I have a Audigy 2 card running windows Xp with the latest drivers and a logitech z680 5.1 speaker setup. For some reason, 90% of the time, FS9.1 refuses to play sounds in the back 2 speakers. This happens with every type of add-on, pmdg 737, rfp 742, etc. I made sure the windows and creative settings were for 5.1 and when I test it correctly says "front left, etc" out of each speaker. Is flight sim just not made for surround sound?Thanks for any help

Hey Big Al, are you using the EAX Console's CMSS 3D "Upmix" feature to upmix FS9 stereo into multi-channel? I use the CMSS 2 upmix. I also have the stereo focus about 30% to the rear. I get good speaker seperation effects but still, not as good as an original sound file in multi-channel format such as 5.1.

So there is no real 5.1 support in the game... I have to use the options in cmss2?Thanks for the help

I am not sure. When on my nforce 2 soundstorm I think I got 5.1 audio all right but ain

That's a good question Big Al, I think you need to select an upmix option to get the "best" results when playing back two channel (stereo) source files such as the FS9 .wav files because the upmix option was designed to upmix two channel sources (stereo) into higher channel formats such as 5.1. I use CMSS 2 but CMSS 1 probably works well too.However, I have no idea what would happen if someone actually recorded a high quality 5.1 .wav file and then tried to play it back through FS9. Interesting thought. I also wanted to add another suggestion to make sure you've carefully gone through the Creative speaker calibration step. The problem is your arrangement of speakers can unpredicatbly affect optimum calibration. Make sure you calibrate based on what you're actually hearing rather than what you think the balances should be. This seems like an obvious statement but for me at least, I have to resist preconceived notions (based on the arrangement of my 7.1 speakers) of where the balances should be while calibrating.

Here are the tips:Do not use CMSS2 - it is designed for DVD audio and music files, not ideal for computer gaming audio! You will have little/no sound in rear speaker when this is selected. Use CMSS instead for your gaming. Use CMSS2 for listening to audio CDs - it sounds much better!Under the EAX "Effects" panel, ensure that you check the box that says "Enable Audio effects" and then choose "Special FX" and then select "EAX Games - Normal Effects"On the CMSS 3D Tab, I suggest moving the slider back so the stereo focus is about -15 to -20%, this puts more sound output through the rear speakers.Good Luck!

That's really strange, the EAX console for my ZS gives me the following selections for "Special FX" under the EAX "Effects" tab: Voice - ChipmunkVoice - Female to MaleVoice - Male to FemaleVoice - ZeusAre you sure this sounds better in FS9? ;-). I don't even have a game selection. Guess the EAX consoles differ quite a bit between models!Anyway, the EAX audio effects provide standard DSP effects like "concert hall", "cathedral", "disco", "heavy metal." They're worth checking out although I don't use them.As for CMSS 1 v. CMSS 2, this is also personal preference based on the particulars of your setup. CMSS 2 adds additional simulated effects that I particulary like in FS9, such as pushing voice to the center speaker. This works very well during ATC communications. On my setup at least, I have no problem with getting sound in the rear speakers with CMSS 2. In contrast, I think CMSS 1 sounds better during audio CD music playback because I don't want the additional voice centering effects under those circumstances.I think the best step is carefully calibrating the speakers using the calibration program before experimenting with all these settings, which are great to have BTW.