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Wii U - Surround Sound Guide and FAQ
- Thread starter CLEEK
- Start date
gingerbeardman
Member
I've not had time to read all of the thread, but my Onkyo HTX-22HD supports LPCM 5.1 and works great when the Wii U is connected directly.
I can't get the Wii U to work with my HDMI switch box, though. Has anybody done this?
I can't get the Wii U to work with my HDMI switch box, though. Has anybody done this?
Thanks!
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I actually haven't tried hooking it up to my switch box because it has auto-switching.. And due to the nature of Wii U, I don't want it to autoswitch! There are many times when I'll want to turn the Wii U on and use the gamepad screen but leave the TV image on another input.
gingerbeardman
Member
Good point.
Although my main need for a switch is that my receiver only has two inputs and I have five HDMI devices.
Although my main need for a switch is that my receiver only has two inputs and I have five HDMI devices.
Smiles and Cries
Member
never had a surround sound system before I have a Panasonic 720p Plasma so it is old and cheap I would like to get some cheap speakers for it that would work with the Wii U without issues
is there a set out there that is known to work well with the Wii U?
is there a set out there that is known to work well with the Wii U?
SkyMasterson
Member
So I purchased a Marantz 1403 receiver.
Anyone else have a Marantz or this specific receiver?
Just wondering what you think of it and making sure I'm not glossing over anything I would need to properly play WiiU games with surround sound? Thanks!
Anyone else have a Marantz or this specific receiver?
Just wondering what you think of it and making sure I'm not glossing over anything I would need to properly play WiiU games with surround sound? Thanks!
You've gotten yourself a great receiver, you'll be fine on the surround front. But (the following are things I picked up on forums, haven't been able to test myself) notice that New Super Mario Bros. U (and possibly Nintendo Land) don't seem to support surround output at the moment, so don't expect to hear anything out of the back and center speakers in those games for the moment. The Wii U sound test also doesn't seem to output a chime through the center speaker, if you notice this it's most likely not your setup that is faulty
As a headphone user what I especially like about the 1403 is that it features a pre-out for stereo on the back that can be used to connect a headphone amp. Most cheaper receivers unfortunately lack this essential feature - I don't know if you are ever going to use it, but might be interesting to know
SkyMasterson
Member
You've got yourself a great receiver, you'll be fine on the surround front. But (the following are things I picked up on forums, haven't been able to test myself) notice that New Super Mario Bros. U (and possibly Nintendo Land) don't seem to support surround output at the moment, so don't expect to hear anything out of the back and center speakers in those games for the moment. The Wii U sound test also doesn't seem to output a chime through the center speakers, if you notice this it's most likely not your setup that is faulty
Thank you for the speedy reply!
Good to hear. Still really disappointed how Nintendo has handled the WiiU so far, especially when it comes to audio.
Hopefully some of this can be remedied with a patch.
PsychoCandy
Member
Does COD BOPS2 on WiiU have surround?
I tried some youtube video examples and I could hear sounds moving all around me, front and back, so I think my setup is ok.
But things sound the same in COD wether they are in front or behind me.
Besides there is no Dolby logo on the box?
I tried some youtube video examples and I could hear sounds moving all around me, front and back, so I think my setup is ok.
But things sound the same in COD wether they are in front or behind me.
Besides there is no Dolby logo on the box?
3rdDimension
Member
Yes it does and it is great. In the games options menu, you can even select different audio mixes.
The default is the Treyarch Mix in which levels are adjusted evenly. There are two other mixes with one that punches up the bass and the other were all levels are set louder.
I have the normal 5.1 setup and the first mission of the game gives a good demonstration of the audio passing through the different speaker channels. You won't be disappointed!
I have a Marantz 6005 and it has been the best receiver I've owned to date. Very flexible, tons of power, and an excellent soundscape. Can't speak specifically about the 1403, of course, but judging from the specs it should be capable. It naturally features fewer inputs and less system power, but as long as your speakers are too demanding, it should sound great. The Audyssey features are also quite excellent.
My Wii U is link with my receiver : a LG TS913ES. The receiver is LPCM 5.1 compatible. In Zombi U I have 5.1 sound just fine, but if I press the home button and go somewhere or close and reopen the TV, the receiver fall back to PCM2/0.0. If I want it back to PCM3/2.1, I need to switch the receiver to my cable box input, find a show in DTS 5.1 then switch back to the WiiU input.
