surround sound in iTunes

I had the exact same issue and pressed iTunes for a solution and after really engaging with them, they came back and after testing what they suggested I now have answer that works. As with all things all it needed was to know which box to tick and the important thing to note is the solution lies not in iTunes but in a simple adjustment to your Windows 10 sound settings.

So the solution is this:

First close iTunes (if open) then go to Windows Control Panel - Sounds - Select your speakers (probably you defaulted device) then click on Properties button. Next click on Enhancements Tab and simply tick the Speaker Fill checkbox - click on Apply and can test to see if working by using Preview button. Surround sound on all 5.1 speakers should play.

If so next open iTunes and play your favourite song and it should play in all 5.1 surround sound.

Hope this works for you - it did for me and is a confirmed solution by iTunes Support.

If it does work for you spread the word on this solution.

PS I believe this also may resolve / solve 5.1 surround sound issues for iMovies and other similar sound issues.

Enjoy

Mike H

Having similar issues as original poster. Editing Quicktime preferences and then making sure the iTunes settings matched my computer (Hz, bit, etc.) + making sure Direct Sound was selected did the trick. Thanks folks.

Hmm. I had just the same issue the only difference was Speaker Fill was not already ticked and in my Speakers Properties - General tab I have - Controller Information as High Definition Audio Device. Microsoft Windows 10 - Driver - 10.0.10586.0 Dated 29/10/2015. Do you?

In Enhancements Tab I take it you ticked Speaker Fill and clicked on Apply did you then click on OK - come out and go back in and test in the Enhancements Tab - Preview. Did it also confirm Provider on that tab as Microsoft / Status Enabled?

Please let me know by reply what your driver etc is and what version of Windows are you on?

Best regards

Mike H

A few more thoughts:

Have you unticked Speaker Fill then Apply then OK and then gone back in a re added?

In Windows 10 have you had the really big update in October 2015 I thought I had but only after rechecking windows update did I find out I hadn't and then had to manually update.

Michael

I am on Windows 10 Professional not Home so there may be a slight difference here but not one I think should impact my following thoughts.

I have checked for realTek High Def audio drivers and on http://www.techspot.com/drivers/driver/file/information/17056/ it looks like there is a more up to date Windows 10 compatible driver 2.79 dated 25th June 2015. You might like to see if you can update your realtek driver if you haven't already done so to ensure they are W10 compatible. You would have thought being a newish PC the drivers would be up to date but not if the build was some months earlier and pre Windows 10.

Just to double check in Sound settings - Speakers - Configure - you have got 5.1 surround sound checked and on next page all optional speakers checked and next page full range of speakers all checked? I know clutching at straws.

In Properties - Enhancements - I have only got Speaker Fill checked not the other two. On Advanced Tab I have set 24bit 192000Hz as well. To go with the last item please also check you have the same settings of 24bit 192khz in iTunes - Edit - Preferences - Playback, as well as Play Audio set to Direct Sound.

Line of last resort - you could as last option try to disable the realtek drivers and use Windows 10 Audio Drivers (as above Microsoft Windows 10 - Driver - 10.0.10586.0 Dated 29/10/2015).

Other option is to contact iTunes support and assertively press them into resolving this for you.

Final thought - I bet if you play Amazon Prime Music you get surround sound and online games likewise. The key here is iTunes is linked to the Windows sound settings and does not have its own which overrides these.

Again hope the above gives you a few more options and please let me know how you get on.

Small comfort is 5.1 surround sound does work with iTunes it's just getting the right combination of settings in place to do so.

Best regards

Mike H

THis does not work for me because there is no speaker fill box to check. I've only seen that option in a Realtek setup. I'm running a Sound Blaster x-fi extreme playing through a set of Creative 5.1 speakers in Windows 10. Windows Media players plays both music and dvd's in 5.1 but iTunes won't I have ver 12.4.0.119 and Windows 10 @ 64 bit is the newest build 1511. All drivers are up to date at this point I'm really beginning not to like itunes...:(

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

This is how I was able to get surround sound to work with iTunes on my PC:

• Open Apple Quicktime Player (I had to install it on my PC)
• Go to Quicktime Preferences
• Click the Audio tab
• Under Sound Out - the options you set here will depend on what your audio card supports. For my PC I set all values to their highest settings (Rate: 192 kHz, Size 24-bit, Channels - 5.1 Surround)
• Click OK to apply the settings, then restart iTunes.

Walla, surround sound in iTunes. I don't know why Apple doesn't have these sound settings built into iTunes as well.

Hope that helps.