# realtek and 5.1 speakers



## halfpint (Jun 20, 2019)

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


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## INSTG8R (Jun 20, 2019)

I haven’t used Realtek in a long time but there’s is definitely an option for “Jack switching” I’m assuming you’re using Green/Orange Black 3.5 mm connections? It might be be under Sound settings under Control Panel if not in the Realtek Control panel.


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## halfpint (Jun 20, 2019)

INSTG8R said:


> I haven’t used Realtek in a long time but there’s is definitely an option for “Jack switching” I’m assuming you’re using Green/Orange Black 3.5 mm connections? It might be be under Sound settings under Control Panel if not in the Realtek Control panel.


On back of computer, my green goes in green, my yellow goes in black and my black goes in orange, I hate realtek  i have listed in device manager, the realtek hd audio and an AMD but it says it's unplugged


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## Mussels (Jun 20, 2019)

halfpint said:


> On back of computer, my green goes in green, my yellow goes in black and my black goes in orange, I hate realtek  i have listed in device manager, the realtek hd audio and an AMD but it says it's unplugged



if you have the sound output with all 6 colours, realtek has two 5.1 options where one is 'side' speakers and one is 'rear' - you use a different jack depending which one is chosen

If you only have the 3 jacks, then you likely have a broken cable.

oh and use the speaker test for sound, everyone forgets that stereo sound doesnt magically upmix on its own so music wont  come out the rear


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## INSTG8R (Jun 20, 2019)

halfpint said:


> On back of computer, my green goes in green, my yellow goes in black and my black goes in orange, I hate realtek  i have listed in device manager, the realtek hd audio and an AMD but it says it's unplugged


Well not sure why you’re making mixing black and orange. The colour coding is standard unless you’ve rewired  something. Green=Fronts/Stereo. Orange=Centre/Sub Black=Rears


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## halfpint (Jun 20, 2019)

Mussels said:


> if you have the sound output with all 6 colours, realtek has two 5.1 options where one is 'side' speakers and one is 'rear' - you use a different jack depending which one is chosen
> 
> If you only have the 3 jacks, then you likely have a broken cable.
> 
> oh and use the speaker test for sound, everyone forgets that stereo sound doesnt magically upmix on its own so music wont  come out the rear


No I don't have one broken, let me explain, I have 4 cables coming out of sub woofer, and each one goes to 4 speakers, now, coming off of the sub woofer is a thicker flat cable that has only 3 in that cable which is a green, yellow, black,


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## INSTG8R (Jun 20, 2019)

Yeah that’s standard. My Logitech Z906s are identical and so were my Creatives before that. Should just match colours, Jack to plug and set windows to 5.1. Both Windows and Realtek CP have speaker tests if you’re matching your colours set to 5.1 and missing speakers you will need to check your cables from your sub to your satellites.


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## halfpint (Jun 20, 2019)

INSTG8R said:


> Yeah that’s standard. My Logitech Z906s are identical and so were my Creatives before that. Should just match colours, Jack to plug and set windows to 5.1. Both Windows and Realtek CP have speaker tests if you’re matching your colours set to 5.1 and missing speakers you will need to check your cables from your sub to your satellites.


I ran down the 4 one each out of the sub woofer, and they each like i say go into a speaker each, when playing music the sound is so dominant out of the center front and front right and left, but weak in rear right, and left,  out of the computer is top 3 are as follows, gray is side , black is rear, sub is orange which is my yellow cord and on bottom row is pink mic, green line out, blue line in, so what suggestion? In speaker test they all play fine, but not when playing music , the very top rear right and left aren't coming out with the sound of during test


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## INSTG8R (Jun 20, 2019)

Well music is in Stereo unless you’re using some kind of “Surround enhancement” to “fake” 5.1. Also something to check with your speaker connections that they all wired with correct polarity(+/-)Getting one backwards will definitely lead to odd image/volumes issues. But you’re correct with the connections so no issues there. Try a game to really test your 5.1 setup I have played maybe one game in recent history that wasn’t 5.1. If you want surround for music you’ll have to choose an effect setting like DTS Neo or DD Live to upmix Stereo to Surround. What’s available is different from chip to chip you will have an option for Surround effects for Stereo sources.


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 20, 2019)

I have Realtek + Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 and I use Microsoft's generic audio driver with the "Speaker Fill" enhancement.  Works better than Realtek's drivers with stereo and 6 ch sources.







