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[RobFox64tm]

I'm pretty sure that's a joke.

At least, I hope so.

That game had a lot of cool, but subtle, surround effects in it. You don't need 5 points of audio blasting at you constantly to qualify as "good use" of surround sound. Some of my favorite uses of the effect were the cave levels, and levels that had rain and thunder in them. I could see the extra channels benefiting Smash to with similar subtle uses too.

 

[BMOFTW]

Yup - should be just fine.

Thanks man. I'm going for it then

 

[B-Ri]

Ive been worrying about what new AV reciever to get cause of this very issue with my WiiU. I have an older sony HTiB, i could reuse the speakers but not the subwoofer, so I would need to buy that new.

I also concern myself with how many HDMI ports it has. I need 5 at least.

Then all the fear of compadibility with everything I use.

I thought HDMI was supposed to make things easy!

 

[Marty Chinn]

Ive been worrying about what new AV reciever to get cause of this very issue with my WiiU. I have an older sony HTiB, i could reuse the speakers but not the subwoofer, so I would need to buy that new.

I also concern myself with how many HDMI ports it has. I need 5 at least.

Then all the fear of compadibility with everything I use.

I thought HDMI was supposed to make things easy!

Any modern receiver should be fine as they pretty much all support LPCM. HDMI makes connecting things easy, but it's just sending data over it. You still need proper support on the other end to understand the data.

 

[ElNino]

Ive been worrying about what new AV reciever to get cause of this very issue with my WiiU. I have an older sony HTiB, i could reuse the speakers but not the subwoofer, so I would need to buy that new.

Be careful using the older Sony HTiB speakers with a new receiver/amp. Sony often uses very low resistances in their HTiB speakers (3 ohm from what I've seen), and that will probably be bad for most receivers which are designed for 8 or 6 ohm speakers.

If your HTiB speakers are 3 ohm (it should say on the back of the speaker), then you will need to replace those as well.

 

[AaronRuizMora]

Hello, I purchased a wii u 2 days ago and I am having issues with the surround sound.

I have the sound receiver LG SR906, it supports audio format LPCM 5.1 via hdmi (I tested it before with a PS3 and my laptop). I connect the wii u to this receiver using hdmi cable, then there is another hdmi cable from the receiver to the tv (Samsung ES8000).

In the wii u I have selected surround in the sound settings but the wii u still sends stereo (LPCM 2.0 as my receiver shows it) and the audio test fails.

I have the console updated to the latest firmware (5.3.2E). I have also tried different hdmi cables, no change.

The weirdest thing is that last night I turned on the console and suddenly it was working, the receiver indicated LPCM 5.1 and the sound test was working, then I run Netflix and when I exited the surround signal was gone and back to stereo. Today I was turning on and off the console a lot of times but the console only sends LPCM 2.0.

Just for the fact that it worked yesterday for 5 minutes (I even played mario kart 8 with the surround sound all working) I think it might be a wii u bug.

Have anyone experienced something similar?

Thanks

 

[tripletopper]

I Heard the Xbox One has an HDMI In port. If you plugged your Wii U into it, had the One in TV Mode, had the One set to translate everything to Dolby 5.1 through Toslink, can you plug in a Turtle Beach toslink Dobly Headphone headset and get virtual surround sound from the back of the Xbox 1?

I may introduce 1 new problem, controller delay, depending on how fast the Xbox 1 processes the video. (If it's less than half a video frame, it should be accurate for everything modern {meaning no CRT light gun games} ]

Also anyone know of an accurate way to run an S-Video Light gun game like the Saturn games on a TV with component and composite inputs but no S-Video or HDMI without downgrading to composite?

 

[tripletopper]

I got Sonic Lost World, a Dolby digital encoded game, sounding in surround sound by running a Toslink cable from an HDMI Toslink extractor, through by Turtle Beach X41. I was able to echolocate the apple juice boss with the headphones With high, low, forward, backward, left and right sound cues.

If the only reason Nintendo didn't include Dolby 5.1 was because they were cheapskates, I've got a suggestion series:

1. If an indivdual Dolby player license costs $5, charge $10 for a Wii U OS enabled Dobly converter download for Wii U.
2. Make a toslink extractor either for the AV port, USB, or the HDMI port so we can run Tokslink into our headsets.

