How to get 5.1 sound coming out please? Aspire XC-895

Hi, how are you?

I have purchased a new ACER Aspire XC-895 Desktop PC Intel Core i5 1TB HDD 8GB RAM fitted with Realtek audio.

I have been in contact with the supplier's technical team, Currys in England, and they cannot help me, so I am hoping someone else may have had the same problems and fixed it.

The problem is I cannot get the computer to play in 5.1 sound. The Realtek has been configured to 5.1, speakers, wired up correctly because when I do Test in the audio console sound comes out of all 6 speakers, 2 front, 2 rear, centre and woofer. But if I play anything it only comes out front left and right speakers. Yet when ever I try test on Realtek audio console or Sound control panel sound comes out of all 6 speakers.

The company I brought the computer off has said it is a software problem, the hardware, i.e. the Realtek audio device is working correctly as test comes out of all 6 speakers. But whatever I play only comes out of the 2 front speakers, and there's nothing they can do.

Can anyone advice me what to do please, or send me some device updates? These are what I have in the computer at the moment

audio driver version: 6.0.8907.1

UI version: 1.14.221.0

I have searched for 5.1 in the forum but didn’t see anything that sounds like my problem, in that it works with Test mode.

Many thanks for your help, and may your day go well.

Cheers

Ed

Accepted answers

All comments

Leostat

What's carrying the signal, is it the hdmi , and what is it going into

?

Does the windows sound service see it as a 5.1 system or generic 2.1?

oztraxed

Hi Leostat, no it's not HDMI it's audio jacks wired like this

Blue: Rear
Green: front
Pink: Centre and bass

Oh not sure what you mean by windows sound service, the Realtek console says 5.1, and testing thru that gives sounds to all 6 speakers, just playing anything only 2 speakers makes a noise.

Leostat

So if you right click on the volume icon in the tray, sounds, playback , configure, you can select the audio device type and then test all speakers indevidually

oztraxed

Yip, if I do the test sounds comes out of all 6 speakers. But if I play anything, , music, movie, website contents etc sounds only comes out of the front 2 speakers

Leostat

Mosst of music and websites will only use FR / FR and maybe sub as thats all the data is for, if you have netflix they have a test screen program to check if your pc is able to decode the 5.1 stream, if not, does this work?

https://archive.org/details/5.1SurroundSoundTestFilesVariousFormatsAACAC3MP4DTSWAV/5.1+Surround+Sound+AAC+Test.mp4

Movies i would expect to be 5.1 depending on the source

oztraxed

yeah that link you sent me made all the speakers come as they should. Still though when I play anything else it comes out only in stereo, 2 speakers. On my old computer with 5.1 sound and same speakers, it came out of all 6 whatever I played. also on this one, when I put anything into the front (only port I have) microphone socket I can record the sound, but then nothing at all comes out of the speakers, whereas old computer (XP) it will come out of the speakers, I can use the computer as a sort of amp.

any of that makes sense to you?

Cheers, Ed

Leostat

It does, i know what you want but i dont know how to set it

so for example on my AV reciver its called "extended stero" where audio is muxed out of all the speakers.

The only two ways which i think may work is either if you try using the "windows sonic" / DTS-X plugins (sonic should be there already, DTS is in the windows store), or re-mapping the jacks to all be frontleft or front right, but that would remove the back speakers. You cold also try setting the speaker system to 2.1 in the windows advanced sound settings which may tread the back speakers as the front ones.

Sorry i cant be of more help after this point

oztraxed

thanks Leo, I've downloaded and installed the plugins, but still music only come out on 2 speakers. Many thanks for all your suggestions!!

Currys (the supplier) has been online to try and help and didn't get anywhere. Have downloaded the latest drivers from Acer still only music out of 2 speakers, but testing in the sound control panel set to 5.1 gave test sound out of all 6. Ah well guess I may have to buy a soundcard for it, drat!

Any recommendations on that?

Cheers

Ed

Leostat

Fraid not! i let HDMI deal with all my audio woe's

, one last thing if you open the realteck pannel and click the jack icon you may be able to re-map the output to force it to use the speakers but it wouldnt be 5.1

oztraxed

Thanks Leo, I am going to try a different tack. I have had Curry's techies dialed in and try to help, everything seems to point it should work but it doesn't.

So will open new question to see who HAS got it working on XC-895 and check our settings.

Thanks for all your help mate, have a virtual drink on me!