Under the General tab, you can do a Configure/Test.  If the voice sounds equal from all channels, then your problem is a DSP making the rear speakers faint (CMSS comes to mind).


The cables are:
Green = Front L/R
Black = Rear L/R
Orange = Center/Subwoofer


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## halfpint (Jun 20, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> I have Realtek + Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 and I use Microsoft's generic audio driver with the "Speaker Fill" enhancement.  Works better than Realtek's drivers with stereo and 6 ch sources.
> View attachment 125321View attachment 125320
> 
> Under the General tab, you can do a Configure/Test.  If the voice sounds equal from all channels, then your problem is a DSP making the rear speakers faint (CMSS comes to mind).


In my device manager I have listed AMD hd audio device, and realtek hd audio, I also have speaker fill checked, also, it says i have audio driver version 6.0.1.6543  direct x 11.0, audio controller HD audio, audio codec alc892


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 20, 2019)

AMD HD Audio Device is for your HDMI and DisplayPort sound.

I would try uninstalling Realtek HD Audio and playing around with the default Microsoft driver Windows will automatically rollback to.

If memory serves, Realtek Windows Enhancements and Realtek Manager software can conflict.  I distinctly remember the Windows Enhancement having no effect if Realtek Manager is installed.


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## halfpint (Jun 20, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> AMD HD Audio Device is for your HDMI and DisplayPort sound.
> 
> I would try uninstalling Realtek HD Audio and playing around with the default Microsoft driver Windows will automatically rollback to.
> 
> If memory serves, Realtek Windows Enhancements and Realtek Manager software can conflict.  I distinctly remember the Windows Enhancement having no effect if Realtek Manager is installed.


If I go into control panel, it only shows the realtek  and it says the amd is unplugged which it is, I tried uninstalling the realtek, but it when it restarts it puts it back, so if i try to uninstall again do i also remove the software for it?


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## Mussels (Jun 20, 2019)

if you're using stereo music, you only get stereo sound. some gets diverted to the sub, which shares a channel with centre so you may get some audio there too.

you need to use the speaker tests, 5.1 audio, or audio upmixing/speaker fill (which ruins real 5.1 surround sound, and i hate)


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## halfpint (Jun 20, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> I have Realtek + Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 and I use Microsoft's generic audio driver with the "Speaker Fill" enhancement.  Works better than Realtek's drivers with stereo and 6 ch sources.
> View attachment 125321View attachment 125320
> 
> Under the General tab, you can do a Configure/Test.  If the voice sounds equal from all channels, then your problem is a DSP making the rear speakers faint (CMSS comes to mind).
> ...


My cables are green, black yellow and i can't get to these setting now, everything is back to realtek i hate that, and I have used the speaker test for 5.1 also sorry i guess i don't know what DSP is or CMSS and in sound settings the dang input is stereo mix realtek



halfpint said:


> My cables are green, black yellow and i can't get to these setting now, everything is back to realtek i hate that, and I have used the speaker test for 5.1 also sorry i guess i don't know what DSP is or CMSS and in sound settings the dang input is stereo mix realtek


Every time I restart it all goes back to realtek even if i choose 5.1 and do the speaker test, and to stereo so I think that cancels out my 5.1


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 20, 2019)

Try using this to disable Windows Update fetching of Realtek driver:


			http://download.microsoft.com/download/f/2/2/f22d5fdb-59cd-4275-8c95-1be17bf70b21/wushowhide.diagcab
		


I think you have to uninstall -> use that utility, Realtek should show up, mark it -> restart.  Should stay Microsoft.

Sources:








						[Windows 10] hide/prohibit install of specific Windows Update
					

Edit: Try "Show or hide updates" troubleshooter package first and let us know if it works for you.   Adapted from Preventing a certain Windows Update from installing on Windows 10 by Igal Tabachnik. Uninstall the problematical driver/update. Restart the computer, if necessary, and/or switch to...




					www.techpowerup.com
				











						[SOLVED] Windows 10 Realtek 'Speaker Fill' not working
					

Peace will not do what he needs it todo which is copy and re-map channels  Shame because it covers the other bases for EQ tuning and channel tuning pretty well for a simple lightweight UI imo. Do you stick primarily to line editing rather than a UI?   Hopefully you can get the blend to work...




