5.1 headset will not reproduce surround sound via optical out

[TheTenaciousOtaku]

Just bought a Tritton Pro Plus true 5.1 surround sound headset and I can't get it to function properly on PC.
http://www.trittonaudio.com/proplus

Here's the manual for it:
ftp://ftp.saitek.com/pub/support/trittonmanuals/Pro+_UG_EN.pdf

The way it's set up:
1. Headset to decoder box
2. Decoder box to PC via optical cable

Windows 10 recognizes the connection as S/PDIF in the sound control panel. I set that device the default and I get stereo sound from it. The issue is, that I want to get 5.1 surround sound.

Things that I have tried:

1. Re-installed the Realtek drivers

2. In the sound control panel gone to > Digital Audio > Properties > Advanced = restricted to 2 channel studio output.

3. In the sound control panel gone to > Digital Audio > Properties > Supported Formats > Check Dolby Digital and test = successful audio reproduction from all surround channels in the headset. (Note this is the only time the 5.1 Dolby Digital indicator has lit up while using it on PC)

4. Tried the headset on my 360 and the 5.1 Dolby Digital indicator lights up immediately. Oh why couldn't it be so simple on the PC.

5. There is no option for 5.1 surround sound or Dolby Digital Live in the Realtek Audio Manager

6. Tested games such as Battlefield 4 and Fallout 4 just in case the 5.1 activates in-game, but that didn't work either.

I'm out of ideas..... I have a feeling the issue has something to do with Dolby Digital software on my PC but I can't say for sure.

Can anyone help troubleshoot?

 

[basroil]

Optical audio is actually only 2 channels uncompressed, for you to be able to use "5.1" (headphones are ALWAYS 2 EFFECTIVE CHANNELS! even if they have multiple speakers, that is a limit of your biology), you need software that outputs dolby digital encoded audio. Note that not all sound cards support encoded digital outputs, and you'll have to check your drivers to see if they allow mixing to 5.1. If they don't (which seems to be the case), you can either learn the "ugly" truth that in-game mixing to headphones produces much better results, or buy a card that does support it.

 

[getochkn]

well a surefire test is download and install the netflix app for windows 10 from the windows store and play a movie with surround as they use dolby digital for it. That is, if you have a netflix account. lol.

Just that's one windows software that i know for sure, can output dolby, as indicated by my denon receiver's lights.

 

[TheTenaciousOtaku]

Optical audio is actually only 2 channels uncompressed, for you to be able to use "5.1" (headphones are ALWAYS 2 EFFECTIVE CHANNELS! even if they have multiple speakers, that is a limit of your biology), you need software that outputs dolby digital encoded audio. Note that not all sound cards support encoded digital outputs, and you'll have to check your drivers to see if they allow mixing to 5.1. If they don't (which seems to be the case), you can either learn the "ugly" truth that in-game mixing to headphones produces much better results, or buy a card that does support it.

So basically my motherboard; MSI Z77 Mpower doesn't support Dolby. I could buy a soundcard... but that costs money lol. Is there a way of getting 5.1 surround sound from my Dolby certified A/V receiver which connected to my PC via HDMI?

 

[basroil]

So basically my motherboard; MSI Z77 Mpower doesn't support Dolby. I could buy a soundcard... but that costs money lol. Is there a way of getting 5.1 surround sound from my Dolby certified A/V receiver which connected to my PC via HDMI?

Sure, but you need to pass HDMI video through it for that to work. Extending your desktop to it should let you use 5.1 from HDMI output

 

[TheTenaciousOtaku]

Sure, but you need to pass HDMI video through it for that to work. Extending your desktop to it should let you use 5.1 from HDMI output

The decoder box isn't HDMI compatible. I could perhaps connect the receiver to the decoder with an HDMI to optical converter but that wouldn't work because like you said, optical is only 2 channels right? So I wouldn't get 5.1 from the receiver because it's still being converted to pass through the optical cable.... Unless I'm mistaken

 

[basroil]

The decoder box isn't HDMI compatible. I could perhaps connect the receiver to the decoder with an HDMI to optical converter but that wouldn't work because like you said, optical is only 2 channels right? So I wouldn't get 5.1 from the receiver because it's still being converted to pass through the optical cable.... Unless I'm mistaken

All depends on the "receiver" (I think what you're talking about is probably something else) is, some do allow remixing between input and output, others don't. Right now you best bet is to either force the games to output Dolby Digital encoded audio, or just learn to use the headphone mode for games. You'll see that games like BF4 actually sound incredible in headphone mode, because they premix audio using binaural approximations that are more accurate to your ears than even 7.1 would be.