Hello guys!
I just installed Fedora 40, and I have a Razer blackshark headset (non-pro). The sound works well (microphone too), but I would like to know how to activate virtual 5.1 or 7.1 (the headset is plugged into the jack of my laptop); There are a lot of topics, they are old and I don’t want to do anything stupid (I’ve been new to Linux for a few weeks).
Thanks in advance !!
IIUC, virtual surround is something that is built into the hardware. The headphones project sounds at your ears with different timings and angles to make the sound seem like it is coming from different directions. I guess the audio data needs to be supplied to the headphones in a 5.1 or 7.1 format that they can decode? I’m not sure how that is done over a typical stereo audio jack, but it seems like something that would be specific to the hardware, so you will probably need to check the vendor’s website for Linux drivers that will work with your device. If there is an open-source standard and implementation for virtual 5.1 surround sound, I am not aware of it.
Edit: FWIW, here is a screenshot from a website that came up when I did a Google search for surround sound headphones and Linux:
The above website gives a good explanation of the software technology/protocol being used and it explicitly states that (in the case of this particular hardware), the “DTS [surround sound] features are not functional under Mac and Linux”. I suspect many headphone brands will be the same, but you’ll have to check the vendor’s website to know for sure.