I believe many people will be willing to trade $10 + the retail price of the extractor instead of hundreds of dollars for an HDMI 5.1 LPCM Decoder, some of which don't translate to Dolby 5.1, most of which don't have Toslink out, which you need for Turtle Beaches and Trittons to work.

 

[Isaccard]

How about this... I have a 2.1 speaker with my PC. Can I just plug in a 3.5MM cable into my monitor and then into my speakers/soundcard?

 

[iamaustrian]

I finally hooked up my brothers old yamaha rx-v661 (he doesn't need it anymore, so he gave it to me for free) reciever to get surround sound out of my wiiu and let me tell you something: holy shit!

This is, by far, the most intense sound I have ever heard coming from a console.
Playing wiiu games feels like a completly new experience now.
This might sound like "exaggerating much?" but it really isn't.

After some already stunning rounds of Bops 2 I fired up Hyrule Warriors and it blew me away. Large battles feel like you are in some LotR movie.

side note: I'm still using small "Magnat" speakers and a pretty crappy subwoofer. I can only imagine how some good capable speakers sound.

 

[cacildo]

Hi! Its a bump, but since its not a "news" thread, i think its ok.

Anyway, i got a surround system, and just my WiiU into the HDMI IN port of it

I THINK it has LPCM. Its a samsung, and in the products page it says "Decoder options: LPCM yes"

I went to the settings page, changed from stereo to surround, made the test and it seems every speaker got its test tone

- Does that confirms it has LPCM and im getting the surround sound i should be?

- The wara wara plaza.... they dont have any kind of surround efects, does it?
- Neither the eshop or miiverse music?
- I could feel some real difference while playing Mario Kart. Smash bros wasnt anything impressive....
- Tried two indie games. Whoa Dave! basically repeats audio on the surround speakers, but it sounds great
- Guacamelee had some ambience, but nothing impressive....
- Still have to try Wind Waker

 

[Seth Enosh]

Hi! Its a bump, but since its not a "news" thread, i think its ok.

Anyway, i got a surround system, and just my WiiU into the HDMI IN port of it

I THINK it has LPCM. Its a samsung, and in the products page it says "Decoder options: LPCM yes"

I went to the settings page, changed from stereo to surround, made the test and it seems every speaker got its test tone

- Does that confirms it has LPCM and im getting the surround sound i should be?

- The wara wara plaza.... they dont have any kind of surround efects, does it?
- Neither the eshop or miiverse music?
- I could feel some real difference while playing Mario Kart. Smash bros wasnt anything impressive....
- Tried two indie games. Whoa Dave! basically repeats audio on the surround speakers, but it sounds great
- Guacamelee had some ambience, but nothing impressive....
- Still have to try Wind Waker

If you have it set to 5.1 output and you hear sound from your rear speakers, you're good. Your receiver will probably display that it's getting a 5.1 input.

Keep in mind there are quite a few first party Nintendo games without surround sound (Nintendo land and Mario U at least). Because you're outputting in surround sound you'll get no sound on your center or rear speakers since the Wii u outputs blank channels instead of automatically switching back to a stereo output for those games. Netflix and Hulu also output stereo only. If you plan to use the Wii U to watch media, switch it to stereo first and set your receiver to use Dolby Pro Logic, you'll get a center channel that greatly improves sound in movies and TV.

I believe WW HD has surround sound and a center channel, as do most third party games, Pikmin, Donkey Kong, and more recent Nintendo titles.

 

[dandiego11]

It looks like we may finally get a headset that can actually pass all the surround sound channels from the Wii U since it has an HDMI input: http://store.madcatz.com/Tritton-Katana-7-1-HD-Wireless-Surround-Headset-for-Consoles.html

Mad Catz doesn't provide any details on what surround formats it will/won't accept, but they do mention "uncompressed" a few times. They also note that Xbox 360 compatibility for the pass-through is "stereo only" vs. up to 7.1 for the other consoles, including the Wii U. I'm thinking this means it won't do any decoding since the Xbox 360 actually can output surround over HDMI -- but only in compressed/encoded formats like Dolby Digital/DTS that require decoding, not uncompressed LPCM surround like the PS3, PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U can.

