# Really need help setting up Audio



## silkstone (Jul 10, 2020)

Hi All,

I really, really need some help getting my surround sound speakers working correctly. I've been trying for months and I can't get anything to work. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
So I have a 4K TV hooked up to my HTPC. I also have a 4.1 Soundbar, with both optical and HDMI inputs. I cannot get anything but Dolby 5.1 from the PC to the soundbar via optical (I understand this is a limitation with optical).
I'd hook an extra HDMI cable up to the soundbar, for sound in, but my 5700XT only has a single HDMI port that I am using for the display.
When I try to pass through HDMI audio from the PC to the TV to the soundbar, then I have to output via optical, to the speakers, giving me stereo only.
I can't pass through the sound bar via ARC to the TV as it only supports 1080p. I can get it to glitch to 4K, but the image quality is awful.

I'm at my wits end with this and have no idea how I'm actually supposed to get surround sound from a surround sound system. Even If it were just hooked up to my TV, how would I get surround sound when only optical or 1080p ARC pass through is supported?


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## CityCultivator (Jul 10, 2020)

silkstone said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I really, really need some help getting my surround sound speakers working correctly. I've been trying for months and I can't get anything to work. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> So I have a 4K TV hooked up to my HTPC. I also have a 4.1 Soundbar, with both optical and HDMI inputs. I cannot get anything but Dolby 5.1 from the PC to the soundbar via optical (I understand this is a limitation with optical).
> ...


Try to search for HDMI splitter with multiple outputs. These can give multiple outputs, making your single input go to soundbar and TV separately. Check for 4k 60Hz, or devices operating at about 600MHz.
They may still not deliver more that stereo; check what is available well.

Else you will need Dolby Digital Live or DTS connect on HDMI or optical.

Easiest option: Get a USB soundcard with DDL. No hassle (usually (use latest drivers)). The cheapest DDL soundcard that I know is the Sound Blaster Omni. I use that. Next is the Sound Blaster X3; this is getting latest drivers. The review of this device is upcoming on this website.
Free option: Apply DDL on HDMI out: Useful if you are using ARC; but Dolby 5.1 must be working via ARC on your setup. If your TV cannot output Dolby via ARC, you will need a HDMI splitter. This splitter claim to support 4K.
Free, but can be messy: use motherboard optical, and use modded driver.


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## silkstone (Jul 10, 2020)

CityCultivator said:


> Try to search for HDMI splitter with multiple outputs. These can give multiple outputs, making your single input go to soundbar and TV separately. Check for 4k 60Hz, or devices operating at about 600MHz.
> They may still not deliver more that stereo; check what is available well.
> 
> Else you will need Dolby Digital Live or DTS connect on HDMI or optical.
> ...



I'm currently using optical from my computer already. The soundbar does support dolby and the TV says it has dolby support. 
My problem with using optical from my PC is that only media in a certain format get sent to the soundbar. So games have no surround, when playing videos via emby/jellyfin, sound is getting downmixed to stereo, then the output on my TV is via the headphone socket, to PC to Soundbar which leads to audio lag.


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## CityCultivator (Jul 10, 2020)

silkstone said:


> I'm currently using optical from my computer already. The soundbar does support dolby and the TV says it has dolby support.
> My problem with using optical from my PC is that only media in a certain format get sent to the soundbar. So games have no surround, when playing videos via emby/jellyfin, sound is getting downmixed to stereo, then the output on my TV is via the headphone socket, to PC to Soundbar which leads to audio lag.


Dolby Digital Live is a solution that encodes your 5.1 audio from games or videos that aren't Dolby Digital, into Dolby Digital in realtime. Thus 5.1 support of anything over optical.


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## silkstone (Jul 11, 2020)

CityCultivator said:


> Dolby Digital Live is a solution that encodes your 5.1 audio from games or videos that aren't Dolby Digital, into Dolby Digital in realtime. Thus 5.1 support of anything over optical.



