HTPC and Audio setup

[stockjock]

Ok..I've just built my first HTPC and its all up and running just fine. I'm using Vista Premium's MCE for all my TV watching etc. The HTPC has a Sound blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio PCI card and using the digital out connection with an Optical add-on device upon which the optical cable is connected to it and my receiver. My question is...It seems I'm only able to get sound out of the 2 side speakers and nothing from the center channel. If I remove the HTPC from the equation and just use the cable box with the receiver (using an optical cable) then I have full center channel use. I believe my setup for the X-FI is a simple 2.1 setup. I have tried different setups and this seems to be the one that at least I can hear everything except still no center channel (in other words I'm missing that stereo feeling). If I got to like a 5.1 setup on X-FI then when I play a DVD through my HTPC I lose pretty much all voices and only hear music in a movie. I'm not much of an audiophile so forgive me for my lack of terms...any ideas for me?

 

[krotchy]

2.1 Channel implies Left, Right and Subwoofer. If I am reading it right you have a 3.0 setup and you need to make sure your sound card has those setup (which might be tricky, 3.0 is not common). Your best option might be to stick with 2.1 and use a DSP on the receiver such as All-channel stereo or something to mix L/R into the center.

 

[stockjock]

Thanks for that quick reply...yeah I knew that 2.1 implied a sub was involved (my next purchase when $$ are a little better). I'll look into that DSP dealio you mentioned...I remember reading something about it in my setup.

 

[jtvang125]

You should be able to set it to 5.1 and still get all the vocals if you set everything correctly even though you only have 3 speakers. Make sure your receiver is decoding the audio stream correctly. It should switch to Dolby Digital or DTS when it senses which stream the dvd has.

I'm sure if I went and disconnected the sub and rear surrounds from my system (5.1 from htpc) I'd still get the vocals through the front 3 speakers just fine.