So basically it appears it will accept up to 7.1 LPCM and convert it to DTS Headphone:X for the headset... for $250, ugh.

 

[Skelter]

If you have it set to 5.1 output and you hear sound from your rear speakers, you're good. Your receiver will probably display that it's getting a 5.1 input.

I believe WW HD has surround sound and a center channel, as do most third party games, Pikmin, Donkey Kong, and more recent Nintendo titles.

I just finished setting up my A/V receiver and my consoles are set up. Anyway, my Wii U is outputting to surround sound but I'm not hearing anything from the central speaker. I do hear sound from the rear speakers. This is in Wind Waker HD, is this normal or did I somehow mess something up? Xbox, PS4, and cable are just fine. I hear audio coming from every channel. This is my receiver.

 

[Litri]

I just finished setting up my A/V receiver and my consoles are set up. Anyway, my Wii U is outputting to surround sound but I'm not hearing anything from the central speaker. I do hear sound from the rear speakers. This is in Wind Waker HD, is this normal or did I somehow mess something up? Xbox, PS4, and cable are just fine. I hear audio coming from every channel. This is my receiver.

That's fine and probably intended since the game has no voices. For example, I have both Bayonetta games and besides having some great 5.1 sound, the voices seem to come from the center speaker as far as I remember.

 

[Skelter]

That's fine and probably intended since the game has no voices. For example, I have both Bayonetta games and besides having some great 5.1 sound, the voices seem to come from the center speaker as far as I remember.

Alright, so for the Wii U I should just leave the sound on Direct and let the AVR do everything else?

 

[Captain Rage Quit 69]

Trying out how to get surround, the sample noise plays from the rear speakers and such when it's set to surround so my receiver is fine. However, going into Super Smash Bros. it seems it only plays noise from the front speakers. Is this normal? :/

 

[kitschykitty]

Trying out how to get surround, the sample noise plays from the rear speakers and such when it's set to surround so my receiver is fine. However, going into Super Smash Bros. it seems it only plays noise from the front speakers. Is this normal? :/

A quick google reveals that that is normal, apparently it only was 2.1

 

[Jarmel]

So what is the absolute cheapest receiver I can get that would output surround sound in this case?

 

[LordOcidax]

So what is the absolute cheapest receiver I can get that would output surround sound in this case?

You can buy an Onkyo TX-SR313 for cheap, great sound quality.

 

[NOLA_Gaffer]

Someone needs to update the OP, you can output audio via the standard AV cables these days.

 

[LordOcidax]

Someone needs to update the OP, you can output audio via the standard AV cables these days.

I think this thread is about 5.1 surround sound...

 

[Marty Chinn]

I think this thread is about 5.1 surround sound...

I think he's referring to this line in the OP

For Wii U use, only one AV port on the back is active. If you output HDMI to your TV, the AV Multi Out analogue output will be disabled.

 

[NOLA_Gaffer]

I think he's referring to this line in the OP

That's the one. These days you can output video via HDMI and audio via the multi a/v out if you so choose.

 

[Metroid Killer]

So I'm kinda lost on what to do here:

* Have had my Wii U connected to my Pioneer VSX-528-K receiver for a couple of years now, running good and all.

* A few days ago I got home from work and booted up Wii U. The display panel on my receiver would blink the HDMI icon, meaning it doesn't detect any input thus not showing any image or sound.. odd as it had worked the same morning. The Wii U is booting up all normal

* When connecting Wii U directly to my TV it works. It works with both the HDMI cables in the setup(1 receiver-wiiu, 2 receiver-TV). So the cables should be fine.

* A week ago I bought a new hdmi cable, as the cable from the receiver to wii u was bent and broke. Though it shouldn't matter...

* I have a daughter at 14 months who occasionally touches the buttons on the front of the receiver. But as far as I can tell, nothing has been turned off or anything, nor does any of the front buttons seem to be able to interfere with the signal or anything.

* In a few cases, when the image would be in grey and white, or some other minor issue, turning off power and on again would solve it.

