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XPS 13, D1000, playing 5.1 audio
The setup:
I have Dell XPS 13 (running Windows 10 Home) and D1000 dock connected to it. I have a 5.1 sound system connected to the D1000 through the HDMI port.
The problem:
- I can only play stereo sounds (i.e. 2 speakers) but not 5.1 sounds on my 5.1 sound system.
- I can not change the Default Sound Format (currently it is set to 16 bit, 48000 Hz and the list is grayed out so I cannot choose other setting).
- Dell Audio sound manager software does not show my 5.1 sound system, only my laptop built in speakers, on the "Speaker/Headphone" tab.
However when I click the "Play Audio Sample" little speaker icon in the "Speaker Enhancement" section on the "Main" tab it does play the test sound on my 5.1 sound system however it plays it on 2 speakers only (i.e. stereo but not 5.1).
Things I already have done:
- Updated the drivers for the D1000 and the DisplayLink.
- Uninstalled the drivers and restarted the system.
- Changed the speaker configuration of my 5.1 sound system in Windows 10 from "Stereo" to "5.1 surround"
- Made sure all the connection are good.
- Made sure all the speakers in the 5.1 sound system work fine (by using a sound test feature builtin with the sound system).
My Question:
Is the D1000 capable of playing 5.1 audio through the HDMI port? If so, what do I need to do to make that happen in my case?
Thanks!
DELL-Chris M
Community Manager
Community Manager
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54.2K Posts
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March 22nd, 2019 07:00
* Click my name and private message me the XPS 13 and D1000 service tag numbers. Or the D1000 Dell order number
* Do you get 5.1 audio when the D1000 is removed and the XPS 13 is connecting directly to the 5.1 sound system?
* Explain in detail how the XPS 13, D1000, and the 5.1 sound system are connecting using all ports and cabling.
* The D1000 User's Guide does not mention 5.1 audio. All it states is, "Combo Audio (Headphone/Mic)", page 3.
* Page 8 states that the DisplayLink Manager Menu has an Audio Setup Menu that; "Opens the Windows Audio Configuration window".
jphughan
4 Operator
4 Operator
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14K Posts
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March 22nd, 2019 07:00
The Dxxxx series docks use DisplayLink chips to interface with the system, and I'm going to guess that given the D1000's age, the DisplayLink chipset version it has doesn't support 5.1 audio even through the HDMI output. You didn't specify which XPS 13 generation you have, but if you have one with a USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port, you might want to consider a dock model that doesn't rely on DisplayLink at all since it can come with some serious drawbacks that I've described in the post marked as the answer on this thread. Since you mention 5.1 audio, I'm guessing you're probably trying to either watch movies or play games, and those are two of the absolute worst possible use cases for DisplayLink technology. If you don't have USB-C/TB3 and DisplayLink is your only option, then a dock with newer chipset would likely solve this (there are third-party DisplayLink docks too, fyi), but you might still find that DisplayLink delivers an unacceptable experience for what you're trying to do.
Btw, I found this guide from DisplayLink about multi-channel audio, although again I don't know if it will apply to your chipset.