					www.techpowerup.com


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## INSTG8R (Jun 20, 2019)

halfpint said:


> My cables are green, black yellow and i can't get to these setting now, everything is back to realtek i hate that, and I have used the speaker test for 5.1 also sorry i guess i don't know what DSP is or CMSS and in sound settings the dang input is stereo mix realtek
> 
> 
> Every time I restart it all goes back to realtek even if i choose 5.1 and do the speaker test, and to stereo so I think that cancels out my 5.1


Realtek is what you’re plugged into. You should have it selected as default device. You can control through Windows Control Panel/Sound like Ford has pictured fir basic functionality or use the Realtek Control Panel(if drivers are properly installed) and have access to more features like equalizers and audio enhancements.  But yes one may very well override the other. My SB SZ has a dedicated headphone jack if I switch to 5.1 to headphones in my SB control panel I have to go to Windows sound to set it to stereo because it’s not recognized by Windows as an output just a an example of one overriding the other. 
Bottom line you are properly connected to the Realtek chip. How you control it the features you want to use depend on which method of control you choose(Windows vs Realtek) some things will be the same on both but both have different levels of control/features.


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## MrGRiMv25 (Jun 20, 2019)

You can also asign which rear-jacks send out a different signal in RLTek CP, that might work.

Also make sure you have set Windows to 5.1 channel audio in the Sound CP properties/speaker setup.


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## halfpint (Jun 20, 2019)

Oh I have uninstalled the realteck drivers and the software, when i restart i now only have on speakers high def audio device, but my input says no input fond, and now i only have one from right, one front left and sub and center speaker, now absolutely no rear right or left speakers.  Your link never did show the realteck update to show or hide no matter what i tried before and after the uninstall of the realtek, what a mess,

Ok I have realtek back as default, no rear speakers.  The only way I can get some out of rear speakers is to choose 7.1 even though I have 5.1,  Also I cannot get the option to check speakerfill unless i choose 7.1, the rear speakers are working just not very loud, any suggestions?


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## Mussels (Jun 21, 2019)

choose 7.1 and untick two of the speakers, do the speaker test to find out which ones you've got in use


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## halfpint (Jun 21, 2019)

Mussels said:


> choose 7.1 and untick two of the speakers, do the speaker test to find out which ones you've got in use


OK I have front right and left, sub woofer,  the center , and the rear right and left aren't very loud, I unticked what is called the side on the 7.1 which didn't play with out unticking them.  So the sound coming from the rear two test fine and are in the right sequence when they are tested in configuration, but when playing any music, the sound in the rear are two faint, so most of the sound is dominant out of center, and front right and left,


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 21, 2019)

Music is stereo.  It's using a DSP that is putting some of it through the rear.  With all DSPs disabled, you would hear nothing except from FL/FR/SW.  You'll want to turn off whatever DSP is doing that and turn on stereo surround which simply copies FL -> RL, FR -> RR, and blends FL/FR -> C.  As I said before, I couldn't make Realtek do that but I could make Micosoft's driver + Speaker Fill enhancement do it.


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## Mussels (Jun 21, 2019)

music = stereo

this has been covered plenty of times here, you need to upmix the audio for stereo sounds out the rear.


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## halfpint (Jun 21, 2019)

Mussels said:


> music = stereo
> 
> this has been covered plenty of times here, you need to upmix the audio for stereo sounds out the rear.


Thank you all for trying, I will just leave it since this is starting to go over my head, I won't ask any more,


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 21, 2019)

halfpint said:


> Oh I have uninstalled the realteck drivers and the software, when i restart i now only have on speakers high def audio device, but my input says no input fond, and now i only have one from right, one front left and sub and center speaker, now absolutely no rear right or left speakers.  Your link never did show the realteck update to show or hide no matter what i tried before and after the uninstall of the realtek, what a mess,
> 
> Ok I have realtek back as default, no rear speakers.  The only way I can get some out of rear speakers is to choose 7.1 even though I have 5.1,  Also I cannot get the option to check speakerfill unless i choose 7.1, the rear speakers are working just not very loud, any suggestions?


You were on the right track here.  Once you're back to the Microsoft driver, you have to run through Configuration via Sound Control Panel.  That's where you tell it you have 5.1 speakers and how they're arranged.  Once you do that, you can use the built in test to verify all the channels are correct.  Then you right click on it, do properties, then Enhancement tab, enabled Speaker Fill, and you should be golden.

