / disable and frequency option of 48hz (only one option, although I can see there might be multiple). Could it be that previously there was an extra option and that's the one that works with the amp's digital input?

I have the on-board sound card on the PC disabled so this extra is the only enabled, and default, sound output device.

Also thinking aloud, I wonder if there might be a manufacturer's utility and I haven't found it yet? I could hunt harder for such a thing...

[Digger]

Yep was going to suggest you had checked any onboard sound was disabled in BIOS.

I had assumed any driver download may had contained an option to install a frontend utility as well as the basic set of chipset drivers.

Try and find the very latest CMedia (or whatever tthe manufacturer is) utility.

I doubt the card is faulty. I know youve checked the amp but did the sproglet(s) admit to playing with its settings whilst trashing your pc?

[Gaffer]

Are you using the PC to play the sound..?

Have you clicked on "mixer" and checked there isn't anything else disabled, volume down etc.

I know there is nowt wrong with the Cayenne, just feels wrong to like them

Claire

[Digger]

Another REALLY simple one and linked to Claire's suggestion (whilst youre rummaging in the mixer) Im not familiar with all Windoze OS's but is it still the case that you still select from a list which settings appear in the main Mixer. For example default may only be volume, balance, bass, treble, mic sliders but Digital Out may have not been selected to show in the mixer and may even by default be disabled.

I'll stop thinking now.