Enabling 5.1 Surround Sound Audio on Linux (Ubuntu)

In some cases, when using a Linux OS like Ubuntu, there will be issues like devices will not working properly. For example, you may only hear sound coming from 2 speakers instead of all speakers.

In order to convert the 2.1 sound (or no sound) and enable 5.1 surround sound audio on your Linux system, you must first disable your onboard sound via editing your motherboard's BIOS settings. If you do not know how to do that or encounter problems trying, you can alternatively try to disable onboard sound through Linux and bypassing the BIOS settings.

Once you've disabled your onboard sound, follow this procedure to edit to asoundrc and configure the surround output so that it transfers stereo output to all 6 channels, instead of only through the front channel speakers:

1. Run in the terminal: gedit .asoundrc
2. Add to the file:
pcm.!default {
type plug
slave.pcm "surround51"
slave.channels 6
route_policy duplicate
}

That should work. To ensure that the issue is the sound card and not the speakers, run either of the following in your terminal:
aplay -l
- or -
lspci -v

Try aplay -1 first. If neither of the commands list your sound card, then it means the drivers are not installed. If your sound card is listed (and 5.1 surround sound is not working), it may mean there is an issue with the speakers.