Also, if I put the receiver to Wii U, the start the WiiU then go in the game, I only have stereo sound (except if I do all those input switching). This is so weird.
In the sound menu, the test sound work, but not all the time, only if I switch the input. This is weird, why my surround system fall back to PCM2/0.0 when I close the TV. Crazy !
Someone got an idea ?
Also, if I put the receiver to Wii U, the start the WiiU then go in the game, I only have stereo sound (except if I do all those input switching). This is so weird.
In the sound menu, the test sound work, but not all the time, only if I switch the input. This is weird, why my surround system fall back to PCM2/0.0 when I close the TV. Crazy !
Someone got an idea ?
Pyrrhus
Member
I did it and the only thing that prevents buyer's remorse is that it has significantly simplified my cable setup. Making a system that touts its 7.1 PCM output capabilities and requires most of your audience to get a new receiver but then not outputting your games' sound so that they at least take advantage of a subwoofer is practically criminal. What did they spend their sound budget on exactly? It certainly wasn't new music and sound effects.
Nintendo's handling of sound output is just boneheaded and amateur. Honestly, the entire user experience on the Wii U has been surprisingly rough. The hour and half to patch the thing out of the box and the half hour patches on Nintendo Land and NSMBU were all pretty terrible. I can't imagine all the wailing and gnashing of teeth when the 10-year-old kids get this thing for Christmas and can't play their games for 2 hours (in which time the Wii U game pad will die if they didn't have the forethought to hook it up to the charging cable).
Joeshabadoo
Member
sorry if this was already addressed, but has anyone else using a surround system found that the audio coming from the gamepad is regularly ahead of the audio coming through the system?
gingerbeardman
Member
I get that. I just mute the Gamepad.
metsallica
Member
Thanks for the advice! I actually did just that a few weeks ago and haven't had much success, but I think that was because of the subforum I used. Need to figure out where best to ask my questions; that place is overwhelming.
Glad to hear it. I've been considering them for ages, but got side-tracked auditioning some higher-end stuff. Not sure why, as that has led me down a path of indecision... I should probably just get these and call it a day, at least so I have something temporarily.
Fuck it, so did I! Replaced my old Denon AVR with a nice new Pioneer VSX. Built in Airplay is pretty sweet. Thanks Nintendo.
Sorry if this was already addressed somewhere in the thread (then it should be edited into the OP). Is there significant lag in processing the Wii U signal (video + audio) through your receiver? I was thinking of getting a low-end HDMI receiver ($200 - $300), but I've read on AVS forum that some of these have upwards of 70ms of delay (not to mention that your TV's processing will also add some delay). Does anyone have experience with this? Any recommendations that may address overall lag on getting the Wii U experience on a home theatre (not necessarily in my price range if there's nothing for that range)?
It depends on the receiver. There shouldn't really be any delay in a dedicated AVR processing the audio, but there will always be delay in the TV displaying the video. I used to get a lot of lag in audio on my old HTiB though, with no delay option, which was the main motivation I had for upgrading.
With HDMI, you can have the TV tell the AVR when it is going to display the video. The AVR than waits, to sync the audio to the video. This will introduce the exact same lag to the sound as to the image.
This in an option in my Pioneer AVR:
Synchronized audio/video lag is great. However, the incredible low latency of the GamePad means that it displays images and audio faster than TVs. This will result in sound and image being ahead on the GamePad. The image won't really be noticeable, as you'd have to be looking at both at the same time to notice. You will hear the sound delay though.
To address, Nintendo would need to have the WiiU sync the GamePad with the TV it's connected to. If your TV has 100ms latency, the same delay would need to be artificially added to the GamePad.
With HDMI, you can have the TV tell the AVR when it is going to display the video. The AVR than waits, to sync the audio to the video. This will introduce the exact same lag to the sound as to the image.
This in an option in my Pioneer AVR:
Synchronized audio/video lag is great. However, the incredible low latency of the GamePad means that it displays images and audio faster than TVs. This will result in sound and image being ahead on the GamePad. The image won't really be noticeable, as you'd have to be looking at both at the same time to notice. You will hear the sound delay though.