So something that has worked perfectly suddenly stops working. What do I do?

 

[Amneisac]

So I'm kinda lost on what to do here:

* Have had my Wii U connected to my Pioneer VSX-528-K receiver for a couple of years now, running good and all.

* A few days ago I got home from work and booted up Wii U. The display panel on my receiver would blink the HDMI icon, meaning it doesn't detect any input thus not showing any image or sound.. odd as it had worked the same morning. The Wii U is booting up all normal

* When connecting Wii U directly to my TV it works. It works with both the HDMI cables in the setup(1 receiver-wiiu, 2 receiver-TV). So the cables should be fine.

* A week ago I bought a new hdmi cable, as the cable from the receiver to wii u was bent and broke. Though it shouldn't matter...

* I have a daughter at 14 months who occasionally touches the buttons on the front of the receiver. But as far as I can tell, nothing has been turned off or anything, nor does any of the front buttons seem to be able to interfere with the signal or anything.

* In a few cases, when the image would be in grey and white, or some other minor issue, turning off power and on again would solve it.

So something that has worked perfectly suddenly stops working. What do I do?

Have you tried another device on that input? It could be the HDMI board has gone out, it definitely happens. I had to return a Denon refurb receiver for something very similar. If it has any other devices connected, are the other HDMI inputs working okay?

Have you tried a factory reset of the settings? That could be annoying, but it might fix your issue.

I will say that when my HDMI board went out, I was just watching netflix and all the sudden the image flipped upside and cut out and that was it. So it's definitely possible that it can just fail suddenly and catastrophically, though I'm not really knowledgeable enough to tell you why or if that's what happened in your case.

I would: try any other HDMI device on that exact same input with the same cables and try a factory reset.

 

[Metroid Killer]

Have you tried another device on that input? It could be the HDMI board has gone out, it definitely happens. I had to return a Denon refurb receiver for something very similar. If it has any other devices connected, are the other HDMI inputs working okay?

Have you tried a factory reset of the settings? That could be annoying, but it might fix your issue.

Unfortunately wiiU is the only device connected to the receiver so not able to test that. Factory reset is probably one of the only options I got.

I really don't hope the hdmi board died as the receiver is hardly 3 years old.

 

[BMOFTW]

Any idea if this will work with the Wii U?. Thanks

http://www.sony.com/electronics/all-in-one-home-cinema-systems/bdv-e3100

 

[wowzors]

Any idea if this will work with the Wii U?. Thanks

http://www.sony.com/electronics/all-in-one-home-cinema-systems/bdv-e3100

Says on the product page
ANALOG AUDIO INPUT: PIN JACK (1), ETHERNET CONNECTION (1), HDMI IN/OUT (0/1), OPTICAL AUDIO INPUT (1), USB INPUT (1 Front), USB Keyboard

No HDMI in so you won't get surround. It only has HDMI out.

 

[deletethis123]

Edit: NVM, it doesn't seem like it does. Guess I'll probably need a receiver.

So what about a TV which has 5.1 passthrough via HDMI? Something like this guy

http://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/sony/w800c?uxtv=aecb

 

[The Lamonster]

I'm getting LPCM 5.1 according to my AV receiver, but Twilight Princess isn't using the subwoofer. The surround sample in Wii U settings does use the subwoofer. Do I need to change some setting? What is going on here?

 

[alf717]

I'm interested in doing 5.1 with the Wii U. Any place I could get a good receiver worth picking up to do so? I'm thinking maybe in the $200 range used if possible.

 

[Marty Chinn]

I'm interested in doing 5.1 with the Wii U. Any place I could get a good receiver worth picking up to do so? I'm thinking maybe in the $200 range used if possible.

You're not going to get a receiver and speakers for $200.

 

[Sebastian Suola]

I'm getting LPCM 5.1 according to my AV receiver, but Twilight Princess isn't using the subwoofer. The surround sample in Wii U settings does use the subwoofer. Do I need to change some setting? What is going on here?

Maybe you need to check your bass management in your receiver. I'm definitely getting sound from my subwoofer when playing Twilight Princess HD.