Two more pics for you:


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## halfpint (Jun 21, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> You were on the right track here.  Once you're back to the Microsoft driver, you have to run through Configuration via Sound Control Panel.  That's where you tell it you have 5.1 speakers and how they're arranged.  Once you do that, you can use the built in test to verify all the channels are correct.  Then you right click on it, do properties, then Enhancement tab, enabled Speaker Fill, and you should be golden.
> 
> Two more pics for you:
> View attachment 125441View attachment 125442


Yes I have done all that and what shows in your picture, the only diff is you have klipsch and i don't, and even though i chose 5.1 it doesn't seem to matter.  I installed back the realtek and it's set at 5.1 also, just here again weak rear speakers.  I don't know what the problem is, I truly do not, cause when testing the speakers they all test fine, just not when playing music, they are rear faint.  thanks for trying though, I hate to sound like a broken record on this, and I know everyone is getting tired of the same thing, so I have left it alone and have come to the realization that i can't have music out of rear speakers,  i truly appreciate everyone's help


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 21, 2019)

I renamed it Klipsch so I could quickly identify it.  When you set it to 5.1 and did the test, what did you hear?  Anything out of any speaker?  It gives a visual cue while it does audio.  In addition, you can click on specific speakers to make it send a chime to it.



halfpint said:


> ...cause when testing the speakers they all test fine, just not when playing music, they are rear faint.


As said repeatedly, Realtek is using a DSP to give stereo sound that specific effect (Creative calls a similar DSP CMSS).  You don't want that: you want stereo surround or speaker fill. Realtek drivers may not ever give you that option.  That's why you need to go around it with Microsoft drivers.

I literally called MSI (motherboard manufacture) about this on my motherboard and after a bunch of back and forth, they literally told me there's no way to get stereo surround from Realtek because MSI didn't pay Realtek the money to license that feature.  That's why I've used Microsoft's solution ever since.



halfpint said:


> I have left it alone and have come to the realization that i can't have music out of rear speakers


Yes, you can.  It just takes some effort.


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## halfpint (Jun 21, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> I renamed it Klipsch so I could quickly identify it.  When you set it to 5.1 and did the test, what did you hear?  Anything out of any speaker?  It gives a visual cue while it does audio.  In addition, you can click on specific speakers to make it send a chime to it.
> 
> 
> As said repeatedly, Realtek is using a DSP to give stereo sound that specific effect (Creative calls a similar DSP CMSS).  You don't want that: you want stereo surround or speaker fill. Realtek drivers may not ever give you that option.  That's why you need to go around it with Microsoft drivers.
> ...


Ok, so how about some steps from you I can uninstall the realteck again and the software, then from there i will need your help if you don't mind, because after it is uninstalled it goes to just high definition audio speakers, I get no speaker fill then, so do I uninstall realtek and software first?


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## Mussels (Jun 22, 2019)

use a different music player like fubar 2000 and use its DSP feature to upmix the music to quad


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## halfpint (Jun 22, 2019)

Mussels said:


> use a different music player like fubar 2000 and use its DSP feature to upmix the music to quad


Downloaded and tried, per this photo, still no rear speakers


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 22, 2019)

halfpint said:


> Ok, so how about some steps from you I can uninstall the realteck again and the software, then from there i will need your help if you don't mind, because after it is uninstalled it goes to just high definition audio speakers, I get no speaker fill then, so do I uninstall realtek and software first?


Did you follow these instructions?








						[SOLVED] Windows 10 Realtek 'Speaker Fill' not working
					

Peace will not do what he needs it todo which is copy and re-map channels  Shame because it covers the other bases for EQ tuning and channel tuning pretty well for a simple lightweight UI imo. Do you stick primarily to line editing rather than a UI?   Hopefully you can get the blend to work...




					www.techpowerup.com


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## Mussels (Jun 22, 2019)

if your speakers are setup in 5.1 and work in a 5.1 test, then the 4.0/5.1 speaker fill in fubar will work

i wonder if you've got the speakers in the wrong jack based on the colour, when your soundcard wants them in a different spot. its happened before on realtek to me.


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 22, 2019)

Entirely plausible and using the configurator, you can figure out which plugs aren't in the right jacks.