To address, Nintendo would need to have the WiiU sync the GamePad with the TV it's connected to. If your TV has 100ms latency, the same delay would need to be artificially added to the GamePad.
Thanks for the response SPE, but it seems you might have misunderstood a bit. From your answer it sounds like you've got a setup where you send video to the TV and audio to the AVR separately and then have the TV connected also to the AVR (using an Audio Return Channel?) which allows the AVR to sync it's processing.
For Wii U what I'd have to look at is having both video and audio through the same HDMI going to the AVR and then the AVR passing on the video to the TV. From what I was reading it seems that there isn't really a simple way to "pass-through" the video feed of HDMI, so the receiver actually has to do some processing (to separate that out?) and create a new HDMI stream that it passes on to the TV. Apparently for some receivers (I believe it was a Pioneer that was in my price range) that "passing-along" the video incurred a 50ms - 70ms overhead
For Wii U what I'd have to look at is having both video and audio through the same HDMI going to the AVR and then the AVR passing on the video to the TV. From what I was reading it seems that there isn't really a simple way to "pass-through" the video feed of HDMI, so the receiver actually has to do some processing (to separate that out?) and create a new HDMI stream that it passes on to the TV. Apparently for some receivers (I believe it was a Pioneer that was in my price range) that "passing-along" the video incurred a 50ms - 70ms overhead
No, I understood! My set-up is the same as you're suggesting.
WiiU > AVR > TV
Which is the common way to hook up devices to an AVR, and then to a display. ARC has nothing to do with how my WiiU/AVR/TV are connected, or my previous post. The audio sync stuff I was talking about is part of the HDMI spec, separate from ARC.
It is certainly possible that some AVRs do introduce their own lag. If the dudes over at AV Forums has said this and measured it, you can usually take it at face value. My AVR does have a pass-though option, but they just means it doesn't process anything, and passes through the entire HDMI feed to the TV for it to handle. If I turn that on, obviously I just get sound from my TV, not through my AVR and the connected speakers.
I don't know how you could ever tell what parts along the chain incur lag, only the eventual lag at the end. What is certain is the GamePad is effectively lag free, so anything that does introduce lag will result in a difference between what the pad outputs, and what your speakers and display outputs.
Edit: As for advice, if lag bothers you to such a degree, all you can do is buy equipment that introduces least lag. This isn't a Wii U issues though, as audio and video lag will be that same for everything that goes through the AVR and TV. Just that lag is only noticeable in gaming, and with the GamePad, even more son on the Wii U.
I guess my misinterpretation came from this:
Yeah, I guess we'd need a real pro to measure all these things out. Do you do much processing on video on your TV on your setup? I've setup my TV to pretty much not do anything (as far I could configure anyway) for playing games in hopes that the lag is at a minimum. I haven't tried comparing the TV output with the Gamepad to see if I can notice anything. Maybe I'll try this later.
I'm just really paranoid about lag. I was playing the VirtualConsole version of Mario Bros. 2 the other day, and man was it hard! I thought "no wonder I didn't get far in the game as a kid" It was so hard to jump on things, and I could easily fall off ledges. Unlike Metal Slug Anthology on Wii, I didn't think about lag until much later. Then I tried SMB2 on an actual NES and man, it was a completely different experience! Jumps actually worked, I was able to easily do what I wanted!
So I thought you had missed out on the possible video lag introduced by the AVR. Sorry.
Yeah, I guess we'd need a real pro to measure all these things out. Do you do much processing on video on your TV on your setup? I've setup my TV to pretty much not do anything (as far I could configure anyway) for playing games in hopes that the lag is at a minimum. I haven't tried comparing the TV output with the Gamepad to see if I can notice anything. Maybe I'll try this later.
I'm just really paranoid about lag. I was playing the VirtualConsole version of Mario Bros. 2 the other day, and man was it hard! I thought "no wonder I didn't get far in the game as a kid"
It was so hard to jump on things, and I could easily fall off ledges. Unlike Metal Slug Anthology on Wii, I didn't think about lag until much later. Then I tried SMB2 on an actual NES and man, it was a completely different experience! Jumps actually worked, I was able to easily do what I wanted!I've got a Pioneer VSX-521 AVR and a Panasonic GT30 TV.
