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surround sound only plays from front speakers 5.1

Ask By Trevor N.1,881 views

i set up a 5.1 system and all the sound comes from the front two only. rear speakers are silent. i checked the wires. the test in windows says it works lol

Brand
Logitech
Model
Z906
Connection
HDMI Or Optical
System
Windows 10/11
Browser
Chrome 130
Sample Rate
48 kHz
Output Channels
2 channels
Stereo Phase And Surround SoundHome Theater 5.1 And 7.1
Tool used in this discussionSurround Sound Test5.1 and 7.1 front, rear and subwoofer positions
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Short Answer

Windows must be set to 5.1 and the source must send surround. Pick 5.1 under Configure Speakers, and check the player or console outputs surround instead of stereo.

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Callum Sterling
Callum SterlingAudio Team
Surround Sound Auditor · 4+ years experience · Answered Oct 3, 2026

Rear speakers stay quiet for two common reasons: Windows is still configured for stereo, or the app or console is sending a stereo signal that the receiver never expands.

Keep in mind that a basic optical cable cannot carry uncompressed 5.1, so it only passes surround when the source encodes it in Dolby Digital or DTS.

Step By Step Fix
  1. Right-click the speaker icon, open Sound settings, then More sound settings, select your device and press Configure
  2. Choose 5.1 Surround and finish the wizard, then press Test on each speaker
  3. In your player, game or console, set audio output to Dolby Digital or Surround instead of Stereo
  4. Check that the receiver is on its surround input and not an analogue stereo input
  5. Use the Surround Sound Test to confirm each channel plays from the correct speaker
Sources
  1. Microsoft Support

Checked by Hiroshi Sato on . How we verify answers

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Community Replies 4

  • Samantha WrightCommunity Member

    make sure the pc output is set to 5.1 and not stereo in sound settings. mine was on stereo the whole time

  • Marcus BellCommunity Member

    also check hdmi vs optical, optical only carries stereo or compressed dolby

  • Trevor NguyenCommunity Member

    it was set to stereo, switched and now all speakers play. ty

  • Daniel PriceCommunity Member

    For me the HDMI setting on the AV receiver was set to stereo PCM. Changing it to bitstream gave me all channels. The Surround Sound Test confirmed it.

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Sound TestsSpeaker TestStereo balance, phase and polarity across bass, mids and treble
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Callum Sterling
Written and tested by

Callum Sterling

Surround Sound Auditor at Sound Test

Callum Sterling is the Surround Sound Auditor on the Sound Tester Audio Team. Focused on checking 5.1/7.1 spatial positioning accuracy, Dolby Atmos channel mappings, and sound leakage. Runs gaming headset audio troubleshooting threads on X (Twitter). On Sound Tester he answers surround sound, soundbar and HDMI ARC discussions, and checks channel placement with the Surround Sound Test.

5.1 and 7.1 surroundDolby Atmos mappinggaming headsets
  • 15 answers on Sound Test
  • 4+ years experience
  • Reviewed by Hiroshi Sato
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