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M-Audio BX5 D2 + Fiio D3 or NuForce Icon or onboard = No sound. What's going on??

post #1 of 7
11/3/11 at 8:38pm
Thread Starter 

Hey guys (and gals),

 

First time post on Head-Fi and I have a puzzling situation. I have a Fiio D3 DAC that is going from optical TOSLINK to RCA and I run the RCA to my primary M-Audio CX5's and they are very loud in this setup.  I don't have to have any volume switch on the PC or monitor set to even half way and they belt like crazy.

 

Anyway my friend just picked up the new M-Audio BX5 D2 monitors and wanted to test them before he got all his gear together.

 

Problem is I can't for the life of me get these working, at least loud enough.  Barely any sound comes out of them.  In all instances even when I crank up the volume on the PC to highest and actual studio monitors volume knob to HIGHEST, the output is so tiny and faint, this isn't normal.  Both left and right exhibit the same problem, however I notice one of the sides output is much lower than the other.

 

Here is how I set this up...

 

First Way

--------------

TOSLINK from PC to Fiio D3 --> RCA out to BX5 D2 with 6.35mm (1/4") stereo plug to rca jack adapter in the TRS port.

Result: Everything cranked to highest on PC/speaker, almost no sound (imagine like 4% sound output than 100%)

 

1331300054.jpg

 

Second Way

--------------

PC headphone jack (green) to Y splitter --> RCA to BX5 D2 with 6.35mm (1/4") stereo plug to rca jack adapter in the TRS port.

Result: Everything cranked to highest on PC/speaker, almost no sound (imagine like 4% sound output than 100%)

 

Third Way

---------------

NuForce Icon LINE OUT to 1/8" to RCA Y-Splitter --> RCA cables to BX5 D2 with 6.35mm (1/4") stereo plug to rca jack adapter in the TRS port.

Result: Everything on HIGH (Nuforce + Volume on BX5 D2, low output sound like coming from a tiny speaker.

 

Why and what am I doing wrong?  I don't understand how this is not working.

 

Thanks in advance for all your help.  If you need some pictures of how I am setting this up, let me know.

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post #2 of 7
11/4/11 at 8:40am

Have you checked if the BX5 are OK ?  They must have an input for ipod.

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post #3 of 7
11/4/11 at 8:54am

I have these speakers and I run them through an audio-GD FUN so I can consolidate the volume control. However, I don't use the TRS connections. I use RCA out of the FUN to the XLR connection on the BX5's. Everything's tickety-boo.

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post #4 of 7
11/19/11 at 3:28pm
Thread Starter 

Just an update.

 

Well it works!

 

After picking up some single XLR to RCA ends for left and right channels and plugging them into the Fiio D3, the M-Audio BX5 D2 worked beautifully and very loud.

 

I don't know why the TRS method didn't work (probably cheap adapters) but they sound nice with the XLR solution.

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post #5 of 7
11/20/11 at 5:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by radeonboy View Post

Just an update.

 

Well it works!

 

After picking up some single XLR to RCA ends for left and right channels and plugging them into the Fiio D3, the M-Audio BX5 D2 worked beautifully and very loud.

 

I don't know why the TRS method didn't work (probably cheap adapters) but they sound nice with the XLR solution.


I´ve got myself a Fiio D3, from Hong-Kong (US$28,00, total charge !!!), to feed my Edifier M3400:                                                                                    ( onboard S/PDIF ---> Optical cable --> Fiio D3 ---> M3400),                                                                                                                      because I thought digital was better than analog (less noise).  However, I´m not able to discern the sound of the Fiio,  from my old SB Live! 7.1 (Live! -->M3400).  I like very much the sound of the Live!, and I know this DAC is very cheap,  but I expected  more from the Fiio.  Have I donne something wrong ?

 

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post #6 of 7
12/20/11 at 3:46pm

I have the same problem. I am using RCA out of the audio source to XLR in on the BX5's (cable: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10244&cs_id=1024404&p_id=4777&seq=1&format=2) and only get faint sound with the source and speakers volumes cranked to max. I've tried several different audio sources (ex. Creative Xi-Fi Titanium HD, SqueezeBox Touch) and the results are the same. Any suggestions?

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post #7 of 7
12/20/11 at 4:09pm

The best way to connect these up to the d3 is rca to ts cables.

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