• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Wii U - Surround Sound Guide and FAQ

S

schwupp

Member
my setup atm: wii u - hdmi - tv - optical out - amp / samsung surround sound system.

i need some clarification:
if i buy a wii component cable will i get sound from all speakers in both wii u and wii mode?
if i understood the posts here correctly i wont get true 5.1, but anything more than stereo output would be amazing.
 
J

jimi_dini

Member
schwupp said:
my setup atm: wii u - hdmi - tv - optical out - amp / samsung surround sound system.

i need some clarification:
if i buy a wii component cable will i get sound from all speakers in both wii u and wii mode?
Click to expand...

You will probably get Dolby Pro Logic 2 (somewhat 5.1) in Wii mode. You will still only get stereo in Wii U mode.
 
S

schwupp

Member
jimi_dini said:
You will probably get Dolby Pro Logic 2 (somewhat 5.1) in Wii mode. You will still only get stereo in Wii U mode.
Click to expand...

ok that sucks :(
any cheap option to solve this? i googled for av receivers with lpcm 5.1 support but cant really find a cheap one.

[edit]
after a day of research - no :(
time to upgrade
 
B

BadBert

Neo Member
OK...

so i bought a AVR with (l)PCM support, just to get surround out of my wiiu...

If i hook up my wiiU, and set it to surround, the display of the receiver says:
PCM: 3/2/1
That means it recognises a pcm stream with 3 front speakers, 2 surround speakers and a LFE.

If i push the TEST button, the first time i only hear 1 clear sound, and one faint. If i push it again, i hear 3 clear sounds... but never more than 3 :(

I have tested with donkey kong tropical freeze, and i cant hear the sound effects of the "kongs". So when i start a level, donkey drops in (no sound) and pounds his chest (no sound). It seems there IS comming sound from my 2 front, and rear speakers though.

is that normal? I have been told that the speakers of the wiiu gamepad "replace" the centre speaker?? Is that true? And if i would turn down it's volume completely, the sound would come from the centre speaker??
 
L

LiberaTeExInferis

Member
Is there a place here regarding sound delay, etc?

I have a Pionerr HTIB with linear pcm and I just tried some time with the WiiU Karaoke and it says that I have a 150ms sound delay!!Needless to say the app is totally unplayable.
In addition, I have the feelings that in games like Deus Ex, there is a total asynchrony between the lip syncing and the actual sound.

Fuck me..any tips, whatever?!!
 
J

JP

Member
Is there any chance that Nintendo could do a software update that allows it to output DTS and/or DTS or would that not be possible due to a lack of specific hardware? If that is technically possible release an HDMI adapter a bit like the 360 had?

Not sure if it's possible but I'd love for that to happen at this year's E3.
 
dcx4610

dcx4610

Member
BadBert said:
OK...

so i bought a AVR with (l)PCM support, just to get surround out of my wiiu...

If i hook up my wiiU, and set it to surround, the display of the receiver says:
PCM: 3/2/1
That means it recognises a pcm stream with 3 front speakers, 2 surround speakers and a LFE.

If i push the TEST button, the first time i only hear 1 clear sound, and one faint. If i push it again, i hear 3 clear sounds... but never more than 3 :(

I have tested with donkey kong tropical freeze, and i cant hear the sound effects of the "kongs". So when i start a level, donkey drops in (no sound) and pounds his chest (no sound). It seems there IS comming sound from my 2 front, and rear speakers though.

is that normal? I have been told that the speakers of the wiiu gamepad "replace" the centre speaker?? Is that true? And if i would turn down it's volume completely, the sound would come from the centre speaker??
Click to expand...

I believe this is the case. I'd have to check again but when you do the test button, it hits the front lefts and rights and then rear left and rights. It doesn't send anything to the center channel from what I remember while the gamepad acts as the center.
 
J

jimi_dini

Member
JP said:
Is there any chance that Nintendo could do a software update that allows it to output DTS and/or DTS or would that not be possible due to a lack of specific hardware?
Click to expand...

I researched that a bit right when this issue got known and it seems as if Nintendo used a chip right below the chips, that are capable of Dolby Digital 5.1 realtime encoding. Which means you are out of luck.

If that is technically possible release an HDMI adapter a bit like the 360 had?
Click to expand...