I have the TV in Game mode (which apparently has 30ms lag), but to be honest, even with twitch gaming, I find very little difference between lag in Game mode and Normal mode. A quirk of the Panasonic TVs is you can't change the aspect ratio when in Game mode, so to make sure my VC games don't get stretched to 16:9, I have to have my TV in Normal mode. Which would be introducing more lag, but not that is apparent to me.
If I put my TV into any other mode (Cinema, THX etc) or turn on some of the option like motion interpolation, then I can definitely feel the lag and some games become unplayable.
I have the TV in Game mode (which apparently has 30ms lag), but to be honest, even with twitch gaming, I find very little difference between lag in Game mode and Normal mode. A quirk of the Panasonic TVs is you can't change the aspect ratio when in Game mode, so to make sure my VC games don't get stretched to 16:9, I have to have my TV in Normal mode. Which would be introducing more lag, but not that is apparent to me.
If I put my TV into any other mode (Cinema, THX etc) or turn on some of the option like motion interpolation, then I can definitely feel the lag and some games become unplayable.
spleenpoker
Member
I'm having the exact problem with my LG HX 996TS. You figured it out yet?
I was under the impression that DPLII can still produce some surround even if the source was not programed/supported for it. I have no idea how much worse it is compared to a real PLII source.
To the OP or anyone, shouldn't I be able to WIIU>HDMI>TV>OPTICAL(2 channel)>PLII receiver
for at least some simulated surround?
I know the OP says otherwise. But Dolby says every 2 channel source benefits from PLII
sorry if this was already covered only skimmed the first page.
Any "virtual surround" that generates a multichannel signal from a pure stereo signal is completely worthless.
Dolby Pro Logic 2 is matrix encoding of surround data in stereo signals, it is "real" surround, but does have some problems with channel separation. The Wii U doesn't encode Pro Logic 2, but some Wii games do - you'll be able to take advantage of it there. For everything else, you'll hear regular stereo.
thanks, yeah a knew most of that, except how poor the quality is of a non PLII encoded source was.
My wireless headset, will do PLII, and also has a bypass button that turns off all processing. I should be able to easily compare, to see how bad it actually is. Maybe it will at least be better than pure stereo?
regardless the sound quality should be better than just using earbuds out of the gamepad.
Some headphones do some additional positioning with surround sound enabled on stereo sources, you may like the effect. Just know that you're not getting anything other than a stereo signal, just positioned in "space" without a Pro Logic 2 encoded signal.
Virtual Surround like Dolby Headphone works very well with headphones, but you (obviously) need multichannel input (Dolby Digital 5.1 for most available systems - which isn't possible with the Wii U) to get a "real" surround experience.
(there are some AV receivers with suitable headphone ports, but those aren't capable of driving high-end high-impedance headphones for the most part)
cool, yeah, I currently use x41s, with my 360 and ps3, and PLIIx for Wii. which I have enjoyed.
The product listing does say
so we will see how much "better" it will process normal stereo I guess.
That's how it should be. The confusion is probably because in 5.1, two speakers are usually refereed to as rear speakers, when they're actually more side speakers. 7.1 adds true rears into the mix.
In 5.1 you have Front Left, Front Right, Centre, Surround Left, Surround Right and LFE.
With 7.1, you get the above, plus the addition of Surround Back Left and Surround Back Right.
http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/surround-sound-speaker-set-up/
how do you do this? I've tried with both a wii s-video and wii component cable whilst having the video go over hdmi, and there is no sound being output. the wii mode menu and skyward sword make no noise at all.
the only sound options i can find anywhere in the wii u settings are to set whether you want surround or stereo :S
Pardon my ignorance, i have just skimmed through this thread, but some quick questions..
1)Given that my HTiB has only one HDMI output, there is no way that i am gonna get surround sound from it, right?
HDMI audio splitters..couldn't they work?Foe example something like this?
http://www.octavainc.com/HDMI 1x1 Audio Converter.html
2)I bet that there is no magical solution for the sound delay regarding the Gamepad too, right?
My Samsung LED UE40B7000 is connected in Game Mode with my WiiU, but the sound delay is evident..
Although i am no audiophile, i do enjoy surround sound and this whole thing makes me uneasy to fully enjoy WiiU.
