User`s manual

HEADSPEAKER – 5.1 HEADPHONE SYSTEM
3.3 Ch annel C onfiguration: 5.1 or 7.1?
HeaDSPeaker supports both 6-channel (5.1) and 8-channel (7.1) PCM-audio
1
, depending
on which firmware is installed in the device. If the name of the device has a postfix 8ch,
7.1 configuration is in use. Otherwise, six channel configuration is used. Which of the
configurations is a better choice in practise, depends on your operating system and other
applications.
Six-channel audio sources are considerably more widespread, so in general it is usually a
safer choice to use a six-channel firmware.
However, Windows Vista tends to matrix 5.1 audio channels in a way that may result in
impaired rear channel imaging. That's why we suggest 8-channel firmware for Vista
users, even if the intention is to use only 6-channel audio sources. In this case it is
advisable to use the diagnostic software to check application's behavior regarding audio
channel mapping (in particular, that rear channels are truly in the back, not in the sides).
1) when connected in USB-audio mode.
Page 14
Figure 12: Selecting surround sound setup