Realtek onboard sound

[just_laze]

Hi,

I'm having difficulty making both my left and right headphone work.

I have a breakout cable that came with my headphones and it is the only way that I can get both headphones to work, let me explain.

If I plug the green audio breakout cable into the green jack on the rear of my computer and then my headphones green cable in the female green jack of the breakout cable I only get sound in my left ear. Also, if I plug my speakers directly into the rear of my machine, I only get sound in the left speaker. That's two different male jacks, both replicating the same problem.

The unusual part comes when, if I plug the pink audio breakout cable into the green jack on the rear of my computer and then my headphones male green jack or my speakers male green jack into the female pink jack of the breakout cable both channels work?

I've not come even close in getting the mic to work.

Anyone have any ideas? Running the latest drivers on an Abit UL8.

Thanks.

laze.

[Mousemat]

Well, that's confusing

I don't see how a breakout cable connected to one audio socket would affect another.

In the Realtek audio control panel, how are the sockets configured? Is it set up for stereo, 5.1, etc.? With the Realtek panel you can specify what each socket is to be used for by clicking its icon in the panel and selecting from a list - in this case headphones.

I'm not sure if you've already tried altering these settings, but it's always best to check.

[just_laze]

I disabled auto-sensing and set each socket independently - no such luck.

You're right, It's very confusing and frustrating.

laze.

[Mousemat]

Hmmm, is it just on that one socket or do the speakers/headphones work if you try the other sockets (setting the one in use in the audio panel first)? If they work and you have another spare socket I'd be tempted to just abandon the usual green socket and use a different one.

If it's just on that one socket and audio is always missing on the same side of your headphones, it could be a hardware fault. Left/right channels connect at different points on the jack (ever listened to one plugged in half way?) so there may be a connection fault on that socket.

If it's on all the sockets this might be driver/audio panel related so you could always try a repair/reinstall of the driver on the off chance that it works.

[just_laze]

The breakout cable's pink jack is essentially identical to the green jack, the colour being largely irrelevant but there to avoid confusing the user, still this makes a difference?

Any green jack I plug in, my speakers, my headphones directly or the breakout cable's produces a single channel. Yet using the pink jack connected to a green means it works? There's no logic to this problem and when a problem's illogical, how can one solve it with logic!

Argh!

laze.

[Mousemat]

No, the socket colour doesn't make a difference, but the physical socket that the jack is inserted into might if there is a hardware fault.

Ignore the breakout cable for now. Plug the headphones/speakers directly into the soundcard sockets. Using the Realtek panel, set the green socket and another (pink, blue, whatever) to output audio for headphones/2 speaker setup.

Plug the headphones/speakers directly into the green socket and check for left/right channel sound. Take them out and try them in the other socket (pink, blue, whatever).

Do you get left/right channel audio or just one channel? Is this just on the green socket or does the other socket have the same problem? If it's just one I'd say it's a hardware fault, if it's both it might be a driver/control panel software problem.

If all else fails, whack the gremlin that's chewing on the cables.

[Lucio]

One thing I've found with Realtek onboard sound, it's prone to screwing with the stero output every now and again. One good way to check is to try your jack for the headphones in varying positions of in and out, to see if there's a point when you do manage to get stero sound output.

[pp05]

I had a similar problem a few days ago. Initially I couldn't work out why but after uninstalling k-lite codec pack (installs every multimedia codec under the sun) everything is back to normal. If you have installed any codec packs remove them and see if that helps. It did for me.

[just_laze]

Interesting suggestion.

I do have a codec pack installed, it's a fresh installation of Windows but installs a codec pack during setup (amongst other things).

I'll give it a go and report back.

Thanks.

[just_laze]

Hello,

I uninstalled my codec package - no change.

Can anyone confirm for me that a microphone jack and a speaker jack are identical?

I find it completely puzzling that any green jack I plug in doesn't work (1 channel only), but if I plug the pink jack of the breakout cable in and any green jack into the other end both channels work?

For logic to prevail, there must be a physical difference between the speaker jacks and the mic jack but I have a feeling someone is going to say... nope. In which case I see no way forward?

laze.

[just_laze]

Yes Lucio there is.

If I don't push the green jacks, whether it's my speaker jack or my headphone jack, all the way in, but very nearly I get both channels. It's when I stick a green jack all the way in that only the left channel works.

laze.