No signal on AUX OUT

[papasmurph]

I have the Thomann SP-5600, that's a private-labelled variant of the SP-4200, supposedly having the exact same features. Anywho...

I get no signal from AUX OUT.

Is there a setting to activate this? The manual doesn't mention any.

Is the output mono or stereo? I assumed a stereo plug as that's what I had available.

Is it controlled by the volume knob? I tried different levels.

I used the same cable with another (stereo) device as input to the amplifier, and it worked fine.

The manual has a "typo" regarding this, as the picture points to AUX IN, but the manual for the SP-4200 shows it correctly.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Biggles]

Welcome

The output socket is probably a TRS so do ensure you use the correct adaptor.

It maybe a TRSS but a call to Thomann Tech Support should give you an answer.

You could try restoring to the default settings M1 & Store held down whilst powering on.

If all else fails perform a factory reset, Yes & No held down then power on.

There is another reset process

 

[papasmurph]

The manual talks about unbalanced vs balanced connectors but actually doesn't say which type to use. Thanks Thomann .

Then there are mentioned TS and TRS mono plugs, which implies AUX OUT is mono (which would be a bit limited), but is again not clear on TS vs TRS.

I'll contact a representative, as there's no point guessing, and I'll try the reset options.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[papasmurph]

By the way, the product specs talk about AUX OUT and AUX IN being stereo, which makes the info in the manual completely wrong. Oh well...

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Going by the manual (and ignoring the obvious "typos" in the illustrations for AUX IN and AUX OUT), you need a 1/4" TRS stereo cable.

Do you have headphones plugged into the PHONES 2 jack? That will cut the sound going to the speakers, which might also cut the sound going to the AUX OUT jack.

 

[papasmurph]

Oddly they made another "typo" in the updated manual (changed the names but not the positions). Also, they had removed all copyrighted songs (e.g. Hej Jude and The Sounds of Silence) from the manual and the keyboard. Oops!

Good to get that confirmed, and it's possible to see that the plugs are stereo.

No headphones connected, and I have sound from the speakers.

I'll make a cable with 1/4", so I don't need the converter. Hopefully helps.

 

[papasmurph]

Thomann advised me to get specifically this cable that seems technically identical to what I already have, but we'll see.

Cordial CFY 3 VCC

Professional Y Audio Cable 2 x RCA male > Jack 6.3 mm stereo male, Cable cross section: 2 x 0.22 mm², With Neutrik/Rean connectors, Hand-soldered, With gold-plated contacts, Length: 3.0 m

www.thomann.de

 

[Akossss]

Any news on this one? I'm trying to connect it now and doesn't seem to be working...

 

[papasmurph]

What worked for me:
Put a plug (not connected to anything) in the right headphone jack to silence the keyboard's speakers
Turn the volume on the keyboard to max
Turn up the volume on the amplifier until it's satisfactory

Even so, the signal level is rather low.

 

[Akossss]

Are you serious? So it works, but on very low signal? That's a shame we need to silence the speakers and it's not auto when you use Aux out...

 

[papasmurph]

The inputs on my amplifier (Denon home cinema type) should be standard level, so the only conclusion I can draw is that the signal is low even at max volume. Not that it's bad that you can control the volume for an external amplifier through the keyboard.

At least worth a try. I was close to sending it back, as I started off listening with keyboard speakers on, and heard nothing from the amp.

 

[Akossss]

I tried, but it's not extremely low. Works fine on my active studio speakers.

The shame is, it doesn't auto-mute the built-in speakers. I'm sure there's a reason for this, but I hate it.

If you find the levels too low, try the headphone's output. It is the same signal but much stronger, so be careful with the volume...

 

[papasmurph]

Further findings:

The headphone outputs don't seem to be stronger. I shut off all audio processing in the amp to be sure no dynamic effects affect it.

By using the right headphone output I silence the keyboard's speakers (as per spec), so "two birds...". Alternatively I use the AUX port (to get rid of the cable) and a plug at the front.

Audio is still weak, which might in part be due to the amp itself (I used the analog video/audio AUX ports).

By increasing Source Level for that input to +12 dB I got better control over the volume.

The sound through the amp is of course much better, especially a very deep bass that is great for e.g. strings. For best room spread I use 5-channel stereo mix.

I learned the hard way not to insert the audio cable while the amp is on. Business as usual .

 

[Akossss]

A similar just happened to me an hour ago. It was just switching off the keyboard before the speakers. Surely not as painful as your experience connecting the cables, but it was bad enough...