Windows 10: No surround sound options with up-to-date WIndows 11 on Realtek or Sound Blaster Z se

We are running an up-to-date Windows 11 installation on a Dell Alienware Aurora R13 including updated BIOS and drivers. We have attempted to connect a surround sound amplifier via the optical connector at the back of the machine. This audio is provided by a REALTEK chip. The amplifier and speaker connections have been tested with an external Blu-Ray player to confirm that 5.1 surround is working as expected. After connecting the optical cable to the computer and attempting to select 5.1 surround from the Windows Sound Settings dialog, only stereo options are available. We disabled the NVIDIA

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Sound Blaster Z - Dolby Digital surround sound cuts out

So I've sort of managed to solve the problem, and want to post this answer for the sake of anyone else encountering a similar issue. First of all, make sure to install the latest drivers, and version of Sound Blaster Z Control Panel.

When outputting over SPDIF (Sound Blaster Z), I selected "No Encoder" in Sound Blaster Z Control Panel, and enable the Dolby Digital setting on the speakers themselves (there's a button to toggle it on or off).

The sound coming out over the Leviathan seems to be 5.1, however it's difficult to tell because, duh, it's a soundbar, and all the speakers are right next to one another, and unfortunately the Sound Blaster Z Control Panel loses all ability to interact with the bar itself (I can't test the speaker output). It sounds good, however.

When I need to output over headphones I switch the output to headphones in the Sound Blaster Z Control Panel, and change the system sound output to Speakers (Sound Blaster Z).

With this setup I've had no drops, and no grief.

 

Soundblaster z se

Creative soundblaster z se Sound Blaster Z SE High-performance PCI-e Gaming and Entertainment Sound Card and DAC - Creative Labs (Pan Euro), what's your though ?

 

sound blaster z se issue

I myself have a sound blaster z, did not have such issue. List your full computer specs.
You might want to look at this info > Creative Worldwide Support > Knowledgebase Solutions I read about an user with similar issue but solved by replacing motherboard.