Audio Troubleshooting

This section provides basic sound troubleshooting steps.

Ensure the CoreELEC Device is directly connected to the Sound Output Device (Amplifier, Receiver, Sound Bar, TV Speakers,…)

Team CoreELEC provides no support for daisy chained or defective hardware

Depending on the way the devices are connected in the media pool, adjustments to the audio settings and/or equipment may be required

The following table is intended as a guide. Further adjustments for particular hardware combinations may be required.

Kodi Settings	PC Speakers (2.0)	PC Speakers (5.1)	TV	TV (AC3)[1]	AVR SPDIF (AC3/DTS)[2]	AVR HDMI (no HD Audio)[3]	AVR HDMI (HD Audio)[4]
Audio Output Device	Speakers	Speakers	HDMI/SPDIF	HDMI/SPDIF	SPDIF	HDMI	HDMI
Number of channels	2.0	5.1	2.0	2.0	N/A	7.1	7.1
Output configuration	Best Match	Best Match	Best Match	Best Match	Best Match	Best Match	Best Match
Stereo upmix	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled
Normalize levels on downmix	Enabled	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled
Resample quality	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium
Keep audio device alive	1 min	1 min	1 min	1 min	1 min	1 min	1 min
Enabled passthrough [5]	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled	Enabled	Enabled	Enabled	Enabled
Passthrough output device [5]	N/A	N/A	N/A	HDMI/SPDIF	SPDIF	HDMI	HDMI
Dolby Digital (AC3) capable receiver	N/A	N/A	N/A	Enabled	Enabled	Enabled	Enabled
Enabled Dolby Digital transcoding	N/A	N/A	N/A	Enabled	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled
DTS capable receiver	N/A	N/A	N/A	Disabled	Enabled	Enabled	Enabled
TrueHD capable receiver	N/A	N/A	N/A	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled	Enabled
DTS-HD capable receiver	N/A	N/A	N/A	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled	Enabled

Where TV can decode AC3.
Where AVR only has SPDIF which will support AC3 & DTS.
Where AVR has HDMI inputs but can't decode TrueHD or DTS-HD.
Where AVR has full decode capabilities.
If Sync playback to display is enabled, Passthrough is automatically disabled.

Audio Source
Audio Codec	HD DVD			Blu-ray Disc			DVD-Video			DVD-Audio			Passthrough Setting
Audio Codec	Channels (max)	Max bit rate	Sample rate (Max)	Channels Max	Max bit rate	Sample rate (max)	Channels (max)	Max bit rate	Sample rate (max)	Channels (max)	Max bit rate	Sample rate (Max)	Passthrough Setting
Dolby Digital (AC-3)	5.1	504 kbit/s	48 kHz / 16 bit	5.1	640 kbit/s	48 kHz / 16 bit	5.1	448 kbit/s	48 kHz / 16 bit	5.1	448 kbit/s	48 kHz / 16 bit	Dolby Digital (AC3) capable receiver
Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC-3)	7.1	3 Mbit/s	48 kHz / 24 bit	7.1	1.7 Mbit/s	48 kHz / 24 bit	N/A						Dolby Digital (AC3) capable receiver
DTS	5.1 (Core)	1536 kbit/s	48 kHz / 24 bit	5.1 (Core)	1536 kbit/s	48 kHz / 24 bit	6.1	768 kbit/s	48 kHz / 16 bit	N/A			DTS capable receiver
DTS 24/96	N/A						5.1	1536 kbit/s	96 kHz / 24 bit	5.1	1536 kbit/s	96 kHz / 24 bit	DTS capable receiver
Linear PCM (LPCM)	7.1	27 Mbit/s	192 kHz / 24 bit	8.1	27 Mbit/s	192 kHz / 24 bit	5.1	6.1 Mbit/s	48 kHz / 16 bit	5.1	6.1 Mbit/s	96 kHz / 24 bit	MultiChannel LPCM capable receiver
Dolby TrueHD	7.1	18 Mbit/s	192 kHz / 24 bit	7.1	18 Mbit/s	192 kHz / 24 bit	N/A						TrueHD capable receiver
DTS-HD High Resolution Audio (HRA)	7.1	6 Mbit/s	96 kHz / 24 bit	7.1	6 Mbit/s	96 kHz / 24 bit	N/A						DTS-HD capable receiver
DTS-HD Master Audio (MA)	5.1	18 Mbit/s	192 kHz / 24 bit	5.1	18 Mbit/s	192 kHz / 24 bit	N/A
DTS-HD Master Audio (MA)	7.1	18 Mbit/s	96 kHz / 24 bit	7.1	18 Mbit/s	96 kHz / 24 bit	N/A

For AAC 5.1 and 7.1 audio on 5.1 and 7.1 systems connected via HDMI, select HDMI Multi Channel PCM output, and set the corresponding Number of Channels

select Settings

select System

ensure user level is set to Advanced
select Audio

adjust settings as required
restart the device

Defective hardware can cause sound issues.

check the audio cable

Make sure that the audio cable(s) work properly when connecting the TV Set Top Box or Speaker System. Try a different audio cable or try the audio cable in another device. Verify the connectors are in good working order (are they broken, bend, or damaged?).

check the audio port

Take a look at the audio ports and make sure there is no damage. When finding dust in the ports, use a brush to remove and try again.

check the Bluetooth connection

When using Bluetooth audio, pay attention to unstable Bluetooth connections. Bluetooth connections can experience interference from other wireless signals.