Has anyone here tried to obtain 5.1/7.1 ch surround sound output from a laptop?
Are there any converters that are commonly available to convert USB-C or HDMI output to 5.1ch analog output that a 5.1 speaker systems usually take?
I searched the internet, but couldn’t find anything mainstream. Wonder why nobody is needing this given that both laptop usage has gone up in the last decade and 5.1ch speakers are still very common even though it is slowly getting replaced by sound bars, but even sound bars are 5.1/7.1 ch so it’s not making sense to me.
You have to buy a dac(digital audio controller) capable of 5.1 or 7.1 output or av receiver.
Av receiver is the best solution as the DACs are generally capable of 2.1 output.
The reason you are not find anything is because of the predominance if soundbar in Indian market and good ones have channel processing built in so they are able to split audio coming from the laptop to different speakers
Does that mean that these modern sound bars can take in HDMI and output it in 5.1ch natively without additional hardware? If this is possible, then my problem is solved.
I’m looking to double my 32” 4k monitor for media consumption as well, which are mostly played from my laptop, preferably with no additional hardware other than the speakers themselves. I can invest in a good set of sound bar if this is possible.
My aging 5.1 Logitech’s satellite speakers work perfectly fine except for a few wires that go from the volume control dial to the sub woofer having come a little loose due to which a couple of channels don’t work.
Was wondering if I should get it repaired or just replace it with a new set of speakers/soundbar.
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Yes, soundbars can decode various multi channel audio formats and play them back. However, please do some research when selecting a model since you need something which can pass through hdmi signal. Many cheaper soundbars don’t have that feature.
Using hdmi interface, devices are typically connected in a chain. For example:
- Source > TV > Soundbar
- Source > Soundbar > TV
- TV (source) > Soundbar (via ARC /eARC)
In case of monitors, most do not support hdmi pass through or ARC/eARC. In that case, you need to find a soundbar which supports HDMI pass through (has hdmi in and out).
Alternatively, if you have access to multiple HDMI ports on the PC/laptop, either natively or via something like a hdmi duplicator, you can connect your monitor and any soundbar with HDMI input to that.
Do note, however, that the soundbar will also get detected as a phantom display when directly connected to the PC, which can present its own challenges in Windows (e.g. duplicate screen disables HDR).
Next, you would want to look at the various audio format support like Dolby, DTS and their variants depending on what type of media source you have access to.
Lastly, you may want to consider models with Bluetooth enabled physical rear/side channels for better audio positioning effects.
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Wow, that’s a pretty detailed information on selecting a soundbar and the HDMI pass-through. Thanks. Hadn’t thought about it.
However, the points you’ve mentioned will come at a later stage. First, even before deciding to buy, I’m trying to figure out if this is even the best solution.
There are two questions on my mind:
- For using my existing speakers (after getting it repaired) - are there any HDMI-splitters/USB-C hubs with a DAC which give 5.1Ch output with video pass-through?
- Or should I get a soundbar with HDMI passthrough that’ll automatically output 5.1ch from the laptop and bid goodbye to my existing speakers?
There are hdmi audio extractors available which output via spdif or coax, which can carry multi channel compressed audio, but it depends if it can encode the track on the fly to a multi channel format like Dolby Digital.
Then you need a DAC which can decode that information and pass analog channel level signals to your speakers.
Alternatively, you will need to use an external (USB) soundcard with multi channel analog output like this.
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Hey, thanks for that and the link. Was looking for some kinda converter from HDMI to 5.1ch analog audio directly. Sigh.
Wow, that DAC is expensive! Wonder why this is so uncommon and difficult? Is it not a straightforward use case where people using laptops and monitors wanting good sound?