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windowsaudiowasapidirectsoundhdmi-cec

Windows 11: Audio channels are swapped on a 5.1 system with DirectSound, but WASAPI works

Setup

Intel NUC 11 as HTPC -> HDMI-CEC -> Denon AVR-X2500H -> HDMI-CEC -> LG 55SJ800V

Steps to reproduce

Note, I tried Ubuntu 22.04 first, but to avail. Best I got was stereo output after 2 days of trouble.

Hence, I installed Windows 11 Pro, configured the sound device (System Control -> Hardware and Sound -> Sound -> select output device and press Configure) as 5.1 surround sound system and got 5.1 sound ... however, all channels were swapped.

Upon installation of Kodi, I noticed that it is working properly when selecting WASAPI as output driver rather than DirectSound (Kodi settings -> System -> Audio -> Audio output device).

Question

But how can I fix it in general on Windows 11 regardless of the application which is playing the sound? Keep in mind, some applications (e.g. web browser) do not have sound settings.

Solution

  • The solution was fairly easy:

    1. Open Windows 11 settings.
    2. Click on Sound.
    3. Scroll down to Advanced section.
    4. Click on Output devices next to Troubleshoot common sound problems.
    5. Let Windows fix the issue.
    6. Reboot your system.

    Done.