Not a chance. The Wii U outputs PCM audio. You would have to reencode that into Dolby Digital / DTS, which takes a bit of time, which would introduce audio lag.

Your best bet is buying a separate HDMI PCM 5.1 decoder, that outputs analog 5.1. And in case you own one of the better amplifiers, you will have analog 5.1 in and can use that.
 
J

JP

Member
Thanks, I wan't expecting it to be possible but I was hoping. Yeah, the adapter would have been if DTS/DD was enabled via software. Nevermind, it'll have to be stereo for now on our Wii U...maybe the Wii U Mini.
 
B

BadBert

Neo Member
dcx4610 said:
I believe this is the case. I'd have to check again but when you do the test button, it hits the front lefts and rights and then rear left and rights. It doesn't send anything to the center channel from what I remember while the gamepad acts as the center.
Click to expand...
Nope, it shoult send sound to all speakers :)
after a LOT of hassle with harman kardon, i went to the test and repair centre in holland.

Conclusion: the firmware is faulty. And HK does not want to make an update since it is an older model AVR.
The repair centre switched my avr 158 for a newer 161, and everything works PERFECTLY.
I have full surround now, and test tones on all speakers. AVR also detects it is a multichannel PCM stream, and changes the settings real time on the number of channels it detects (stereo or surround, depending on the game or if i'm in the main menu)
 
M

Mine01

Member
So guys os ir true you CAN output surround sound trough analogue and video trough HDMI?
CAN i use a microcomponent as a home theter? Ir has centre+woofer+left+bright speakers
 
bumpkin

bumpkin

Member
The Lamonster said:
I need a new audio receiver. Trying to choose between Sony STR-DH740 and Denon AVR-S500BT.

Am I correct that only the Sony will give me surround sound on Wii U?
Click to expand...
Hopefully it's more cooperative than the Sony home theater receiver I bought. While my XB1 and PS4 both go through it fine, when I connect the Wii U to it via HDMI, nothing shows up on my TV.

After the annoyance of having to leave my Wii U connected via component wore off, I laughed. It's almost as if Sony's own AV products refuse to admit that the Wii U is HD.
 
The Lamonster

The Lamonster

Member
bumpkin said:
Hopefully it's more cooperative than the Sony home theater receiver I bought. While my XB1 and PS4 both go through it fine, when I connect the Wii U to it via HDMI, nothing shows up on my TV.

After the annoyance of having to leave my Wii U connected via component wore off, I laughed. It's almost as if Sony's own AV products refuse to admit that the Wii U is HD.
Click to expand...
What model of receiver did you get?
 
W

Waylon Drums

Member
LiberaTeExInferis said:
Is there a place here regarding sound delay, etc?

I have a Pionerr HTIB with linear pcm and I just tried some time with the WiiU Karaoke and it says that I have a 150ms sound delay!!Needless to say the app is totally unplayable.
In addition, I have the feelings that in games like Deus Ex, there is a total asynchrony between the lip syncing and the actual sound.

Fuck me..any tips, whatever?!!
Click to expand...

Hmmm, now I'm paranoid about my sound delay. Wii U karaoke isn't a thing in the US, is it?
 
bumpkin

bumpkin

Member
The Lamonster said:
What model of receiver did you get?
Click to expand...
It's an older model (2-3 years at the least), one of their home theater in-a-box sets. I was trying to find the model number online, but wasn't having any luck. The box is at home in my basement, I could check and report back later when I get home from work.
 
The Lamonster

The Lamonster

Member
bumpkin said:
It's an older model (2-3 years at the least), one of their home theater in-a-box sets. I was trying to find the model number online, but wasn't having any luck. The box is at home in my basement, I could check and report back later when I get home from work.
Click to expand...

Maybe you just have to tell the Wii U to output sound to HDMI instead of component as you were previously set up. Have you played with the Wii U sound settings?

Anyway, hoping one of you Wii U surround experts can answer my question:

The Lamonster said:
I need a new audio receiver. Trying to choose between Sony STR-DH740 and Denon AVR-S500BT.