Front L/R = green
Rear L/R = black
subwoofer/center = orange

Example, if you click on subwoofer and don't hear it, the orange plug is in the wrong place.  If you hear subwoofer out the rear L/R then orange is plugged into black.


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## Mussels (Jun 22, 2019)

realtek thinks 5.1 has side speakers and only 7.1 has rears

so when you set 5.1, you have to set them in the side jack, not rear (unless you set it as 7.1 and untick the side speakers)


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## halfpint (Jun 22, 2019)

Here is how i'm plugged in, i have black in black, I have green in green, and I have yellow in the orange sub woofer, Which is rear, sub, line out.  This is the only way I can get speakers working, I have in sound what is called High Definition Audio Device, only other option is Digital Audio (s/pdf) high definition audio device, so i'm working on just hdad, Now if I use foobar 2000 and set the dsp I do get rear speakers, not as loud as I would like but I certainly have a right rear weak, Left rear produces sound right rear, some. I have configured to 5.1 So DSP must be used to get and where more rear sound and choosing the option of convert stereo to 4 channels, i have uploaded what i have explained here. If I try to choose any other jack setting, It changes to the audio s/pdf hd, and i get no sound then.  If there is any other setting i should have please advise, and thank you so much for all of you and your help,


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 22, 2019)

1) If you have a subwoofer, you're going to want to uncheck both boxes for "Full-Range Speaker."  Full-range means that the speakers are capable of high frequencies to low frequencies.  In most 5.1 systems, the satellites are only designed to do high-mid; low frequencies are sent exclusively to the subwoofer channel.  Setting this correctly for the speakers will make them sound clearer.
2) You do not want to use Foobar DSPs on top of the Microsoft Enhancement (see #4).  If the driver is taking care of it, software will just muck it up.
3) "Right rear weak" and "left rear produces sound right rear, some" is indicative that the black connector isn't fully inserted (one or both ends).  Make sure it is fully inserted.
4) Make sure to right click on High Definition Audio Device -> Properties -> Enhancements tab -> check Speaker Fill.  This is the setting that makes #2 redundant.  Doing it this way, the source of stereo sound (e.g. YouTube video) doesn't matter.  It will always get turned into stereo surround unless it is greater than stereo (e.g. surround sound in a DVD).
5) While you're looking at High Definition Audio Device Properties, you may as well go to the Advanced tab, selected 24-bit, 192,000 Hz, and test it.  If you hear it, apply it.  Realtek has supported 24-bit, 192 kHz for a long time so it should work.
6) I would just right click on SPDIF and select "Disable" because it doesn't look like your motherboard even has them.  They look like this (left is coaxial, right is optical):





Knock all those points off the todo list and it should work as advertised no matter the circumstance (stereo and surround).


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## halfpint (Jun 23, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> 1) If you have a subwoofer, you're going to want to uncheck both boxes for "Full-Range Speaker."  Full-range means that the speakers are capable of high frequencies to low frequencies.  In most 5.1 systems, the satellites are only designed to do high-mid; low frequencies are sent exclusively to the subwoofer channel.  Setting this correctly for the speakers will make them sound clearer.
> 2) You do not want to use Foobar DSPs on top of the Microsoft Enhancement (see #4).  If the driver is taking care of it, software will just muck it up.
> 3) "Right rear weak" and "left rear produces sound right rear, some" is indicative that the black connector isn't fully inserted (one or both ends).  Make sure it is fully inserted.
> 4) Make sure to right click on High Definition Audio Device -> Properties -> Enhancements tab -> check Speaker Fill.  This is the setting that makes #2 redundant.  Doing it this way, the source of stereo sound (e.g. YouTube video) doesn't matter.  It will always get turned into stereo surround unless it is greater than stereo (e.g. surround sound in a DVD).
> ...


Ok, per your instructions, steps 1-4, let me explain, i only have the microsoft audio hd, not realtek anymore i removed all of it.  But the results are this, with out dsp enabled in foobar the sound is distributed more thru the center speaker, lacking volume in rear speakers, but if I do enable dsp, it takes the hugh loudness off the center speaker, and makes it sound much better out rear speakers, maybe it shouldn't work like that but it is,  as for the right rear speaker there is not loose connection i've checked in umpteen times, so either that speaker has a problem or the cord that goes in the sub, but this is the results I do get per your 1-4, except for the dsp difference, i do like foobar really well, just white is so plain, lol thanks so much for the help by the way


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 23, 2019)

Is that with Speaker Fill Enhancement enabled?  What speakers are these?

