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Asked: 2024-09-27T02:05:34+05:30 In:

How can I configure 7.1 surround sound for the SteelSeries Arctis 7 on Ubuntu 20.04?

I’ve been trying to get my SteelSeries Arctis 7 headphones to work with 7.1 surround sound on my Ubuntu 20.04 setup, and honestly, it’s been quite a journey! I’m a bit lost and could really use some help from the community.

First off, I love these headphones for gaming and watching movies, but I feel like I’m missing out on the full experience because I can’t get the surround sound feature to work properly. I’ve done some research and found that there are a lot of technical steps involved, but I’m not sure what’s necessary and what isn’t. I’ve tried a couple of things, like checking the audio settings in Ubuntu and going into PulseAudio, but it’s been a bit overwhelming. Also, I’m not super familiar with terminal commands, although I’m willing to try if it’ll help.

I read something about needing to install additional software or drivers to fully utilize the surround sound capabilities. Something about setting up a 7.1 virtual surround sound system? That sounds complicated, and I’m not even sure where to start. I’ve seen guides for Windows and Mac, but they don’t really help me out on Linux.

If anyone’s got tips or a step-by-step guide on how to get this working, I’d really appreciate it! It’d be great to hear if there are any specific settings I need to tweak or any apps that work better with the Arctis 7. Also, if there’s any particular configuration that has worked for you, I’d love to learn about that too.

Thanks in advance for any insights you can share! I’m really hoping for a workaround or a clear solution because I don’t want to give up on my headphones just yet. Happy to provide more details if needed!

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    2 Answers



    1. Help with SteelSeries Arctis 7 Surround Sound on Ubuntu 20.04

      Getting 7.1 Surround Sound Working on Linux

      Sounds like you’re having quite the adventure with your SteelSeries Arctis 7 headphones! No worries, I totally get how confusing it can be, especially with a lot of technical steps and being new to terminal commands.

      Here’s a simple way to get started:

      1. Check the Audio Output: First things first, go to Settings > Sound and make sure your Arctis 7 is selected as the output device. Sometimes it’s just a matter of picking the right option!
      2. Install PulseAudio Volume Control: Open your terminal (you can do this by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T) and type: 
        sudo apt install pavucontrol

        This tool helps to manage your audio settings more easily. Once installed, you can open it by typing 

        pavucontrol

        in the terminal or searching for it in your applications.

      3. Configure Surround Sound: In PulseAudio Volume Control, go to the Configuration tab. You should see profiles for your Arctis 7. Try selecting a profile that mentions 7.1 surround sound. You might see something like ‘Analog Surround 7.1 Output’ or ‘Digital Surround 7.1 Output’. Give them a shot!
      4. Install Additional Software: Some users find success with ALSA or Surround Sound speaker configurations. You might want to install software like 
        sox

        or check out 

        pulseaudio-equalizer

        to tweak the sound further. You can install them the same way as step 2.

      5. Testing it Out: Once configured, test it with games or movies that support surround sound. You might also look into using VLC or MPV, as they have options for handling surround sound better!

      Final Tips:

      • Always check if any firmware update is available for your headset.
      • Explore forums or communities like Reddit or the Ubuntu forums for additional support.
      • Don’t hesitate to experiment with settings—you can always reset if things go haywire!

      Hopefully, this gives you a clearer direction! It can be a bit daunting at first, but keep at it, and you’ll get that sweet surround sound working. Good luck!



    2. To enable 7.1 surround sound on your SteelSeries Arctis 7 headphones in your Ubuntu 20.04 setup, you’ll first need to ensure that your system is properly recognizing the headphones. Plug them in and open the terminal to check the audio devices with the command pacmd list-sinks. This will list all audio outputs. Identify the name of your Arctis 7 headphones and set it as the default output using pactl set-default-sink [sink-name], replacing [sink-name] with your actual sink name. After this, install pavucontrol, which offers more advanced control over sound settings. You can install it with sudo apt install pavucontrol. Launch it by typing pavucontrol in the terminal. In the “Playback” and “Output Devices” tabs, make sure your headphones are selected and set to “Profile” as Analog Surround 7.1 Output.

      If everything is set up correctly and you still don’t hear the surround sound, you might need to configure ALSA. Navigate to /etc/asound.conf and create or edit this file to specify the 7.1 surround output. Add the following configuration:
      pcm.!default { type plug slave.pcm "surround51" }. Make sure to save the file, and restart the sound server with pulseaudio --kill followed by pulseaudio --start. Additionally, testing your surround sound setup can be done using the speaker-test command with the appropriate flags, such as speaker-test -c 8 -t wav. This allows you to verify that all channels are functioning correctly. If any issues persist, community forums and the SteelSeries support page can provide further assistance tailored to your specific needs.


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