Home Theater

No sound, wrong sound, or one speaker acting up? Work the checklist top to bottom — the first three steps fix almost everything.

Troubleshooting

Tick each step as you verify it (saved on this device). Tap "why" for the reasoning.

Master volume
Master Volume is not muted and is up to about 48.
why
The receiver boots at 0 after a power cycle, and the TV remote's volume does nothing to it.
Listening mode
Mode is Dolby Digital or DTS -- NOT plain Stereo.
why
In Stereo the center and surrounds go quiet. Use Pro Logic II for two-channel sources you want spread around the room.
TV digital output
On the Hisense Roku TV, digital audio output is ON and set to PCM (not Bitstream).
why
This was the cause of the original 'no audio at all' problem. Also confirm the receiver is on the Optical (OPT 1) input.
Speaker wire
Every wire is fully seated in the terminals, both ends, + to + and - to -.
why
A loose connection made the right speaker drop out at low volume once.
Speaker config in Setup
No speaker is set to 'No' in the Setup menu (Front/Center/Surround = Small, Sub = Yes).
why
A speaker set to 'No' is silent no matter how good the wiring is.
Headphones
Nothing is plugged into the headphone jack.
why
Plugging in headphones disables the speakers.
Recalibrate levels
Re-run Level Calibration with the pink noise test; surrounds -3 dB.
why
Fixes 'center too loud', thin dialog, or a sub that is too boomy or too weak after anything has been moved.

Right speaker silent at low volume — Loose connection. Resolved by warming up the receiver. If it returns, re-seat the right speaker wire (step 4).
Center speaker too loud vs. the fronts — Lowered the center level by 3 dB.
No audio at all, initially — Turned master volume up from 0, switched to a Dolby/DTS mode, and set the TV's digital output to PCM.

Speaker config

Front L/R = Small, Center = Small, Surrounds = Small, Sub = Yes

Speaker distances

TODO: measure from the couch to each speaker

Level calibration

All speakers balanced with the pink noise test; surrounds -3 dB lower; center -3 dB

Listening mode

Dolby Digital or DTS for surround; Pro Logic II for stereo

Audio selector

Multichannel

Master volume

~48 (0-100 scale)

Sub crossover

80 Hz (dial on the back of the sub)

Sub level

Dial on the back of the ProSub 80 -- start halfway, fine-tune via Level Cal

Receiver

Onkyo TX-DS696

100 W per channel @ 8 ohms
Selector set to 6 OHMS MIN/SPEAKER
Input: Optical from TV
Remote: Basic universal remote (volume control)

Front L / R

Boston Acoustics CR65

Floor standing, 8 ohm

Center

Boston Acoustics CRC

Compact center, 8 ohm

Surround L / R

Boston Acoustics bookshelf

Rear, 8 ohm

Subwoofer

Definitive Technology ProSub 80

8-inch, 250 W amp