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Only sends audio to the subwoofer

LarryAZ
Underground

Windows PC audio and codecs are still frustrating. I can get a signal to the subwoofer rom the old Pandora One app, but not from anything newer than that from Pandora. Some time ago I had communication with them and seemed to not understand what I was talking about. Some other apps do the same, and occasionally only send audio to the subwoofer (Ted.com has this problem). It must be a signal coding problem or poorly written codec. Any thoughts?

 

Moderator edit: edited title for clarity

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LarryAZ
Underground

Here's a hardware solution that fixes this issue.  I've been running two different inputs through a switch into this amp with outputs to my room speakers with in wall iBus amp and second output to the sub-woofer. Works well once all the various levels are balanced.  

 

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AlyssaPandora
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hey @LarryAZ.

Thanks for your post and welcome to the community!

Are you using the newest version of the Pandora for Windows 10 desktop app?

We released two new desktop apps earlier this month. If you haven't already, feel free to check out this article about our new desktop apps.

Alyssa | Community Manager
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LarryAZ
Underground
Yes, I I think I have the most recent desktop app, and it forced itself as a startup app (annoying). There doesn't seem to be an "about" anywhere in it for version info, so hard to tell. It behaves the same It maybe a problem with the sound card or drivers, but I don't think so. I can fix the issue with some sources that doen't work by using channel phantoming for the sub, but it then further screws it up for others. So what's different about the old Pandora One app that it works so well, and nothing after that does?
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AlyssaPandora
Community Manager
Community Manager

@LarryAZ Unfortunately, we haven't been able to reproduce this issue from our end. 

We no longer support the Pandora One Desktop application, but your feedback regarding this is appreciated and has been noted.

In the meantime, we are aware of the app auto-launching on Windows computers, you can use this thread to adjust this setting here. A fix should be released for this soon. 

 

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jasonwpegg
Underground

DISCLAIMER: I am a regular user and not employed by or affiliated with Pandora.  I am just another user, trying to help wherever I can.  🙂

 

The quick response: I don't know if you were able to resolve this, but it sounds like a speaker configuration issue (especially since you're seeing this across multiple applications).  The audio driver software that came with your computer should let you determine what types of speakers are hooked up, how they're wired, and how they're configured.  It may be set to something like "5.1 Surround".  Try other settings, especially "Stereo" if yours has that option.  Also look for a setting that says something like "Swap Center / Subwoofer Output" and see if that gives you better results.  Unfortunately, there are hundreds (thousands?) of audio drivers and speaker manufacturers out there, so I won't be able to help with specific settings.  But hopefully this gives you something new to look into.

 

The detailed response: (I wrote this first but then realized you might not want to read a wall of text.  So I created the quick response above.)  I don't know if you were able to resolve this, but it sounds like a speaker configuration issue at the sound card / motherboard level.  The audio driver software that came with your computer should let you determine what types of speakers are hooked up, how they're wired, and how they're configured.  For instance, my audio driver software lets me set my speaker configuration to any of Stereo, Quadraphonic, 5.1 Surround, and 7.1 Surround.  Within each of those settings I can choose whether or not I have a center speaker, subwoofer, full range speakers, etc.  Because each motherboard / laptop manufacturer likes to do things a little differently, and because each speaker manufacturer also likes to do things a little differently, results are rarely consistent.

Let's say you're set up to use 5.1 surround in your audio driver.  Now let's say that you're running an app that doesn't natively produce a 5.1 signal.  Instead, the app only provides stereo output.  (Incidentally, most apps - including Pandora - are like that.  DVD/Blu-ray software will provide 5.1 and 7.1 signals, but most music apps don't.)  That two-channel (stereo) signal gets sent to your audio driver and it has to figure out what to do with it.  It knows it's not 5.1, so it might choose to send it to the L/R channels.  Or it might choose to send it to the center channel (where "dialog" is typically encoded in movies).  It will depend a bit on how the audio driver is written and how your settings are configured.

Why am I telling you all this?  You mentioned that you were getting sound through your subwoofer.  On most motherboards, the subwoofer and the center channel share the same three-wire connector (center, subwoofer, ground).  Speaker manufacturers are inconsistent in the center / subwoofer wiring, so many audio drivers will include an option to "swap center / subwoofer output" (mine has this).  Checking this option may give you sound through your center channel instead of your subwoofer.

That said, I believe the better option would be to set the overall configuration to "Stereo" instead of "5.1 Surround".  If you're able to get good results by setting it to "Stereo", then you may be able to play around with other settings to produce a synthetic surround sound.  For instance, my Logitech speakers include a "matrix" button that takes a stereo signal and sends the low end to the subwoofer, and a slightly delayed version of the L/R signal to the rear speakers to give the sound a bit more presence.  The button's name is dumb, but the effect is pleasing.  Start with simple stereo, then layer on additional effects.

Probably more information than you were looking for, but hopefully it gives you something to look into for ALL your apps.  Good luck!

LarryAZ
Underground
Thanks. Been through all that. Channel phantoming, etc. I have in configured for 5.1 with other speakers disabled. My mobo has a dedicated sub out seperate from the center. Set up this way, some sites (Ted.com for example) will sometimes deliver all the audio to the subwoofer which unusable. Configured for stereo I only get L/R, no sub. It's audio driver chaos and the tyranny of the earbud. I think the only solution is hardware- take the stereo signal and split it.. Technology and developers are driving us backwards when it comes audio quality and bandwidth. It's a shame.
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LarryAZ
Underground

Here's a hardware solution that fixes this issue.  I've been running two different inputs through a switch into this amp with outputs to my room speakers with in wall iBus amp and second output to the sub-woofer. Works well once all the various levels are balanced.  

 

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LarryAZ
Underground

Moderator edit of the title flipped the problem on its head.  Sub only is very rare. More common problem is no output to the subwoofer. 

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