Am I correct that only the Sony will give me surround sound on Wii U?
Click to expand...
 
bumpkin

bumpkin

Member
The Lamonster said:
Maybe you just have to tell the Wii U to output sound to HDMI instead of component as you were previously set up.
Click to expand...
I did... Tried fudging with the settings for a good 20 minutes or so; went through all of the HD resolutions to see if maybe it just didn't like one of 'em to no avail. Thinking maybe my Wii U might just have a faulty HDMI output -- I've heard some launch units did -- I plugged it directly into my TVs HDMI port. It worked fine. So the problem is clearly the receiver not accepting its signal. I'm guessing it's probably that limited range vs full range RGB thing I've heard about.

The Lamonster said:
Have you played with the Wii U sound settings?
Click to expand...
I haven't. With my Wii U being connected via component, my audio setup for it is plain ol' AV cables (red and white connectors) into the receiver.
 
B

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
Yes all Denon's for quite a while can handle 5.1 LPCM over HDMI. The biggest issue for Wii U owners are gamers who have been surviving on optical for the past generation only using HDMI to their TV for video. The number of model years of receivers with HDMI that don't support LPCM 5.1 is extremely small. Even most $200 receivers with HDMI currently support it.
 
M

MD1032

Neo Member
borghe said:
Yes all Denon's for quite a while can handle 5.1 LPCM over HDMI. The biggest issue for Wii U owners are gamers who have been surviving on optical for the past generation only using HDMI to their TV for video. The number of model years of receivers with HDMI that don't support LPCM 5.1 is extremely small. Even most $200 receivers with HDMI currently support it.
Click to expand...

Awesome, thanx!
I can find the AVR-X1000 at about 280€ here at Greece, hopefully it will be a good choice for a first timer!
 
The Lamonster

The Lamonster

Member
Guys...I need help. For some reason when in the Wii U sound settings, the surround sample works swimmingly - all 5 channels with LFE. However, in game there is no subwoofer. I have only tested MK8 and WWHD. My receiver is showing a 5.1 signal. I've tried restarting the system, resetting the settings, etc. Nothing works.
 
T

The Boat

Member
Sorry to bump this, but I never had any audio system and my new flatmate brought an amp and two audio monitors, so I have a few questions:

-is the audio quality better if I connect the Wii U via analog directly to the amp rather than have the audio go through HDMI to the TV and then use the headphones out to connect to the amp?

-I have some JVC HA-RX700 headphones, 48 ohms impedance I assume they sound better plugged to the amp than to the TV right? Stupid question, but I'm audio ignorant.
 
Mohonky

Mohonky

Member
Reclaimer said:
Great info thread OP!

My thoughts:

-Awesome! Uncompressed 5.1 LPCM! On a Nintendo console!? RAD!!!

-Wait, ONLY LPCM!? Weird... Some people are soooo screwed by this... Damn it.

-Glad I have a nice Yamaha receiver with LPCM ... and a bunch of good (but faked) ProLogic-like processing modes for stereo sound as well.
Click to expand...

I have found the LCPM sound really good from the Wii U though.
 
W

wilflare

Member
sorry to bump this up

currently, using my Philips Fidelio X1 with the WiiU Gamepad - the audio is really soft though

some recommended using an amp with this - but what's the best way to go around doing this?
 
B

BBboy20

Member
M

muyricosuave

Member
Hi gaf sorry to bump an older thread but honest question here. I'm not that proficient in stereo systems so here's the skinny. My brother is giving me this old sound system an RCA 5.1 surround sound system with hdmi in and out the model number is RT2911. My question is will this provide surround sound to wii u? Or does it not meet X requirement for it?
 
I

iamaustrian

Member
muyricosuave said:
Hi gaf sorry to bump an older thread but honest question here. I'm not that proficient in stereo systems so here's the skinny. My brother is giving me this old sound system an RCA 5.1 surround sound system with hdmi in and out the model number is RT2911. My question is will this provide surround sound to wii u? Or does it not meet X requirement for it?
Click to expand...

go from your wiiU straight into hdmi-in at your reciever.

So basicly this way(all hdmi):
WiiU -> reciever -> TV

This will give you surround (either the "real" one or the faked one; depends on your reciever)
 
M

muyricosuave

Member
iamaustrian said:
go from your wiiU straight into hdmi-in at your reciever.

So basicly this way(all hdmi):
WiiU -> reciever -> TV

This will give you surround (either the "real" one or the faked one; depends on your reciever)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I just tried but I only hear 3 chimes when I run the "test" for surround sound so that means I'm gonna get the faked on right?
 
P

Piccoro

Member
Hey, bumping this thread because I need help!

