Issues with 5.1 Surround Sound with Windows 10

Anonymous
2019-06-25T18:59:15+00:00

I can not get 5.1 Surround Sound to play for my computer with any audio player; i.e. DVD/CD optical drive, Pandora, etc. but when I run an audio test using the device manager it tests perfectly.  I have heard that there might be a compatibility issue with 5.1/7.1 Surround Sound and Windows 10.

Please let me know if anybody has had this problem and what the solution is.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-05-13T22:48:05+00:00

    With earlier drivers, the Audio Control Panel was included where the surround sound could be activated and Sterio became a sound that fitted perfectly with a 5.1 system. This is currently a problem with MS and Realtek. Audio Control Panel is no longer included in the driver. For playback I use a codec package with audio rendering, which helps. Then I can distribute stereo to all speakers.

    That's not a windows problem, that's add on software. The Sound Blaster line used to include utilities like that. I've never seen it in a base Windows install (and I've owned every version of Windows), until Win10 and WIndows Sonic, but I don't think that's what you meant.

    Properly speaking, this isn't a CODEC issue; that just encodes an audio stream. You want an audio rendering program.

    Maybe Windows Sonic would work for you?

    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/coreaudio/spatial-sound

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-05-13T13:05:16+00:00

    ... When I play a stereo recording there is only the output to the front speakers, the others are mute. This applies to different programs. Current games work with 5.1 or 7.1 and work.

    That is what stereo is though ... it's only 2 channels, so you'd only get audio out the front speakers.

    If games work with 5.1 or 7.1, then everything is working as designed.

    If the source material doesn't have the extra channel info, you would need some kind of mixer to take the two channels and figure out what's supposed to go in the rear by adding information not in the original format.

    What would you expect from a 2.0 input to play in the rear?

    One of my HUGE frustrations with Amazon is that their app only outputs 2.0 on PC. This has been a bug raised for over ten years with them. Their app on a blasted cell phone will output more on HDMI than a full blown Home Theater PC does, and the latter is far more capable. Very frustrating.

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-05-13T11:25:13+00:00

    Hello everybody, I can only agree with the previous speaker. I have the same problem. Use the current version of Windows 10 Pro (Build 18363.778).

    Used Microsft drivers (which are very quiet)

    Current manufacturer driver used.

    Also older manufacturer driver used.

    Problem:

    I can access all 6 speakers through the sound test and it works. When I play a stereo recording there is only the output to the front speakers, the others are mute. This applies to different programs. Current games work with 5.1 or 7.1 and work.

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-04-16T07:07:03+00:00

    no...Not with head phones so sonic for head phones isn't the answer but thanks

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  5. Anonymous
    2020-01-11T09:53:43+00:00

    Used the passthrough on the sub

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