On the other hand, I'm getting strange glitches when it comes to Wii U and surround sound. Many times when I start my Wii U, especially if I do it via the quick start menu, I won't get surround sound at all! My receiver "think's" it's getting it, but the back speakers are mute! I will then need to restart my Wii U and fiddle with the sound settings for a while, and then it will magically work again. Strange.

 

[Arttemis]

Maybe you need to check your bass management in your receiver. I'm definitely getting sound from my subwoofer when playing Twilight Princess HD.

On the other hand, I'm getting strange glitches when it comes to Wii U and surround sound. Many times when I start my Wii U, especially if I do it via the quick start menu, I won't get surround sound at all! My receiver "think's" it's getting it, but the back speakers are mute! I will then need to restart my Wii U and fiddle with the sound settings for a while, and then it will magically work again. Strange.

I don't have TP, but I have not experienced either of these problems on my Wii U.

 

[Link_enfant]

I guess it has been asked already, but does using Surround audio on Wii U cause any input lag since the signal is sent to the AV receiver and not directly to the TV?

I'd be interested in getting a great AV receiver, although I only have 2 (nice) speakers currently, I guess it'd be way better to connect the Wii U via HDMI for crystal clear stereo audio rather than my current setup (which is Wii U > HDMI > TV > audio output to a cheap karaoke amplifier > two speakers).

 

[Arttemis]

I guess it has been asked already, but does using Surround audio on Wii U cause any input lag since the signal is sent to the AV receiver and not directly to the TV?

I'd be interested in getting a great AV receiver, although I only have 2 (nice) speakers currently, I guess it'd be way better to connect the Wii U via HDMI for crystal clear stereo audio rather than my current setup (which is Wii U > HDMI > TV > audio output to a cheap karaoke amplifier > two speakers).

I guess it depends on your receiver, but my Denon S700W must not add more than a couple milliseconds because I don't notice any difference whatsoever. My Sony Bravia W800b via the Denon receiver still outputs video with less latency than the Wii U's gamepad (which I confirmed with two slow-motion video tests).

 

[BMOFTW]

Hi everyone a friend have a Sony Home Theater with to HDMI inputs and when he turn the TV on an PS4 he see this message. So I want to know if it means that ii will work with the Wii U too and I can get sorround sound. Thanks

 

[FelixFFM]

Bumping this thread because I feel it will be the same situation with the Nintendo Switch.
From what I can tell, it doesn't have an optical output, and will likely only support LCPM 5.1 like the WiiU.

I have a Sonos 5.1 system that only accepts Dolby Digital 5.1 via optical. My TV doesn't pass through or convert audio to the optical. So I need a converter box that converts LCPM 5.1 to DD5.1 and outputs over optical.

Does this one fit the bill? http://www.ambery.com/2hddodtsdihd.html
I can't find a definitive answer...

 

[dandiego11]

Bumping this thread because I feel it will be the same situation with the Nintendo Switch.
From what I can tell, it doesn't have an optical output, and will likely only support LCPM 5.1 like the WiiU.

I have a Sonos 5.1 system that only accepts Dolby Digital 5.1 via optical. My TV doesn't pass through or convert audio to the optical. So I need a converter box that converts LCPM 5.1 to DD5.1 and outputs over optical.

Does this one fit the bill? http://www.ambery.com/2hddodtsdihd.html
I can't find a definitive answer...

No, that won't encode/convert LPCM to Dolby Digital...
- Supports Dolby 5.1, Dolby Digital, DTS and LPCM 2 channels output through the optical output.
- Supports uncompressed LPCM 7.1, LPCM 5.1 and LPCM 2 channels output through the multi-channel stereo output ports.

In other words, in "LPCM" mode it will convert 5.1 LPCM from the Wii U to analog and output through the multiple 3.5mm jacks. In "2ch" mode, it will convert only the left and right channels of the LPCM signal and output through optical in the same LPCM format.

Basically, you need a device that both a) accepts 5.1 LPCM through HDMI (or discrete analog channels if using something like what you linked to convert it first) AND b) has "Dolby Digital Live" or "DTS Connect" capability. The only consumer-level devices I can think of that *may* be able to do that would be high-end PC sound cards with the appropriate inputs (HDMI or analog) and of course optical output.