I'm interested in these two cheap receivers: the Sony DAV-TZ140 and the Samsung HT-H4500R.
The Sony one has LPCM, but it is 2 channels. I won't get surround sound on Wii U with this one, right?
The Samsung one says LPCM in the description, but it doesn't say how many channels. Has anyone tried this one?
Thanks for the help!
 
S

Shin Johnpv

Member
Neither of those are actually receivers. In fact it doesn't look like either one of them supports HDMI in. Those aren't going to work for hooking your Wii U up to. On the Sony your only sound input is analog (hence why it's only 2 channels). The Samsung looks like it only has a single optical input, which you can't get out of the Wii U at all.

To get surround sound LPCM out of your Wii U, you need something that has HDMI in and supports LPCM 5.1.
 
P

Piccoro

Member
Shin Johnpv said:
Neither of those are actually receivers. In fact it doesn't look like either one of them supports HDMI in. Those aren't going to work for hooking your Wii U up to. On the Sony your only sound input is analog (hence why it's only 2 channels). The Samsung looks like it only has a single optical input, which you can't get out of the Wii U at all.

To get surround sound LPCM out of your Wii U, you need something that has HDMI in and supports LPCM 5.1.
Click to expand...

Hmm, you're right. Neither of those has HDMI in, I only noticed it now :p
Thank you.
 
Myoclonic Jerk

Myoclonic Jerk

Member
SPE said:
[*] Optical out from your TV/Monitor into your receiver/HTiB will not produce 5.1
Click to expand...

Shit...

And it took me30 minutes of trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with my surround sound.

Why does Nintendo like to do shit differently?? I can't believe I'll have to keep playing my games in Stereo! This is 2014!!! I won't invest in a new home theatre just for the WiiU. Every-fucking-thing else works fine

Screw you Nintendo. This is the first time I ever said that
 
H

Herne

Member
Because Nintendo doesn't want to pay fees in order that the Wii U can support licensed formats. LPCM sounds great on the Wii U anyway, as it has a much higher bandwidth than Dolby Digital and DTS, apart from Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio, but then none of the consoles support those in gaming.

It is irritating, but at least they stepped it up this time and gave us something significantly better than Dolby Prologic II, which is all we've had since the GameCube (and it was not the best solution way back in 2002, never mind when the Wii launched).
 
DoomGyver

DoomGyver

Member
I just bought a wii u and need some advice on sound setup for headphones. I have a sony hdtv with an optical out and an old astro mixamp with either optical or rca inputs. What would be the best setup?
Code: 
WiiU > HDMI > TV
               |
              Optical
               |
              astro mixamp
               |
              2.0 Sound converted to dolby headphone
OR
Code: 
WiiU > HDMI > HDTV
  |
  analog sound
    |
  astro mixamp
    |
  2.0 Sound converted to dolby headphone

Looking for the best quality sound i can achieve with the least latency. Maybe I should just buy a nice Yamaha receiver.
 
D

Datschge

Member
Full Recovery said:
What would be the best setup?
Click to expand...
I'd go with optical through the TV setup. Whatever lag that introduces should still in sync with the TV unless it's a very bad unit, and it's all digital to boost. Why bother adding additional electronics that introduce unnecessary variables?
 
S

Seth Enosh

Member
StriKeVillain said:
I'm pretty sure that's a joke.

At least, I hope so.
Click to expand...
Some of the sounds, like the barrel explosions, would come from the surround rear speakers. Didn't exactly make sense but sounded cool.

Edit: it would be nice to have an option in SSB to have music come from the rear speaker, announcer's voice from the center speaker, etc. There are definitely ways 5.1 could enhance the game.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Forbes: Sony Launches Its First PS5 And Xbox Series X-Friendly AV Receivers
2
53
5K
diffusionx replied
Soundbar vs home cinema sets, now for the definite answer
2 3 4 5
229
13K
HeisenbergFX4 replied
[DF] Mark Cerny talks Dolby Atmos support for PlayStation 5
News Hardware 2 3
103
8K
MarkMe2525 replied
Soundbar for my Xbox Series X
39
4K
Ulysses 31 replied
People - help! I've connected my TV to an A/V Receiver via HDMI and activated ARC, but I cannot get 'true' 5.1 on windows!!
2
85
6K
KungFucius replied
Top Bottom