Audio - Output to Multiple Devices in Vista

[qp]

Hi all. I know a lot of people hate Vista, but ever since I upgraded my system I've enjoyed Vista aside from one thing: the way audio is handled. All the computers I've used with XP, the audio just works the way you would think it should - audio is played through your speakers, but at the same time you can plug your headphones into your front audio ports and listen through them without missing a beat.

Why has Vista gone and broken this simple, yet wonderful functionality? I've searched several various times (whenever I get frustrated enough) and to my surprise I can never find an answer. I know I can't be the only one annoyed by this and I know there's gotta be a solution to such a simple problem.

If I'm playing a game, for example, and I want to switch to my headset instead of my speakers, I need to exit the game, switch the default audio output and input devices, then start the game back up. This is just ridiculous in my opinion. All I want is the equivalent of 2 "default" output and input devices so that my speakers and my headphones plugged into the front audio ports work simultaneously.

From my searches, it doesn't seem to be hardware or driver related, but I'm using onboard audio on a P5Q and have the latest Realtek drivers. If anyone knows a trick I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks

 

[PurdueRy]

This must be a function of your motherboards audio because this is not Vista's fault.

 

[mpilchfamily]

It sounds like your using a sound card for your speakers and you have the front audio connection plugged into your motherboard. If thats the case then you would still be having the same problem no matter what OS your using. If you want to get around this then you should get a headset that plugs into your USB port. Then when you want to switch over you plufg in the head sets and turn off teh speakers.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
It sounds like your using a sound card for your speakers and you have the front audio connection plugged into your motherboard. If thats the case then you would still be having the same problem no matter what OS your using. If you want to get around this then you should get a headset that plugs into your USB port. Then when you want to switch over you plufg in the head sets and turn off teh speakers.

That would give him two sound devices and likely result in him having to switch sources in the sound control panel.

OP you should be able to find or make a 1/8" to dual 1/8" minijack splitter or selector. Take this from the stereo out on the back of your computer. That way you can have the speakers connected and just connect the headphones when you want to. This should get around the "feature" your motherboard has of muting the stereo out when listening with headphones.

 

[mpilchfamily]

Originally posted by: qp
If I'm playing a game, for example, and I want to switch to my headset instead of my speakers, I need to exit the game, switch the default audio output and input devices, then start the game back up. This is just ridiculous in my opinion. All I want is the equivalent of 2 "default" output and input devices so that my speakers and my headphones plugged into the front audio ports work simultaneously.

Isn't that what he is doing or is he just cahnging a software setting in the application changing what connector has what job?

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily

Originally posted by: qp
If I'm playing a game, for example, and I want to switch to my headset instead of my speakers, I need to exit the game, switch the default audio output and input devices, then start the game back up. This is just ridiculous in my opinion. All I want is the equivalent of 2 "default" output and input devices so that my speakers and my headphones plugged into the front audio ports work simultaneously.

Isn't that what he is doing or is he just cahnging a software setting in the application changing what connector has what job?

You are right that he is just changing software settings to change which speakers are used. Using USB headphones wouldn't eliminate that step.

 

[qp]

Thanks for the replies! I assumed the problem was with Vista because of what I've found so far. Since it seems it's not as common as I thought (none of you experience it) I'll explain some more details of my situation.

Like I said, I'm using the onboard audio of my P5Q motherboard with the latest Realtek drivers. I have my front ports wired to the motherboard. My speakers are plugged into the rear ports, my headset is plugged into the front ports (all running off the onboard audio, no sound card). In XP this would result in sound coming from my speakers AND my headset simultaneously. In Vista, sound only comes through whichever device is set as the default playback device (when you right click the task tray speaker icon and click Playback Devices). My problem is not that my speakers mute when I plug my headset in (that would actually be preferable), it's that when I plug my headset in nothing changes until I change the default playback device in Vista, and to get this change to kick in I need to restart any applications (highly annoying).

I dunno if it's a good thing or bad thing (for me) that nobody else seems to be having this problem. Are any of you using Vista and able to have multiple, simultaneous playback devices through a single sound card/onboard sound? Any other ideas? Thanks again.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: qp
Thanks for the replies! I assumed the problem was with Vista because of what I've found so far. Since it seems it's not as common as I thought (none of you experience it) I'll explain some more details of my situation.

Like I said, I'm using the onboard audio of my P5Q motherboard with the latest Realtek drivers. I have my front ports wired to the motherboard. My speakers are plugged into the rear ports, my headset is plugged into the front ports (all running off the onboard audio, no sound card). In XP this would result in sound coming from my speakers AND my headset simultaneously. In Vista, sound only comes through whichever device is set as the default playback device (when you right click the task tray speaker icon and click Playback Devices). My problem is not that my speakers mute when I plug my headset in (that would actually be preferable), it's that when I plug my headset in nothing changes until I change the default playback device in Vista, and to get this change to kick in I need to restart any applications (highly annoying).

I dunno if it's a good thing or bad thing (for me) that nobody else seems to be having this problem. Are any of you using Vista and able to have multiple, simultaneous playback devices through a single sound card/onboard sound? Any other ideas? Thanks again.

