Must set "Default" audio device each time?

[ander]

Hi guys,

I've developed a strange problem. Till now, I've been able to play audio through any of my connected devices (headphones, speakers, HDMI) without doing anything more than turning those devices on.

Now, each time I want to use another device, I must open Windows' Sound > Playback settings and set it to "Default Device", even though all the devices are enabled (green) there.

I don't know if this means anything, but: Even when a device is not set as "Default", the test sound still plays through it when I select it and click the Test button.

Any idea what's changed, and how I can fix it? Thanks!

 

[fireberd]

Depends on what device is being set as default. If there is an HDMI cable plugged into the PC Windows will automatically set the HDMI as default.

More info on exactly what is happening.

 

[1157]

Depends on what device is being set as default. If there is an HDMI cable plugged into the PC Windows will automatically set the HDMI as default.

More info on exactly what is happening.

I have the same problem but i do not know if it's a Win7 issue or just the way it is.
I have a monitor hooked up via hdmi, and desktop speakers, The desktop speakers
work fine, when i plug in a USB headset it makes the "connect" sound, but the desktops speakers
still work, and the headset does not, unless you set as "default"This seems very clunky considering
win xp switches headsets/speakers no problem

 

[PatrickGSR94]

Also the same problem here, and it's super annoying!

Currently I have desktop speakers that connect via USB (JBL Pebble speakers). That means the speaker volume control, the computer's volume control in the taskbar, and my keyboard's volume control buttons all control the same thing. That makes things easy.

But then I also have an optical cable from the motherboard to my living room AVR, along with an HDMI cable from the video card to my TV for watching online content on my TV (don't want audio going to my TV).

Additionally, I occasionally use headphones connected via the standard headphone jack on the motherboard.

This is all using Realtek HD Audio as part of the ASUS motherboard.

So when I want to watch something using my TV, I have to open Sound Devices and make the digital optical output the "Default Device". Likewise if I want to use my headphones I have to set the analog device output as the "Default Device". Then when I'm finished doing either of those I have to remember to set it back to the JBL speakers on USB as the default device so that I can hear sounds normally.

Is there no way to have signals going to all those outputs at the same time? I can understand needing to turn off the JBL speakers when using one of the other devices, but it seems odd to have to switch between the optical output and the analog headphone output.

 

[Morbid Monkee]

Depends on what device is being set as default. If there is an HDMI cable plugged into the PC Windows will automatically set the HDMI as default.

More info on exactly what is happening.

I have the same problem but i do not know if it's a Win7 issue or just the way it is.
I have a monitor hooked up via hdmi, and desktop speakers, The desktop speakers
work fine, when i plug in a USB headset it makes the "connect" sound, but the desktops speakers
still work, and the headset does not, unless you set as "default"This seems very clunky considering
win xp switches headsets/speakers no problem

When I plug a headset in I do it directly through my speakers, there is a mic jack on the bottom of the left speaker and it cuts sound to the speakers and routes it into the headphones instead, very convienient, no problems

 

[ander]

Depends on what device is being set as default. If there is an HDMI cable plugged into the PC Windows will automatically set the HDMI as default...

I always have an HDMI cable connected, so Windows may have automatically set it as the "Default Device". I never noticed, though. It didn't matter, because as long as a device was "Activated" I could play back through it. So I "activated" all the devices I wanted to use, turned them off and on (if necessary), and never had to open the Sound settings.

More info on exactly what is happening.

I've described it as well as I could. What's especially odd is that this never used to happen. As long as a playback device was "activated", I could use it.

In fact, I don't even know why it's important for there to be a "Default" device—it never mattered. But now, for some reason, "Activated" and "Default" have switched meanings: Previously, anything that was "Activated" would play, and now only the device set as "Default" will play.

When I plug a headset in I do it directly through my speakers, there is a mic jack on the bottom of the left speaker and it cuts sound to the speakers and routes it into the headphones instead, very convienient, no problems

Yes, that's very handy, but it works because of a hardware switch built into the headphone jack. It doesn't have anything to do with Windows settings.