When Speaker Fill is working correctly, Front Left should match Rear Left and Front Right should match Rear Right in volume and in what is heard.

In the configurator when it does per-channel testing, does the volume match between all satellites?  Is the problem only when you're playing something that is stereo?


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## halfpint (Jun 23, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> Is that with Speaker Fill Enhancement enabled?  What speakers are these?
> 
> When Speaker Fill is working correctly, Front Left should match Rear Left and Front Right should match Rear Right in volume and in what is heard.
> 
> In the configurator when it does per-channel testing, does the volume match between all satellites?  Is the problem only when you're playing something that is stereo?


Yes that is with speaker fill, and left does match left, and right does match right, the right rear being the weak one, and the songs are mp3  playing thru foobar,  the rear speakers they do not play thru  MPC-HC x 64, only thru foobar, and do the test on each one the right rear are the weak one


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 23, 2019)

When you click in the configurator on the right rear speaker and the right front speaker, is the volume the same?


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## halfpint (Jun 23, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> When you click in the configurator on the right rear speaker and the right front speaker, is the volume the same?


No they are not, the right rear sounds so faint way off, and i moved it to the front on my desk so I could test all diff ways, There is no making the right rear to match sound on any of them,  if its a speaker problem, I can get just that one on ebay for the right rear.


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 23, 2019)

It definitely sounds like a problem... that's beyond software.  Can you try swapping the rear-right and rear-left satellites to see if the problem follows the speaker?  If it does, there's something wrong with the satellite or cable.  If it does not, there could be something wrong with the amplifer for that channel.

I verified that stock MPC-HC + Speaker Fill is working as it should for me (stereo MP3 -> stereo surround 5.1).


Never heard of these speakers before...


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## halfpint (Jun 23, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> It definitely sounds like a problem... that's beyond software.  Can you try swapping the rear-right and rear-left satellites to see if the problem follows the speaker?  If it does, there's something wrong with the satellite or cable.  If it does not, there could be something wrong with the amplifer for that channel.
> 
> I verified that stock MPC-HC + Speaker Fill is working as it should for me (stereo MP3 -> stereo surround 5.1).
> 
> ...


Oh they are all over the internet for sale used and new around, trust me i tried to switch the cables to check it but the problem is the cables that connect to the sub won't plug in to any of the others cause they are notches on them specific just for that spot, I tried and tried this morning, and i wish there was another way to test it but not. I went thru your pdf file and that is exactly how i am set up.  I'm going to do a restart and see if the sound changes to stereo instead of my 5.1, i've noticed if i con't complete the sound test all the way thru then next time it goes to stereo,  So i'm still toying with it, but may try another rear speaker for 16 bucks just to see if that is the problem, if not then it has to be in the sub.  I personally like the mpc-hc and would of stayed with it, but i can't get sound out of rear speakers with it.  All this crap happen with windows 10, will let you know what else i find out,  thanks so much.


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 23, 2019)

halfpint said:


> Oh they are all over the internet for sale used and new around, trust me i tried to switch the cables to check it but the problem is the cables that connect to the sub won't plug in to any of the others cause they are notches on them specific just for that spot


That is remarkably bad design.

Personally, I wouldn't spend another 16 bucks on them.  I'd probably just unplug the center and the rears making it a 2.1 setup.  As you discovered, the software side of 5.1 isn't exactly...sane.  The best way to get 5.1 these days is using an HDMI receiver, unfortunately.


If the Speaker Fill enhancement isn't working the way it should, then your only option really is to try modded/unlocked Realtek drivers and hope that bad stereo surround effect isn't baked into the hardware of the chip.


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## halfpint (Jun 23, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> That is remarkably bad design.
> 
> Personally, I wouldn't spend another 16 bucks on them.  I'd probably just unplug the center and the rears making it a 2.1 setup.  As you discovered, the software side of 5.1 isn't exactly...sane.  The best way to get 5.1 these days is using an HDMI receiver, unfortunately.
> 
> ...


