No PC audio coming through the HT receiver when set to the PC input

[rootazoid]

Before I just recently went to Win7, on XP I was piping audio out through an S/PDIF adapter mini-card to my HT receiver in the next room. On Win7, even though audio on the pc is just fine on it's own stereo speakers, the receiver doesn't get a signal from the pc. No wiring has changed, nothing hardware, only the OS AND the sound driver. On XP, with my ASUS mobo, I was using the ASUS recommended Realtek sound driver. On Win7 I'm using Micrsoft's built-n High Definition Audio driver. So I tried installing the latest Realtek driver. Not only still no sound to the receiver but also no sound on Skype. Unacceptable, so I uninstalled the Realtek and at least Skype works.

Operating System
MS Windows 7 32-bit SP1
CPU
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ 44 °C
Brisbane 65nm Technology
RAM
2.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 383MHz (5-5-5-15)
Motherboard
ASUSTeK Computer INC. M2A-VM HDMI (Socket AM2 )
Graphics
ASUS VH235 (1920x1080@60Hz)
ATI Radeon HD 5570 (Sapphire/PCPartner)
Hard Drives
313GB Seagate ST3320620AS ATA Device (SATA)
977GB Western Digital WDC WD1001FAES-22W7A0 ATA Device (SATA)
Optical Drives
ASUS DRW-24B1ST
Audio
High Definition Audio Device

 

[rootazoid]

On the lack of audio to the HT receiver, I've now spoken with the techs from:
ASUS - the maker of my mobo and s/pdif adapter card
ONKYO - the maker of the receiver
MICROSOFT - the OS
No one had any idea...

 

[rootazoid]

the receiver doesn't get a signal from the pc

Well, NOW it does. Rambling process of discovery ahead... Going to Control Panel/Sound/Playback I do see "Digital Audio S/PDIF". Then clicking it, I see it's ENABLED but not default (which I wouldn't want). It shows it's using MS HD Audio Device. Then, under Advanced, there's a Test button. Doing the Test, I do get sound out of my living room receiver/speakers setup. Yay.

So it's not the hardware - the port, the wire, the receiver, the speakers. Good, but I pretty much knew that.

Still though, I get no sound out those living room speakers when playing any media on the PC - no mp3 sounds, no wavs, no audio on videos. So it must be some other Win7 setting. Is it that I have to make the S/PDIF the Default? Testing that...

YES, S/PDIF as the Default does get audio in the living room.

But then there's no sound out the PC's own speakers! Back on XP I don't think there was anything special I had to do to get simultaneous sound out both sets of speakers. I don't want to have to be switching the Default in the Sound Control Panel whenever I want PC media out in the living room. But that's a different question. I'll research it and if no answers come up I'll post a different question/thread.

Now, I wonder if I can make my own post the Best Answer and close the thread...

 

[rootazoid]

Nope, cannot make my own post the Best Answer.

Then there's this, not simultaneous playback but better than nothing...

Auto-Switch Speakers (Audio Devices) Based On Primary Monitor
http://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/auto-switch-speakers-audio-devices-based-on-primary-monitor/