Logitech Z906 5.1 help

[GoldenSW]

Hello, I'm kind of newbie in this kind of stuff so I really need some help.
I recently bought Logitech Z906 surround system and I tried to connect them to my pc using the analog multichannel cable provided. The problem was that when I ran the 5.1 test in my realtek audio manager, only the central speaker played (the sounds that the other speakers were supposed to play). Same thing happened if I uninstalled realtek and tried to use the 'Manage audio devices' of windows. Disappointed and angry, I decided to buy an digital optical audio cable which I thought might solve this problem. I connected the optical cable to my pc and tested it on a Blu-Ray movie, it still didn't sound as the 5.1 I was hoping for. I rented a Blu-Ray movie and played it on my PS3 which was connected to my Logitech Z906 via the optical cable I bought. The first thing I noticed was that the 'DECODE' indicator lit up, which didn't happen before. The second thing I noticed was the awesome 5.1 sound I heard. My question is now, what can I do next to get at least a similar effect on my PC?
Here are my specs:
Motherboard: Z68 Pro3 Gen3 (http/www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z68+Pro3+Gen3)
OS: Windows 8.1 Pro

 

[ssddx]

i get that you probably know how to set a default audio device but did you push configure and set it to 5.1 before doing a speaker test?

also do you have your system set as 5.1 in any other sound software/drivers you have installed?

make sure you are using the newest soundcard drivers for your motherboard and that you have your settings correct.

also make sure you are plugged in to the motherboard in the correct ports.

if setting to 5.1, driver updates and absolutely nothing you do works.. and you are sure you are using 5.1 content and that the player you are using is set to 5.1 surround sound then you could always get a slot soundcard to use (which typically have better drivers than realtek which is often crap). i'm thinking its a setting or something is plugged in wrong though.

 

[GoldenSW]

I just bought an Asus Xonar DG sound card, which I know should work properly with my system since it has 5.1 audio support and DOLBY. Again, I selected it in the sound card driver to run in 5.1 channels but the only sound I heard was from the central speaker.

 

[tamarw]

It would be awesome if someone could solve this.

If the sound speaker configuration screen on Windows isn't playing audio out of all speakers (see http/www.thelifedigital.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/windows-7-audigy-speaker-settings.jpg, only 2 of those actually make noise), I'm not really sure if it makes sense to test out of 5.1 environments. I am only interested in the basic troubleshooting/setup. Has ANYONE gotten this to work?

Because for me, I have to stick my green cable into Line in to get virtual sound out of all 5 speakers. My motherboard is a MSI Z97 Gaming 5, by the way. I'm using Windows 8.

 

[tamarw]

All right, my issue was related to not having the device set to "no effect" (e.g not 3D, not 4.1, and not 2.1). I would try that. I am surprised how Logitech did not think to troubleshoot this with me.