I don't see why you should have 2 playback devices for one onboard sound source. Perhaps try to get a sound card that supports front panel connections.

 

[QuixoticOne]

Latest Realtek drivers from where?

Realtek's own site?
ASUS download area for your MB?
Latest realtek drivers offered from Windows Update?

Each of those definitions of 'latest' may give you a very different driver.

Try the ones from realtek's own www site assuming they're signed for V64 and you have no reason not to try them...

Sometimes it can be hard getting (forcing) the system to actually uninstall one driver and install a new version since it may try to use the files it already has instead of really changing to the reinstalled one if it thinks the existing files are newer versions (sometimes it is incorrect). Also I've heard that windows update will usually not replace an 3rd party OEM driver with a "newer" driver from Microsoft even if it thinks there is a newer one available and you tell it to install it.

Check the actual driver provider and version number in the devices properties dialog / menu to see what is really being used and verify that it has changed when expected.

Some people do say that after they switch drivers away from the default Microsoft one to a 3rd party one they get simultaneous SPDIF and analog out..

 

[MikeHamer]

qp, just so you know, I have the same problem.

I have a Gigabyte X38-DS5 with on-board Realtek High Definition Audio. The card supports front panel connections (and in XP the drivers give the option to "enable/disable backpanel audio I/O when a front panel device is connected"). In vista the wording of this option is slightly different: "Mute the rear output device when a front headphone is plugged in" or "Make front and rear output devices playback two different audio streams simultaneously".

When the second option is chosen, the front panel and rear panel connections are listed in vista as two separate devices, and hence, given vistas new (and imho broken) sound system, only one device can playback an audio stream (streams cannot, as far as I am aware, be allocated to both devices). The problem is identical to the issue of having multiple playback devices playing the same sound stream, which, in vista is not possible.

 

[Ghouler]

The solution is 3$ stereo jack splitter. Connect both speakers and headphones into the same line out. Solved.

http://www.tomtop.com/syssite/...roductsimg/big/964.jpg

 

[liebezeit]

Everyone, dynamic switching is being added to Windows 7 (yay!), but vote here for what we all want: simultaneous output to more than one device:
http://www.windows7taskforce.com/view/76

 

[nayab9]

digging this post back up, because I have this exact same problem
I have a P5Q Pro, on board sound. I am triple booting XP/Vista/7, in XP, my front audio headphones and back panel speakers, will both output everything simultaneously... in vista/7 I cannot reproduce this function, i've spend a good 2 hours changing around settings, trying Asus drivers, realtek drivers, default vista/7 drivers. Does anybody have a solution to this? I noticed the latest post by liebezeit implies that this functionality is completely missing from vista/7, is this true? if so, I can stop bothering trying to fix it, and continue using a 10 year old operating system =\

 

[masterbm]

For the record I am using windows 7 on my old noforce 4 board and it supports output on front and back line outs on the same time with the same sounds output I am using build 7057

 

[leehut]

I've got the front and back audio connectors working simultaniously on my Motherboard (Gigabyte GA-EP35C-DS3R) with Realtec drivers.

Activate the 'Mute the rear output device when a front headphone plugged in' under the advanced settings menu.

Click on Folder Icon next to Analog. Click on the 'Disable Front Panel Jack Detection' button.

I've got both green connectors set to headphone.

Only the 'Speakers' icon is showing....no '2nd Output Device' is showing.

It has always worked for me.

 

[RedSaint]

First of all let my praise you qp for your elegant way of describing the problem. Secondly a thousand thanks to leehut for sharing the solution. I've had this problem for a few days ever since I started using Vista, and as some of you I came in search of others with similar problems with Vista.
The only downside to this way of solving the problem, is that it removes individual device volume control - but both headphones and speakers work now at the same time which is exactly what I wanted!

 

[Modelworks]

Now does anyone know how to get the digital out and front channel out working at the same time ?
I can't with the realtek drivers. Windows wants to use one or the other
Real pain when I also use the pc for a media center and need the digital. Sit down to watch a movie, get no sound, and realize I forgot to tell windows to switch from analog to digital.
\

 

[au22ru]

I solved the problem with different output to the front panel
on my ASUS P5P43TD.

All you need to do is to go to Onboard Devices Configuration in BIOS
settings and change Front Panel Type from HD Audio to AC97

After restarting you have now Tab called HD Audio 2nd output
in Realtek Audio Manager (but keep Speakers tab as default output).
If you can't see that Tab, go to Device Advanced Settings and change it to
Make Front and Rear output devices playback two different audio streams simultaneously.
If you choose the other option in Advanced, you will have only one stream
but from both outputs - front and rear.

And now you have multiple choice for output in popular applications
such as audoi- and video-players, where you can change output to
Speakers or to HD Audio 2nd output.

As a result my Foobar2000 (audio) and MPC (video) are playing
onto different outputs as I'm typing this post.

For some games you can choose the output too (Black Ops) in game
Sound options but in some of them you cannot (MW II)
BTW if you don't set anything as Default in Realtek Audio Manager
you won't have any sound in MW II and some other games.