Multichannel DAC and PC games

[concorde1]

I use Topping DM7 (8 channel DAC) for 2.2 system on W10 + Linux.

In W10, to accomplish this I use W10 audio = 7.1 surround, and Equalizer APO for routing.

This works for almost everything.

But W10 seems to tell some games that the audio is 7.1; consequently I am missing some sound information on speakers/HP's.

How can I "trick" the games back into being stereo, while using this configuration which W10 thinks is 7.1 surround? Or some other workaround. Thanks

(By the way, most of these games do not have audio channel options in the games' menus.)

 

[staticV3]

Can you set Windows audio to 2.1 in the Sound Control Panel?

 

[concorde1]

Thanks, I didn't know you could select 5.1 then de-select the 2x Rear and 1x Centre.

I did that and set L + R to Full Range in W10 sound control panel-> configuration. (No option to set LFE to Full Range - I assume it is though.)
Side note - I don't even know what setting them to not-full-range would do - does W10 do a hidden High Pass on them?

Then I changed my Equalizer APO config slightly - see image below.
Note I don't have subs plugged in or set up at the moment

It seems to work now.

 

[concorde1]

Actually sorry I didn't think it through completely.

I used to have L and R each going 50% to both the two subs' channels (for summed mono).

Now I'm relying on the LFE to do this combining (does W10 do that?).

i.e. I believe stereo content like my music won't allow for the LFE channel as it's just 2.0 content?

Do I need to use this config above for games - but for music use my original config?

 

[Ktacos]

Do I need to use this config above for games - but for music use my original config?

Probably.

This is a major reason I ditched EQ APO to manage my speakers DSP. It was just a nightmare dealing with windows forcing surround output on so many things. I have other people who use this audio setup/computer so it was just never going to work. I ended up just getting audio interfaces and running one into the other and manage everything with EKIO.

 

[concorde1]

Interesting. Well fortunately it doesn't actually bother me too much to have a standard EQ APO config and switch it to another for games+films.

I wonder if Linux audio has this same issue - haven't come across it yet in Linux.