Windows 10: How can spatial audio for speakers be enabled on Windows 11, to work in games?

Hello.I am running Windows 11 Pro 64-Bit.I have a 5.1 capable audio receiver with a toslink input and a TV that can pass through surround sound.My goal: Be able to play videogames with surround sound 5.1. What is working: My Xbox 360 is connected via HDMI to my TV which forwards the surround audio to the audio receiver. What is not working: When I connect my PC to the same TV via HDMI and select the TV as audio playback device, I may only select stereo. Therefore, I cannot output 5.1 surround sound via the audio receiver when using the TV as audio device. I read somewhere that this is becaus

:)

 

Windows 11 - spatial audio grayed out

Hello, i have news!

So i broke my headphones today, left one said bye and I've connected AKG USB-C ones (SPATIAL AUDIO WORKS ON THEM)

I've noticed that when i plug in normal minijack headphones Realtek Audio Console see's them and change profile to headphones.

But Windows 11 in sound settings still shows them as Speakers .

I believe this could be the problem, that somehow windows is stuck at speakers option and refuse to spatial audio on them even when they work.

When USB-C headphones are in, they are not running from realtek and they work flawless, because they are recognized as headphones usb-c set since beginning.

I believe that there is something wrong between realtek headphones recognition and windows 11.

Is there any option i could reset, that is responsible for audio output speaker<-> minijack ??

 

Spatial Sound not working

Hi,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



Help me with the following details for the better resolution.



1: The make and model of the computer?



2: When did you start facing this issue?



Try following the below suggested steps.



Method 1:



Steps to enable Spatial sound in Windows 10



1: Right click on the sound icon in the bottom right of the system tray.

2: Select Playback devices from the context menu.

3: Click the headphones or speaker type you’d like to enable spatial sound for.

4: Click the Properties button at the bottom right.

5: Choose the Spatial Sound tab at the top.

6: From the dropdown menu, select Windows Sonic for Headphones (or other, if it’s for a speaker).

7: Click on OK button to finish and check the working of the spatial sound.



Method 2:



You may run the Hardware troubleshooter and check if it works.



To run the troubleshooter, select the Start button, type
Troubleshoot, and then select Troubleshoot from the list of results. Select
Playing Audio > Run the troubleshooter.



Method 3:

Update the Realtek audio driver through manufacturer’s website



You may follow the article by Andre Da Costa to update the drivers.



Redirecting



Please look for the topic "How to find and download drivers from the manufacturer’s website":



Hope it helps.



Muralidhar

Microsoft Forum Moderator

 

Windows 10, spatial sound options greyed out

Hi,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

I appreciate you for providing the details and the screenshot to help us in understanding this issue, we will look into this for you. However, in order to get clarity and to find the root cause of the issue, please reply with the
answers to the questions below.

1. What is the make and model of your system?
   
2. Was there any major change or an update on your system prior to which you weren’t facing this issue?
   

Meanwhile, this issue could occur if Mono Audio
is enabled within the Windows Settings. Hence, I would suggest you to toggle
Off the Turn on mono audio if it is set to
On, by going to Settings > Ease of Access >
Audio and check if it helps.

I would also recommend you to click on the Enhancements tab under
Speakers / Headphones Properties and check if all the enhancements are turned
Off. If the issue persists, I would suggest you to install the default Windows audio device driver and check if you are able to enable the Spatial Sound. To do that please follow the steps below.

Steps to install High Definition Audio Device driver:

1. Press the Windows key and
   R key, this will open the Run dialogue box for you.
   
2. Type devmgmt.msc and press
   Enter, this will open the Device Manager.
   
3. Expand Sound, video and game controllers,
   right-click on the driver that is installed and select Update driver.
   
4. Select Browse my computer for driver software. In the upcoming window, click on
   Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer. This will open a window for you to select a device driver that you want to install for your hardware.
   
5. Select High Definition Audio Device and click on
   Next. Follow the onscreen procedure to complete the installation.
   
6. Restart the system and check if you are able to enable the Spatial Sound feature.
   

If the issue still persists, please get back to us with the results of the troubleshooting steps suggested above along with the screenshot of the Device Manager window, keeping ‘Sound, video and game controllers’ expanded.

Note: When including the screenshot in your response, kindly make sure that there are no personally identifiable information within
the screenshot.

We await your response.

Aaron Summith

Microsoft Community – Moderator