So any help would be greatly appreciated, since today i am gonna buy ZombiU, which i think will greatly be enhanced by surround sound..
1)Given that my HTiB has only one HDMI output, there is no way that i am gonna get surround sound from it, right?
HDMI audio splitters..couldn't they work?Foe example something like this?
http://www.octavainc.com/HDMI 1x1 Audio Converter.html
2)I bet that there is no magical solution for the sound delay regarding the Gamepad too, right?
My Samsung LED UE40B7000 is connected in Game Mode with my WiiU, but the sound delay is evident..
Although i am no audiophile, i do enjoy surround sound and this whole thing makes me uneasy to fully enjoy WiiU.
So any help would be greatly appreciated, since today i am gonna buy ZombiU, which i think will greatly be enhanced by surround sound..
You need an HTiB featuring one HDMI input and one HDMI output that accepts LPCM 5.1.
There is no other way to achieve 5.1 from the Wii U.
Wii U would have to delay gamepad sound output. It doesn't seem to do that, so no way but Nintendo patching it in some day. It's baffling that Nintendo didn't think about that.
btw. video-wise it's working fine? I thought the gamepad had almost no lag. Most LCD/LED TVs have quite a bit of lag, so do you see stuff first on the gamepad and then on the TV?
so after a lot of searching I found a post by someone saying that this used to work, but was removed in an update to the wii u firmware :'(
why would they do that???
Hari Seldon
Member
Just got a Wii U today as a gift. I tried connecting it HDMI to my Onkyo 507 receiver, however I didn't even get a video signal. Supposedly this receiver supports LPCM over HDMI, but I can't be sure. Does anyone have this receiver and got this to work?
Edit: Nvm, my AUX wasn't set to HDMI 4. Works like a champ now. If I can only get the stupid Wii U to actually complete the update.
Edit: Nvm, my AUX wasn't set to HDMI 4. Works like a champ now. If I can only get the stupid Wii U to actually complete the update.
The surround speakers are supposed to be on the side of you. The secondary surround speakers are the speakers directly behind you.
So far, i have only tried Nintendoland and to be honest i didn;t notice anything regarding a video latency..
Last night, i tried the official HDMI included in the package and i think i saw some kind of improvement...not sure though...
Something strange also, is this.While i have put my tv in surround sound mode, when i test the surround sound with the option provided by the OS, i can't hear the whole range of tunes....
What i find baffling is the truly limited range of options.For example, can i totally silence the sound from the gamepad and hear eveything from the Tv?Apparently with the slider you just mute the gamepad, but you don't hear from the tv the sounds that you "lose".
Thanx again for your patience. and btw, has anyone tried to test the component cables from the Wii, just in order to get the two "cords" for the sound?
If you are going straight into your television with the Wii U HDMI out you are never going to get 5.1. The surround mode on your television is just adding weird audio processing to the 2 channels it actually receives. You should just change the output on the Wii U to 2 channel stereo.
Question:
I have a sony s-master digital amplifier with 5.1 surround sound speakers. It is from approx 2005. The speakers have a proprietary plastic connector on both ends. Can I cut the speaker wire cables on one end and connect them to another av reciever to get 5.1 surround sound? Will it work? Or is the signal proprietary too?
Thanks.
I have a sony s-master digital amplifier with 5.1 surround sound speakers. It is from approx 2005. The speakers have a proprietary plastic connector on both ends. Can I cut the speaker wire cables on one end and connect them to another av reciever to get 5.1 surround sound? Will it work? Or is the signal proprietary too?
Thanks.
When connecting the WiiU to my Onkyto receiver via HDMI, I get occasional screen flickering which gets really annoying. So now I have my WiiU going directly to the TV, which in turn goes to the receiver. I just booted up Assassin's Creed III for the first time and I'm not getting any voiceovers at all! I played around with the sound settings within the game to no avail. This has not been an issue with Sonic Racing, Tekken, Mario, or Nintendoland. Anyone have an idea on how to fix this? My WiiU is set to surround if that makes any difference.
On your TV you can put it to surround, but if it's outputting regular Stereo from the Wii U, it's not really surround. You just don't want to tell the Wii U to output 5.1 to a receiver or television that only supports 2 channels. In movies and such you'd basically lose all of the dialog.