QUOTE: Development has ceased.
Yet we keep seeing new versions, and the latest 1.1.26.0 has removed the Auto-Switch Output setting.
Why? Can it be restored?
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Hi William,
And has since resumed,
Has replaced and improved upon the Auto-switch function with a new Preferred Output Device function, would be more accurate,
Yes, if you remove the driver and reinstall one of the previous versions. The changes made can be found on the Changelog page (not yet updated for v1.1.26.0).
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Preferred Output Device seems to limit choice to use only 1 device at a time, unless and until you make a manual effort to change the output.
I for one have earphones, earbuds, 2 individual monitors that are used as Monitor Left OR Monitor Right, and are also linked to work as Output Left AND Right. When the Auto-Switch (to latest detected output) was available, all I had to do was activate one or another, turn on the earphones, or remove one set of earbuds from the charging case and Voila!, my output switched.
Now I have to select the audio output and click it to switch. Doesn’t seem like an improvement to me, though I recognize that many have only one output.
Still, can Auto-Switch be added as one of the dropdown choices?
Also, glad to know development is restarted. Makes that license purchase and future donations more palatable. Besides FXsound is, IMHO, much the best choice of all the audio enhancers .
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Will echo what CarlS has said. The feature “Automatically switch to newly connected output device” was a often used feature. With it removed the user has to manually switch to the newly connected output device which can be frustrating at times depending on the output device being activated. There are users who connect more than one or two output devices. For example switching between the PC’s inbuilt speakers, to a bluetooth speaker, to wired headphones, to attached HDMI TV. With 1.1.22.6 I had to manually select the correct device versus the last connected output device being selected automatically as was done with 1.1.22.0.
Have rolled back to 1.1.22.0 to regain the “Automatically switch to newly connected output device” functionality.
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Same, same. Have rolled back and added policy to prevent an unwanted update. While waiting for a user-focused fix, I will be testing other utilities which provide the same audio tweaks.
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The Preferred Output Device feature was an extremely popular request. There was a fork in the road, and we had a discussion about which path to take: one towards elaborating on automatic switching, or one towards a preferred output device function. The latter was chosen as the wisest direction. Expecting one single piece of software to be able to cater to all desires simultaneously, is a utopian and impossible goal. Please all, and you will please none.
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The biggest problem I am having with this new “preferred Output Device” is that I don’t use my ear buds for everything, I switch back and forth all day. I have set the ear buds to be the preferred output device, but as soon as I turn off my bluetooth earbuds, FXSounds switches my preference to none. and when I turn them back on, I have to manual switch to my earbuds. This is very frustrating as it used to switch automatically and was not an issue. It’s to the point that I am looking at other sound-boosting options for my PC. If FX Sound can fix this, and allow me to set a priority for my earbuds, but also allow for the system to auto-switch when I turn them off and on, that would be awesome.
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Just tested this on the new v1.1.27.0 beta.
It maintains the selected preferred output device after disconnecting, and also automatically switches back to it whenever connected.
What is the earbud brand and model?
Have you already tried either soft-resetting or factory-resetting them, or clearing their Bluetooth memory, and completely removing, then re-adding them to your computer’s Bluetooth list?
I’m using JBL Tune 230NC earbuds. I’ve removed them and reconnected, I’ve set and reset the settings in FX Sound. I’ve tried messing with every setting I can find to fix the issue. This was not a problem until FXSound updated to 1.1.26
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Looks like the solution was they added the option for “newly connected output device,” so every time I plug my laptop into HDMI, sound works on the TV correctly. After I change the setting. But every time I unplug my laptop, I get no sound. Because it reverts to the wrong output. “Steam streaming microphone.” This is a new laptop with freshly reset windows install, so I have no idea what this supposed possible output is, why it produces no sound, and why FXsound defaults to it. I can’t have it default to my laptop speakers because I want it to auto switch to HDMI every time I plug into HDMI. And there seems to be no way to disable or remove an output device, which would solve this issue. Did I hear older versions had the ability to disable an output? Neat. That is exactly what I could use right now.
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Looks like I was able to disable an audio device in the Windows settings UI, this solves that issue. Maybe I misunderstood and this was always the windows setting and never a part of FXsound
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The problem is the new priority-based preferred device function does not work. FXSound keeps leaving my first priority speakers (optical out to desktop speakers) and defaulting to my second priority speakers (inferior built-in monitor speakers). It happens multiple times a day and is extremely annoying. This didn’t happen with previous versions of the app.
In which version are you seeing this behaviour in the application?
Was v1.2.12.0; now 1.2.13.0.
App Audio Output Device Preference shows “Prioritize new output devices”, but does not auto-shift to the newly active device.
For example, I have 10 separate outputs; if I was using earbuds but this time I’m choosing to use headphones, Windows makes the headphones active yet FxSound does not shift to that (pre-existing) output, and I have to choose it manually. The same thing happens with each of the other outputs.
Now … once the in-use output is chosen, FxSound works well. Until I switch outputs; then it’s manual selection again.
Side remark: Windows will soon allow multiple Bluetooth connections at the same time. Are you working on that, also?
For ref: W11 x64 Pro 26200.9267.
Wired device state changes to not present when unplugged. But Bluetooth device state changes to unplugged when removed. They become not present only if it removed from Windows settings.
In v1.2.12.0, if a device state is active or unplugged it will not be removed from the preferred device list. But if it is not present or disabled it will be automatically removed from the preferred device list. So, with “Prioritize new output devices” option set, if a wired device is unplugged and plugged again, it will become the preferred device because it will be removed from the preferred device list and added back to the top.
In v1.2.13.0, due to requests from several users, the devices are not automatically from from the preferred devices list. So, if a wired headphone is not the first preferred device and if it is unplugged and plugged again it will remain in the same position. Audio will continue on the first preferred device which is active. Audio will automatically switch to the wired headphone in this scenario if it is the first preferred device or if the devices which have higher priority are not connected.
Yes, we are looking at how to enable shared audio feature for Bluetooth LE devices which will be available on Windows 11.
Great! Now about the auto-switching issue?
I’m pretty sure it was on 1.2.13 that I was experiencing issues. I updated sometime in the last week and suffered through a few days of my audio switching from my desktop speakers (1st priority) to my monitor speakers (2nd priority) several times a day. But yesterday I uninstalled and reinstalled the app and haven’t experienced that issue since. Fingers crossed that fixed it.
The auto-switching is based on the priority set in settings. If a device is plugged for the first time, it will be added to the top of the list. But if its priority is modified in settings and then if it is disconnected and reconnected, audio will not auto-switch to it.
This does not help when multiple outputs are available. Unlike the earlier method, which auto-switched to the newest-connected device.
Priorities are great, except when they change on the fly. If one has to manually select the desired output, then neither the checkbox nor list are working as planned.
Can we get the older method added in conjunction with the priority listing?
Thanks.
WCarlS