EDIT: This PC sound card may work if its software allows for its multi-channel analog inputs (no HDMI input) to be used a source for DD/DTS encoding: http://www.asus.com/Sound-Cards/Xonar_D2X/

I'm hoping Nintendo will finally incorporate some sort of surround sound compression vs. LPCM in the Switch, but it's not looking likely.

 

[FelixFFM]

No, that won't encode/convert LPCM to Dolby Digital...
- Supports Dolby 5.1, Dolby Digital, DTS and LPCM 2 channels output through the optical output.
- Supports uncompressed LPCM 7.1, LPCM 5.1 and LPCM 2 channels output through the multi-channel stereo output ports.

In other words, in "LPCM" mode it will convert 5.1 LPCM from the Wii U to analog and output through the multiple 3.5mm jacks. In "2ch" mode, it will convert only the left and right channels of the LPCM signal and output through optical in the same LPCM format.

Basically, you need a device that both a) accepts 5.1 LPCM through HDMI (or discrete analog channels if using something like what you linked to convert it first) AND b) has "Dolby Digital Live" or "DTS Connect" capability. The only consumer-level devices I can think of that *may* be able to do that would be high-end PC sound cards with the appropriate inputs (HDMI or analog) and of course optical output.

EDIT: This PC sound card may work if its software allows for its multi-channel analog inputs (no HDMI input) to be used a source for DD/DTS encoding: http://www.asus.com/Sound-Cards/Xonar_D2X/

I'm hoping Nintendo will finally incorporate some sort of surround sound compression vs. LPCM in the Switch, but it's not looking likely.

So I would need the sound converter that I've linked to convert the LPCM into analog, then hook it up to a PC equipped with your sound card to convert it into DD 5.1? Seems... excessive. But at least it would be an option that would actually work. Although the digital-analog-digital conversion isn't going to help the sound quality.

Are there no receivers that support Dolby Digital Live?

 

[dandiego11]

So I would need the sound converter that I've linked to convert the LPCM into analog, then hook it up to a PC equipped with your sound card to convert it into DD 5.1? Seems... excessive. But at least it would be an option that would actually work. Although the digital-analog-digital conversion isn't going to help the sound quality.

Are there no receivers that support Dolby Digital Live?

None that I know of. I just did a search and found another Asus sound card with HDMI input, and both HDMI and SPDIF outputs. It has DD Live but the manual isn't entirely clear as to if it will take 5.1 LPCM via HDMI in and convert it to DD Live via the SPDIF output. Have a look: https://www.asus.com/Sound-Cards/Xonar_HDAV13_Deluxe/HelpDesk_Manual/

 

[TyMiles2012]

I apologize for the bump, but does anyone have the Onkyo HT-S3800 5.1 system? I already placed an order for one but I can't find anything on whether it has LPCM or not. Closest thing I found was Fixed PCM settings. My brother has a Sony system but it doesn't have HDMI Input and Output. My brother's TV has an HDMI ARC supported port and we just go optical from the TV to the reciever and it works with the PS4 and Xbox One, and of course, not the WiiU, which makes sense after seeing the first post. I have a cheap HDMI splitter right now, the HT-S3800 has 4-In/1-Out HDMI ARC Ports so I assume it'll work, but if LPCM is that cheap of an implementation, there's no reason it shouldn't be supported, right? I also assume the Switch also doesn't support Dolby/DTS? I also want to use the same splitter I currently use since it automatically switches based on what console powers on, unless the HT-S3800 does the same thing, then I can store the old splitter for later or sell it.

 

[Mithos]

I apologize for the bump, but does anyone have the Onkyo HT-S3800 5.1 system?

According the manuals (page 10) from the following page:
http://www.eu.onkyo.com/en/products/ht-s3800-131920.html

It supports on HDMI:

Input of multi-channel linear PCM digital audio signals (192 kHz or less) for up to 8 channels

 

[TyMiles2012]

According the manuals (page 10) from the following page:
http://www.eu.onkyo.com/en/products/ht-s3800-131920.html

It supports on HDMI:

Thank you! Where I bumped into "Fixed PCM" settings, I swore was a manual. I must have missed it.