# If I Have A Surround-Sound System On My Computer.....
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-have-a-surround-sound-system-on-my-computer/586088
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 20, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-have-a-surround-sound-system-on-my-computer/586088 "2011-06-20T01:23:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-have-a-surround-sound-system-on-my-computer/586088/1 "2011-06-20T01:23:02Z")
… do I also need a surround-sound _program_?
I was surfing the net for some music that I could listen to (I usually use the Logitech s-s to play Warcraft), and stumbled upon a site that offered me a program for $39.95, but if I don’t need it, why buy it, right?
Also, so any of you who also have surround, use _filesonic_ and what do you think of it?
Thanks
Q
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### Author:  [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-have-a-surround-sound-system-on-my-computer/586088/2 "2011-06-20T01:27:44Z")
IIRC music is almost exclusively stereo in nature. It does not matter if you have surround sound.
You can get the music to come out of all the speakers at the same time but the music is encoded for a left and right channel. It does not know how to send music to the other speakers so it will send music to all the speakers the same way (i.e. if you are listening to Riders on the Storm it will not think to put the rumble of thunder to the back speakers…you’ll get left speakers and right speakers and bass from the bass unit).
I believe some HD-music formats would encode for surround sound but they had to be made specifically with that in mind.
For other things, such as games and movies, they will (possibly) be programmed to take advantage of the surround sound speakers. You merely need an appropriate sound card and the speakers and the rest should take care of itself (you may have to go into the sound options of the game or movie to specify that you want you use 5.1 or 7.1 or whatever).
Perhaps the program you are looking at will simulate surround sound. No idea how well those work on a stereo recording.
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### Author:  [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2011, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-have-a-surround-sound-system-on-my-computer/586088/3 "2011-06-20T13:09:37Z")
What sound card do you have? What operating system? The correct answer for you depends on these answers.
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### Author:  [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2011, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-have-a-surround-sound-system-on-my-computer/586088/4 "2011-06-20T17:34:11Z")
Sorry!
Here are the details. I hope this is what you asked about.
Operating System
MS Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit SP1
CPU
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 46 °C
Brisbane 65nm Technology
RAM
4.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 387MHz (5-5-5-18)
Motherboard
ASUSTeK Computer INC. M2A-VM (Socket AM2 ) 40 °C
Graphics
LCD TV (1360x768@60Hz)
512MB GeForce 9600 GT (EVGA) 47 °C
Hard Drives
488GB Hitachi Hitachi HDP725050GLA360 ATA Device (SATA) 30 °C
Optical Drives
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-S202H ATA Device
Audio
High Definition Audio Device
Sound Card
High Definition Audio Device
Playback Devices
Headphones (High Definition Audio Device)
Speakers (High Definition Audio Device) (default)
Digital Output Device (SPDIF) (High Definition Audio Device)
Recording Devices
Line In (High Definition Audio Device)
Microphone (High Definition Audio Device) (default)
Thanks
Quasi