Hi everyone,
I just built my first HTPC (specs below). I have the system connected to an Onkyo receiver via HDMI. I would like to be able to play FLACs and MP3s in 7.1, but the audio will only come out in stereo. Does anyone have any ideas of how to have the sound come out in virtual 7.1? Thanks!
? CPU: Core i7 860 ? Motherboard: ASRock P55 Extreme LGA1156 Intel P55 chipsetATX.
? Graphics Card (ATI): HIS H575FN1GD iCooler IV Radeon HD 5750 GDDR5 1GB
? PSU: Seasonic x650
? CPU Cooler: noctua c12p-se14
? HDD: WD Caviar Green 1.5TB 32MB/SATA-3G HDD
? Case: Zalman HD501 ATX
? Optical Drive: SAMSUNG 8X BD-ROM Model SH-B083L
The Seasonic X650 unit, whilst an excellent product is astonishingly expensive for what it is. You would have been better off with a Corsair HX 650W unless you want absolute silence. I'd also keep an eye on the ASRock board, as they are usually poorly made since they are cheap.
Upscaling Stereo sound to 7.1 speakers has to be done through one of two means - at Source (using soundcard software), or at output (speakers/cables). Using standard onboard sound this is unfortunately not possible, as despite numerous requests Realtek refuse to implement this simple feature in their software, and any other onboard sound typically has no control panel at all.
Creative sound cards will do it (CMSS) but beware that Creative are very specific about which cards are allowed to work with which operating systems.
Alternatively you can setup a system with audio cables that can change from copying the stereo signal to accepting full surround. The downside to this approach is that you will have to unplug the splitters and plug the normal sound connector back in to switch between music upscale and genuine surround.
The best approach is to be able to do it with your speaker set, but few other than top end PC speakers are usually capable of such a thing. Check through the menus for your receiver to see if it is capable of stereo copy or stereo upscale. If not, it's a creative card, a messy audio splitter setup, or go without.
And with the money saved I would have bought something better then an asrock mobo. A budget mobo of poor quality was a real waste of money on a high end build imo.
