realtek and 5.1 speakers

[halfpint]

The video you were watching might have had silent or really quiet channels. Here's a stereo one that is being upmixed by the Microsoft driver for me:

It is quiet...yeah...especially compared to explicitly stereo music sources on my computer. Here's another:

Pretty sure YouTube lowers the volume on upload.


I have it set to 100% in the computer:
View attachment 125961
The amplifier in the speakers (physical knob) is at roughly 50%.


I don't think YouTube actually supports more than stereo sound.

If I put them all to 100% like you have then the volume is too loud and would run everyone out, then the speaker icon if i turn it down they all drop way down in the balance, but i think you are right, I don't think they do stereo around, so I guess there is not way to keep them all set at 100% is there, apart from controlling the volume somehow, my only way for volume to manually control is thru keyboard or speaker i con, or keeping having to turn the middles speaker volume each time. The pics of videos i played gave me two from and center only

 

[FordGT90Concept]

That's the way it should be...

Referencing the manual again, it appears there are two volume knobs on your speakers:
1) on the subwoofer, this is your bass adjustment
2) on the back of the center speaker, this one control overall volume.

Turn #2 all the way off.
Turn the controls in the computer all the way up to 100%.
Start some music or something to make some sound.
Slowly turn #2 up until it is at an agreeable volume.
Adjust #1 so bass matches everything else.

From now on, only use #2 to adjust the volume.


With Speaker Fill enabled, there should be something from all the speakers even from YouTube. I can't really explain that.

 

[halfpint]

That's the way it should be...

Referencing the manual again, it appears there are two volume knobs on your speakers:
1) on the subwoofer, this is your bass adjustment
2) on the back of the center speaker, this one control overall volume.

Turn #2 all the way off.
Turn the controls in the computer all the way up to 100%.
Start some music or something to make some sound.
Slowly turn #2 up until it is at an agreeable volume.
Adjust #1 so bass matches everything else.

From now on, only use #2 to adjust the volume.


With Speaker Fill enabled, there should be something from all the speakers even from YouTube. I can't really explain that.

On my center speaker there is only one knob to turn it sets on the left side of it if facing it. I'm not sure if my model is older than what you are looking at but the only other knob on anything of my speaker system is the one for the sub, there is none on the back of my center speaker, it is oblong volume control on left side.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Oh, yeah, I see it now (the pictures in the manual are vague). That volume control on the center speaker is the only one you should be adjusting once it is all set up.

 

[halfpint]

Oh, yeah, I see it now (the pictures in the manual are vague). That volume control on the center speaker is the only one you should be adjusting once it is all set up.

yep, that should work then, thank you

 

[andynaruto10]

Hi @FordGT90Concept. I got a similar problem. I got a 5.1 setup connected 3 with analog jacks. Windows 10 1903. Codec Realtek ALC 1150.
I left only the windows driver as you said. I configured my speakers to 5.1, full-range disabled. Then I activated Speaker Fill. But I still get the same bad distorted sound on the Rear and Central Speakers when I play Stereo music or anything else.

I tried every damn driver I found on this forum from Alan Finote. Nothing works for me, no Dolby, no DTS, no VIA HD enhancements.

Question is, do you get distorted sound as well or you get the same quality on rear as you get on front?

The funny story is that on my previous PC (Core 2 Duo generation, 2008), I had VIA HD chipset and the Speaker Fill worked great, it cloned the Stereo to all speakers very clearly.

I did find a solution, tho not perfect. In the Registry, I can remap the Rear and Sub/Central jacks to Front. Also, Speakers are configured to Stereo. That works great, but then I won't be able to play real 6 channels sources like games or movies. I have to unmap them back and restart everytime.
https://www.reaper-x.com/2012/02/13/how-to-remap-retasking-realtek-onboard-jacks-ports/

 

[CityCultivator]

Hi @FordGT90Concept. I got a similar problem. I got a 5.1 setup connected 3 with analog jacks. Windows 10 1903. Codec Realtek ALC 1150.
I left only the windows driver as you said. I configured my speakers to 5.1, full-range disabled. Then I activated Speaker Fill. But I still get the same bad distorted sound on the Rear and Central Speakers when I play Stereo music or anything else.

I tried every damn driver I found on this forum from Alan Finote. Nothing works for me, no Dolby, no DTS, no VIA HD enhancements.

Question is, do you get distorted sound as well or you get the same quality on rear as you get on front?

The funny story is that on my previous PC (Core 2 Duo generation, 2008), I had VIA HD chipset and the Speaker Fill worked great, it cloned the Stereo to all speakers very clearly.

