I have two sets of speakers: one is set of stereo loudspeakers with a subwoofer (not 2.1, just a sub with a low-pass filter) and the other is a set of stereo speakers with a headphone jack, used solely as an inline amplifier and volume control for my headphones.
Currently I have my PulseAudio output set to "Analog Surround 4.0 Output." My motherboard has output jacks for front, side, rear, and "Ctr Bass" which I assume is meant to be a subwoofer channel, for 6.1 surround capability. I have one set of speakers plugged into "front" and one set plugged into "rear". This gives me approximately what I want: I can listen to the headphones or the loudspeakers just by turning on the appropriate amplifier.
However, I'm not sure that this is quite what I want. I'm assuming that the output of front left and right channels is the same as the rear channels, but I don't know that for sure and I'm seeking reassurance. Just in case I play a game or use some other surround-sound source, I'd like to ensure that these outputs act as two stereo outputs rather than one surround output.
Also, I'd like to be able to send audio from a particular client to an output of my choosing. paprefs does not seem to offer this level of fine-grained control. Does anyone know how I can achieve these things?
Best Answer
Your fears are founded : rear and front output are the same only when the source is simple stereo (i.e. music, or basic divx films). For other sources (DVDs, but most importantly games), they are different, and you will have a bad experience...
I Have the same kind of setup as you, but with two sets of speakers and a headset. The only solution I've used so far is use only the front output, with an audio "strip". That is crude, but works...
I'm looking for alternatives, but haven't found yet...