Yes, that's what I'm using now, however, maybe because 5 speakers aren't detected by the system, anything I try playing through chrome gets downmixed to stereo.
If I play something that has dolby encoding via VLC, it gets passed thru straight to the soundbar and I have no volume control on the PC


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## CityCultivator (Jul 11, 2020)

silkstone said:


> Yes, that's what I'm using now, however, maybe because 5 speakers aren't detected by the system, anything I try playing through chrome gets downmixed to stereo.
> If I play something that has dolby encoding via VLC, it gets passed thru straight to the soundbar and I have no volume control on the PC


How are you using DDL?
Chrome is bad, it, with new Edge, always send stereo in 5.1 systems. (fake 5.1 with front left and right playing; rest channels are muted)
Use Firefox on 5.1 systems.


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## Jetster (Jul 11, 2020)

silkstone said:


> Hi All,
> I can't pass through the sound bar via ARC to the TV as it only supports 1080p. I can get it to glitch to 4K, but the image quality is awful.



That's not How ARC works

HDMI from the PC to the TV HDMI. Then run a separate HDMI cable from the ARC HDMI on the TV back to the ARC HDMI port on the Sound bar

For sound both ports have to say ARC on both the TV and sound bar


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## CityCultivator (Jul 11, 2020)

Jetster said:


> That's not How ARC works
> 
> HDMI from the PC to the TV HDMI. Then run a separate HDMI cable from the ARC HDMI on the TV back to the ARC HDMI port on the Sound bar


Indeed, I assumed that the OP was talking about pass-through soundbar to TV.


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## silkstone (Jul 11, 2020)

CityCultivator said:


> How are you using DDL?
> Chrome is bad, it, with new Edge, always send stereo in 5.1 systems. (fake 5.1 with front left and right playing; rest channels are muted)
> Use Firefox on 5.1 systems.



Thing is, it works fine over analog using Chrome, but not digital. DDL is set up under the Realtek control panel using modified drivers. When I play an AAC surround testfile, that works, but if something is encoded in Dolby, it doesn't. I can handle just using VLC to pass thru surround, though the lack of volume control is annoying. What's more annoying is having the delay from going headphone out on the TV, to line in on the PC back to digital out as it introduces a huge audio delay.



Jetster said:


> That's not How ARC works
> 
> HDMI from the PC to the TV HDMI. Then run a separate HDMI cable from the ARC HDMI on the TV back to the ARC HDMI port on the Sound bar
> 
> For sound both ports have to say ARC on both the TV and sound bar





CityCultivator said:


> Indeed, I assumed that the OP was talking about pass-through soundbar to TV.



Yes. Soundbar HDMI In > Soundbar HDMI ARC > TV ARC. Just how it's set up in the manual.


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## CityCultivator (Jul 11, 2020)

silkstone said:


> Thing is, it works fine over analog using Chrome, but not digital. DDL is set up under the Realtek control panel using modified drivers. When I play an AAC surround testfile, that works, but if something is encoded in Dolby, it doesn't. I can handle just using VLC to pass thru surround, though the lack of volume control is annoying. *What's more annoying is having the delay from going headphone out on the TV, to line in on the PC back to digital out as it introduces a huge audio delay.*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Could you explain this bolded part?

You have setup pass-through. You will be limited to 1080p, if that's the most the soundbar can support.

ARC works like this:
Player device is connected directly to TV.
TV is also connected to audio device via HDMI; the HDMI ARC port is used on the TV.
Audio passes from PC to TV to device; similar as an optical out on a TV.

As TV is connected directly to PC, there is no issue of imitation of resolution.

The main disadvantage is that HDMI ARC is limited to similar audio formats as optical; uncompressed 5.1 is not possible.


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## silkstone (Jul 11, 2020)

So in order to use my TV and my PC at the same time with the speakers, and retain surround on the speakers (from the PC), I have to hook optical up from the PC to speaker and 3.5mm from the TV to PC.
When i try using the ARC ports, my computer no longer gives proper surround sound (just dolby virtual)


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## CityCultivator (Jul 11, 2020)

silkstone said:


> So in order to use my TV and my PC at the same time with the speakers, and retain surround on the speakers (from the PC), I have to hook optical up from the PC to speaker and 3.5mm from the TV to PC.
> When i try using the ARC ports, my computer no longer gives proper surround sound (just dolby virtual)


What model of soundbar are you using?


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