I did find a solution, tho not perfect. In the Registry, I can remap the Rear and Sub/Central jacks to Front. Also, Speakers are configured to Stereo. That works great, but then I won't be able to play real 6 channels sources like games or movies. I have to unmap them back and restart everytime.
https://www.reaper-x.com/2012/02/13/how-to-remap-retasking-realtek-onboard-jacks-ports/

Dolby, DTS, speaker fill attempt to decode the stereo signal to 5.1. If your system is properly configured and you are in the centre listening position, you should not notice any audio distortion. If you do, check again the speaker distances from the centre listening position.

 

[andynaruto10]

Thank you for your concern, but I didn't ask about listening position, I asked about a driver/software problem.
I'm not always in the center. I got my Rear speakers near my bed so whenever I'm in bed, I barely hear from those Speakers, be it music, youtube videos or movies.
I want my Rear and Central speakers to works the same as the Front ones.

So, is there any software solution to clone Front to Rear and Central whenever I'm playing a Stereo source?

 

[CityCultivator]

Thank you for your concern, but I didn't ask about listening position, I asked about a driver/software problem.
I'm not always in the center. I got my Rear speakers near my bed so whenever I'm in bed, I barely hear from those Speakers, be it music, youtube videos or movies.
I want my Rear and Central speakers to works the same as the Front ones.

So, is there any software solution to clone Front to Rear and Central whenever I'm playing a Stereo source?

It isn't a driver problem, it's you trying to set the system in a way it wasn't designed. It's a 5.1 system, not car audio where front and rear play the same.
Audio cloning can be done using audio players such as foobar2000. Use the DSPs in the player

 

[andynaruto10]

I tried foobar before, it works, but I don't really like it, I use it for conversion only. I use Winamp for music, and also Youtube, Spotify on Chrome.
Anyway, by what you're telling me, it seems that it's not possible to do the cloning on a driver level like it was possible on my old VIA HD chipset.
It's sad that we can't use the full potential of a surround system for music, which we mainly use them for. Gotta resort to tricks like jack remapping. Or, get an expensive dedicated audio card which does that...

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Question is, do you get distorted sound as well or you get the same quality on rear as you get on front?

Nope. What do you mean by "distorted?" Unbalanced volume? Are they matched speakers?

I did find a solution, tho not perfect. In the Registry, I can remap the Rear and Sub/Central jacks to Front. Also, Speakers are configured to Stereo. That works great, but then I won't be able to play real 6 channels sources like games or movies.

After plugging all the speakers in correctly, did you go through the Windows sound configuration tool and set the speaker size appropriately? Small means no bass (satellites), large means bass (full range speaker). More importantly, when you do the test, does the volume across all speakers sound the same?

 

[andynaruto10]

Distorted meaning they sound like an echo, low, muffled and unclear, no voices.

Yes, I configured them appropriately in the Windows Sound configuration tool. And yes, when I test, the volume is loud and clear on each speaker. Also, when I play 6 channel stuff, it works fine. But for Stereo sources, the Speaker Fill option only creates a low and muffled echo to the other speakers, it doesn't clone the Front to Rear and Center...

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Well that's odd. First, from what you described, it's definitely a DSP issue and not a speaker/connection issue. Second, have you uninstalled the Realtek software/drivers and verified it is running on Microsoft's driver in Device Manager? I believe that if Realtek's driver is still installed, the Speaker Fill enhancement will do the environmental effect instead of simply stereo surround. Microsoft's Speaker Fill does stereo surround.

 

[andynaruto10]

Yea, it's uninstalled, it says High Definition Audio Device. Nothing about Realtek. It's really odd.
But what chipset do you have? And what version of Windows?

 

[FordGT90Concept]

ALC1150 and Windows 10. It worked on Windows 7 too.

 

[andynaruto10]

So the same chipset. And for Windows 10, you got the latest build, 1903?
Maybe I installed too much crap on my PC, I'll try a fresh install.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Yeah, 1903. There was a build in there (17## maybe?) where Windows driver was broken but it's been fixed again since at least 18##.

I doubt a fresh install will work. I'm not entirely sure what to tell you if Realtek is removed from the system. It shouldn't be doing what it is doing.

 

[martynwright1979]

I have 5.1 speakers and the latest windows 10 and I cannot get all 5 working. The rear speakers do absolutely nothing, can someone please help me get these other two working? I have tried so many solutions, i have speaker fill enabled, and now i'm lost, if this post is in the wrong place please excuse me since i'm new. Thanks

Only plug in the green cable on the back of the subwoofer, and only the green cable into the back of your pc. Windows / Realtek drivers should produce stereo only only sound out of all speakers and your sub.