5.1 surround through optical?

[Inspireless Llama]

Hey guys,

After succesfully rebuilding my PC without it having crashed a single time in the past month, I'm finally looking for an upgrade to my PC.

Right now I'm using a 3.1 soundbar through the S/PDIF connector on my motherboard.
This soundbar can be expanded by back speakers which connect over bluetooth.

Now I'm just wondering the following:
1. Do my motherboard and Windows support 5.1 sound? Wondering because my sound settings don't recognize a 3-way speaker, it sets it as 2 way, which makes me wonder if it would work if I added more speakers.
2. In case they don't work, are there any soundcards that do support 5.1 over optical? My googles so far appear to look like there aren't many left and it's mainly older soundcards that did support this.
3. In case that either question 1 or question 2 can be answered positive, do games support physical surround sound? I mean, all games by now support 7.1 sound over your headphones, which is USB, but do they support optical surround sound?
4. In general, is it worth investing the money in these back speakers? Surround sound makes games so much cooler but I'm not interested in spending money on something that isn't going to work.

I think that if needed I can connect my soundbar to my PC using HDMI, but then it's recognized as an extra monitor which I can't disable. And I don't know if nvidea sounds allows 5.1 audio.

I hope I gave enough information and that you guys can help me with this! Thanks.

 

[Colif]

what motherboard?

I would be tempted to ask on https://forums.tomshardware.com/forums/motherboards.5/ as you might get an answer there.

 

[Inspireless Llama]

When I posted it it was an Asus ROGb550-F gaming, now it's an MSI MPG b550 Gaming.

I ordered my speakers yesterday, they will arrive tomorrow. First I'll see if they want to work out of the box on my PC, otherwise I've found a soundcard that should do the trick. If else I can just return everything

 

[Nothearms]

Hey guys,

After succesfully rebuilding my PC without it having crashed a single time in the past month, I'm finally looking for an upgrade to my PC.

Right now I'm using a 3.1 soundbar through the S/PDIF connector on my motherboard.
This soundbar can be expanded by back speakers which connect over bluetooth.

Now I'm just wondering the following:
1. Do my motherboard and Windows support 5.1 sound? Wondering because my sound settings don't recognize a 3-way speaker, it sets it as 2 way, which makes me wonder if it would work if I added more speakers.
2. In case they don't work, are there any soundcards that do support 5.1 over optical? My googles so far appear to look like there aren't many left and it's mainly older soundcards that did support this.
3. In case that either question 1 or question 2 can be answered positive, do games support physical surround sound? I mean, all games by now support 7.1 sound over your headphones, which is USB, but do they support optical surround sound?
4. In general, is it worth investing the money in these back speakers? Surround sound makes games so much cooler but I'm not interested in spending money on something that isn't going to work.

I think that if needed I can connect my soundbar to my PC using HDMI, but then it's recognized as an extra monitor which I can't disable. And I don't know if nvidea sounds allows 5.1 audio.

I hope I gave enough information and that you guys can help me with this! Thanks.

1. 5.1 Sound on Mobo and Windows: Most motherboards and Windows do support 5.1 sound. But, your soundbar being 3.1 might be why it shows as 2-way. If you add more speakers, it might work, but check if your soundbar really supports 5.1.
2. Soundcards for 5.1 Over Optical: Yeah, it's tough finding new soundcards that support 5.1 over optical. Most are older ones. If you really want one, you might need to dig around or ask in tech forums.
3. Games and Optical Surround Sound: Most modern games support 7.1 surround sound, usually through USB. For optical, it depends on the game and your audio setup. It should work, but might not be as immersive as USB or HDMI.
4. Investing in Back Speakers: It's cool for gaming, but think about if your current setup will support it well. You don't wanna spend money on something that won't work great.

About connecting your soundbar with HDMI, that extra monitor issue is a bit tricky. Not sure about Nvidia sound and 5.1 audio. Might need to check Nvidia's settings or ask around.

Also, check out this link for more on HDMI ARC vs Optical :https://hifiaudios.com/cables/hdmi-arc-vs-digital-optical/ Could be useful.

 

[Inspireless Llama]

Thanks for the reply. Now I do use the back speakers, in combination with a soundblaster soundcard. That works pretty good in 5.1 with games (I played Skyrim with audio mod, and Hogwarts Legacy so far).

The Soundblaster has options for DTS & Doilby which convert the sound over optical to surround sound so I can happily say that that works.

I purchased the soundcard a day after my speakers arrived because my optical connection on my motherboard did not support surround - apparently only the 5 jacks are for surround and the optical only has 2.1.

In terms of HDMI vs Optical, I always learned that optical does max 5.1, HDMI does 7.1. But since my soundbar only has max 5.1 optical is fine by me.