Ok here is what I have done, I turned the balance of the right rear all the way up, and if i use 5.1 in sound they all test but most of the sound with out the dsp ebabled in foobar, seems to dominant out the center speaker, now if i enable the dsp in foobar, then sound pulls away from the center speaker to spread the music much better.  I only turned up the right rear to see could i get more sound from it and yes I can, I know I shouldn't have to do it that way but hey it sounds good, If I should ever have to put in a new sound card I will make sure it is totally compatible with windows 10 and may get a diff sub and speakers. Are you using realtek drivers or microsoft drivers?  And i'm sorry but you have lost me on the modded/unlocked realtek drivers, cause i currently have nothing realtek installed for sound. and what I really hate is they worked great in windows 7.


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 23, 2019)

I am using Microsoft's driver.  Picture with version information here:








						realtek and 5.1 speakers
					

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...




					www.techpowerup.com
				




If you got it working then I'd leave well enough alone.  If you're not satisfied/want to keep tinkering, here's the two main threads I know of about modded/unlocked drivers:








						Realtek DCH Modded Audio Driver for Windows 10/11 - Including Realtek USB Audio Devices
					

Greetings to all sound enthusiasts, who want to have a better audio experience on their PCs but don't want to spend a lot on physical upgrades. I present to you the AAF DCH Optimus Sound:  Downloads & Updates Here: https://github.com/AlanFinotty/AAFOptimusDCHAudio-Realtek/releases  Realtek USB...




					www.techpowerup.com
				











						The Ultimate Realtek HD Audio Driver Mod for Windows 10
					

Hi ladies and gentlemen and enthusiasts of sound,  There is new updated Driver Mod to version 8627. In the package are included Dolby PCEE4, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS Headphone X, Dolby Atmos for Gaming, Sound Blaster 720 UWP and also Nahimic who optimises Nvidia HDMI Audio Driver. Dolby Digital...




					www.techpowerup.com
				



I have not tried either of these because Microsoft always worked better than Realtek for me.


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## halfpint (Jun 29, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> I am using Microsoft's driver.  Picture with version information here:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ok, I'm using the microsoft driver and I have all 5.1 speakers working but here is the problem I have run into.  I can't hardly hear any videos on youtube cause my volume is already maxed out trying, and suggestions, i've noticed any sound I need now has to be turned up high, because it is so low, any suggestion would be great. Thanks


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 29, 2019)

Did you turn turn the volume in Windows for the speakers all the way up to 100%?  Windows defaults to 50%.

I assume the speakers have their own physical knob for controlling volume.  Use that one to adjust it.


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## halfpint (Jun 30, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> Did you turn turn the volume in Windows for the speakers all the way up to 100%?  Windows defaults to 50%.
> 
> I assume the speakers have their own physical knob for controlling volume.  Use that one to adjust it.


The middle speaker has a volume button and it is all the way up, if go into sound levels, I can make it work there, but on youtube i only get center right front, and left front, but when i go back to window to play a song in my library I get the 5.1 working,  But i gained volume by what you said, just not all speakers on youtube.  Dang windows 10 Lol thanks, sorry didn't answer back sooner, i didn't get any notification that there was one,


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 30, 2019)

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:



The amplifier in the speakers (physical knob) is at roughly 50%.


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


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## halfpint (Jun 30, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> 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:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 30, 2019)

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.


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## halfpint (Jun 30, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> 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
> ...


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.


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## FordGT90Concept (Jun 30, 2019)

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.


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## halfpint (Jul 1, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> 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


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## andynaruto10 (Oct 2, 2019)

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/


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## CityCultivator (Oct 2, 2019)

andynaruto10 said:


> 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.
> ...


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.


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## andynaruto10 (Oct 2, 2019)

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?


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## CityCultivator (Oct 2, 2019)

andynaruto10 said:


> 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


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## andynaruto10 (Oct 2, 2019)

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.


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## FordGT90Concept (Oct 2, 2019)

andynaruto10 said:


> 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?



andynaruto10 said:


> 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?


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## andynaruto10 (Oct 2, 2019)

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...


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## FordGT90Concept (Oct 2, 2019)

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.


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## andynaruto10 (Oct 2, 2019)

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?


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## FordGT90Concept (Oct 2, 2019)

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


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## andynaruto10 (Oct 2, 2019)

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.


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## FordGT90Concept (Oct 2, 2019)

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.


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## martynwright1979 (Aug 17, 2020)

halfpint said:


> 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.


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