How to Get Surround Sound Working on Kodi (5.1/7.1)
I did a tutorial recently on how to get Plex installed on Kodi, but the one issue I had was getting surround sound output to work. I did some research and found a method that works on every device I’ve tested it on, so I’ll walk you through that.
First, make sure your device is connected to your surround sound receiver using an HDMI cable. If you happen to have an older receiver that only has optical audio input, this will still likely work, but it’s not guaranteed as older receivers may not support the surround sound audio type.
- With Kodi opened, go over to the “System” tab and open “Settings”
- Open “System”
- Go down to “Audio output” and go into that
- You want to make sure the “Number of channels” says 2.0. This is important.
- Check “Enable passthrough”.
- If your device is capable of Dolby Digital and DTS, enable both of those.
- Back out of the settings to the Kodi homescreen so you can test it out.
- Open up a show or movie that has surround sound.
- To make sure that your receiver is getting that signal passed through, use your cursor and select the sound icon.
- Make sure “Enable passthrough” is selected.
If you have audio coming through the surround sound receiver, you are all set. If you don’t, try another video with a different type of surround sound. If it’s still not working for you, head over to our forums.
