This issue with the simultaneous output of sound to the speakers, or laptop speakers and to the TV speakers connected via HDMI has already been discussed more than once in the comments to the article why there is no sound through HDMI on the TV when a laptop (PC) is connected on Windows 7 and Windows 10. And there in the comments, Vlad suggested a solution on how to set up simultaneous sound output to speakers or speakers and to a TV in Windows. I checked, but somehow it didn't work out for me. Today I decided to check everything again, and as it turned out, everything works fine. It is enough to set up a stereo mixer in Windows and the sound is output to two sources. In Windows 10, the stereo mixer worked for me without problems. For some reason, I didn't find it in the playback devices settings in Windows 7. You may need to update your drivers. I will make an instruction using the example of Windows 10, and as I figure out the seven, I will supplement the article. The settings there are almost the same, so if Windows 7 has this stereo mixer, set everything up without problems.
In this way, you can make it so that sound is played simultaneously from the speakers of the laptop, or speakers connected to the laptop or computer, and from the speakers of the TV, which is connected via an HDMI cable. You can also configure simultaneous sound output to speakers and Bluetooth headphones, or a Bluetooth speaker. I checked it - everything works fine. I understand that you can output to a maximum of two different devices.
The only drawback that I noticed in myself is that the sound that is output through the stereo mixer lags a little. I output to a monitor (connected via HDMI) with built-in speakers. There is a slight audio out of sync between different output sources. Perhaps this is such a problem only on my equipment, since my hardware is not the newest and most powerful. In general, this feature works interestingly. I also tried to output sound simultaneously to laptop speakers and Bluetooth headphones. You can, for example, connect a Bluetooth speaker, output sound to it and put it somewhere behind your back. You get surround sound.
Before configuration, you need to connect this second audio output source to your computer and make sure that it works (audio is output if you set this device by default). Whether it's a TV or Bluetooth headphones / speaker. I think these instructions will be useful to you:
- How to connect a TV to a computer via HDMI
- How to connect laptop to TV via HDMI
- How to connect a Bluetooth speaker to a laptop or computer
- How to connect Bluetooth headphones to a Windows 10 computer or laptop
We connected it, checked if everything works, and only after that we can proceed to the setup.
Stereo mixer in Windows 10: output audio to two devices simultaneously
Open the sound parameters (by clicking on the corresponding icon in the tray with the right mouse button) and go to the sound control panel.
In the "Sound" window, check that the "Speakers" device is in the "Default device" status. If they are not, then right-click on them and select "Set as default". Also note that I have a TV connected via HDMI (in my case, this is a monitor with built-in speakers, it does not matter) and it is in the "Ready" status.
Go to the "Recording" tab. There should be a "Stereo Mixer". If it is dim and says "Disabled" next to it, right-click on it and select "Enable". Also, if it is not used by default (there is no corresponding inscription next to it), then right-click and select "Use as default". Then click again and open "Properties".
In a new window, open the "Listen" tab, make sure that there is a check mark next to the "Listen from this device" item. From the menu, select the device to which you want to output audio from the computer. So the speakers are used by default, and you need to select the second device. In my case, this is a TV (you will have a different device name). It can also be Bluetooth headphones, a speaker, perhaps some other device.
After clicking on the "Apply" button, the sound started playing simultaneously from the speakers (laptop speakers) and the TV. Check the volume level on your TV or headphones (speaker).
To mute the sound from the second source, just turn off the stereo mixer, or turn off the device. The settings are saved. When we adjust the sound in Windows settings, then it is simultaneously adjusted on both devices (in my case, on the speakers and TV speakers).
Additional stereo mixer settings
There, in the stereo mixer settings, there are several more tabs with additional settings. Let's see what can be configured there and whether it needs to be done. I will say right away that I did not find anything interesting and useful there.
The General tab contains information about the device itself. You can open the properties of the controller (usually Realtek High Definition Audio), change the name or icon, or turn off / on the stereo mixer.
Opening the "Levels" tab, you can change the volume on the device to which sound is output from the stereo mixer. You can also mute the sound and change the balance.
On the "Improvements" tab, according to the idea, there should be some settings to improve the sound. But I did not find them in myself. Only one checkbox "Disable all sound effects", which does not affect anything (in my case).
Well, the "Advanced" tab, where you can adjust the bit depth and sampling rate (these settings are not active for me) and configure the exclusive mode. It is better not to touch these settings. Although in my case, they did not affect anything. At least I didn't notice anything.
Here are all the settings.
I hope you were able to set up this stereo mixer in Windows 10 and output audio to two devices at the same time. Write in the comments for what tasks you use this scheme, what devices you output sound to, and how it all works for you. No sound out of sync? Well, ask questions, do not hesitate 🙂
