Cannot get the surround sound to work. right now its at 2 front right and left speakers with sub only. can't seem to switch to all speakers.

The HT-J5500W can only support a 5.1 speaker system. The main part of the entertainment system supports a direct connection with the front right, front left and center speakers and sub-woofer. The wireless receiver module connects the surround right and left speakers to the rest of the system.

You would need a different amplifier/receiver to switch to a 7.1 or other speaker system using more speakers. You may be able to upgrade the individual speakers, as long as you don't exceed the power output limits of the system. The original speakers are 165 W each (front and surround speakers) and 170 W for the center speaker and the sub-woofer.

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells

tv problem

The signal that comes from most tv's via the optical output is a stereo signal only. That is what your receiver is reading. You would have to manually set your receiver to decode the signal into surround,.

there are 2 channel modes on your reciever, as well as surround modes, and it sounds like you have changed modes by accident. just open the little door on the front, and take it out of 2 channel mode

Alright i had a chance to look over things, this is how you are going to hook up the sub. first we'll be connecting the surround sound unit to the sub woofer.
surround sound unit sub woofer
left front: positive (+) <-----to------------->(+) left speaker level in
negative ( - )<- - -to- - - - - - ->( - ) left speaker level in

right front: positive (+) <-----to------------->(+) right speaker level in
negative ( - )<- - -to- - - - - - >( - ) right speaker level in

now that the surround sound unit is connected to the sub woofer you will need to connect the front surround sound speakers to the sub woofer.
sub woofer front surround sound speaker
left speaker level out (+)<-----to--------> (+) left front speaker
left speaker level out( - ) <- - - to- - - - ->( - ) left front speaker

right speaker level out (+)<-----to--------> (+) right front speaker
right speaker level out( - ) <- - - to- - - ->( - ) right front speaker

Alright now that the wires are all over the place and plugged in
turn everything on and see how it sounds. let me know if everything is working as it should. if you need help with anything else or if something does not seem right please feel free to contact me via e-mail or phone
Mark Woodring

This is your surround sound system they should work when you are watching a movie with surround sound. make sure that you polarity are correct on all speakers.

first check if the speakers are working at all put them in other channels and see what happens

Sounds like the rear volume is just turned down. Cant be the amp if the front and subs are working

Hello sweetnikki1,

The Altec Lansing AVS500 are 4.1 channel speakers, meaning 4 speakers (front, rear and 2 satellites) and a subwoofer.

1. Make sure the rear and/or center/sub audio cable is plugged in to the correct port. On most surround sound cards, the rear audio port is black, the front audio port is green, and the satellite cords are similarly color coded. The output from the sub to the front right satellite is a heavy-duty cable that immediately stands out from the rest. This cable is thicker because the right front speaker has most of the system controls on it: power, volume, and surround volume. If you do not have a surround sound card, make sure you obtain the proper adapter or use surround sound emulation if your speaker system offers it. If you are not sure if you have a surround sound card, please check with the manufacturer of your sound card for details.

2. Make sure your sound card supports the same amount of channels as your speaker system contains. For 4.1 systems, it should have a front and rear speaker jack on the card. The card should be properly installed and configured. Please contact your sound card manufacturer for details. If you do not have a surround sound capable sound card, on the left side are the sub level control, the AC jack, satellite outs, and a sound mode switch. With this switch you decide between Gaming and Stereo. In Stereo mode, the normal stereo signal is sent to both the fronts and the rears. In Gaming mode, the speakers use the four-channel signal from your soundcard. Hence if you just hav the regular sound card, do not connect the satellite speakers and use Stereo mode.

3. You can also use an adapter to split the signal for the front and rear speakers. This type of adapter is a 3.5mm male to 2-3.5mm female jacks. You can purchase this adapter at your local electronic store. Please refer to your manual if you do not know if your speaker system can emulate surround sound.

Hope this helps..

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Cheers!
IrishDruid

go to audio set up and configure the system for 5.1 or higher sound output.then only all the speakers ll work