Nintendo Switch Surround Sound Not Working [Fix It Now!]

Nintendo Switch surround sound won’t work if the surround sound system is not enabled or if the hardware doesn’t support it. To get the surround sound to work, first, turn the surround sound option on and check the compatibility of games and devices. Then, connect the HDMI cable directly to the surround sound system. Next, tweak the audio settings from ‘Surround’ to ‘Auto’ and vice-versa. Finally, factory reset the Nintendo Switch if nothing works.

Along with knowing this information, you’ll need step-by-step details about Nintendo Switch surround sound not working. Read till the end.

Nintendo Switch Surround Sound Not Working: Quick Fixes

I’ve gathered up the possible reasons and their corresponding solutions and put them in the table below. Give it a read to know the quick fixes-

Reasons	Symptoms	Solutions
Surround sound not enabled	Only stereo noises surround sound missing	Turn on surround sound and check the compatibility of the games and devices
Unsupported hardware	The sound system is not equipped with eARC 2.1 sound is working but 5.1 is not working	Use a sound system with built-in eARC feature Connect the HDMI cable to the surround system directly
Software glitch	Audio functions are not working properly Incorrect sound outputs	Tweak the audio settings of the Switch Factory reset the Nintendo Switch

The reasons behind the surround sound not working should be crystal clear now. For further detailed solutions, head onto the next segment.

Nintendo Switch Surround Sound Not Working: Detailed Fixes

Now let’s know the step-by-step solutions to get the surround sound feature of the switch to work again.

Reason 1: Surround Sound Not Enabled

The surround sound feature of the Nintendo Switch can only be used if the game supports the surround sound feature. A lot of games should have the 5.1 surround sound feature, but they don’t and the surround sound doesn’t work for these games.

An example can be the Tales of Vesperia. This game has 5.1 surround sound enabled for all devices, except the Nintendo Switch. So no matter how hard you try, you will only get stereo sound from these games.

Also, the surround sound system has to be turned on in the settings for it to provide an effect. Many software updates or factory resets may cause the surround sound option to turn off automatically by default.

Solution: Turn on the Surround Sound and Check the Compatibility

First off, you need to check if the surround sound is on or not. To turn on the surround sound on the switch-

• First, head over to the ‘System Settings’ from the home menu.

• Then, scroll down until you find the ‘TV Sound’ option under the TV Settings.

• Finally, change the ‘TV Sound’ from stereo to surround sound.

You can even set up new speakers with the switch to make the surround sound more immersive. If you’re having issues turning on the surround sound feature, follow this video as a guideline-

Along with turning on the surround system, check if the game you’re playing supports 5.1 or not. If the doesn’t, change the ‘TV Sound’ settings from ‘Surround’ to ‘Stereo’ again.

Reason 2: Unsupported Hardware

The Nintendo Switch supports the surround sound feature but if the external hardware doesn’t support it, surround sound won’t be played. External hardware includes the 5.1 speakers, TVs with the eARC system, LPCM function, etc.

A lot of users have complained about the surround sound on the Nintendo Switch not working due to the lack of an eARC system. Without the eARC system, the LPCM audio won’t be going through the system and will deliver only stereo sound.

eARC system also helps with better quality sound if you want to record Switch gameplay from your PC.

Solution 1 of 2: Use a Sound System with Built-in eARC Feature

The solution to this issue is to use a sound system that supports the eARC feature. If your sound system/TV doesn’t have the eARC feature built-in, you can also use an eARC audio converter for your needs. That will convert the outgoing sounds to surround sound.

Note that, the stereo systems usually are equipped with only ARC. It has the feature of stimulating the ambient audio as a 5.1 surround system.

Solution 2 of 2: Connect the HDMI to the Surround System Directly

Connecting the HDMI cable directly to the surround sound system can solve the issue of the surround sound system not working. To do that-

• First, connect your switch to the HDMI input in the soundbar or your surround sound system.
  
• Then, use the ARC or the HDMI to connect it to your TV. This allows the switch to pass all the PCM audio data directly to the sound system.
  
  If there’s no permission for an HDMI connection, that should be diagnosed properly before connecting the cable.

Doing so will let the surround system be processed correctly hence, solving the problem!

Reason 3: Software Glitch

Software glitches in the Nintendo Switch can throw off normal functionalities like the surround sound, causing dysfunctionality. Usually, the software glitches happen due to the bugs inside the software.

Software glitches are usually fixed with a reset. However, in the case of the Nintendo Switch, you need to change the settings to fix it.

Solution 1 of 2: Tweak the Audio Settings of the Switch

To solve the software glitch regarding the surround sound-

• Start by going to the settings of your Nintendo Switch.
  
• Then, change the ‘TV Sound’ settings from ‘Surround’ to ‘Auto’. Run a sound test on the Switch to check if the surround sound is working. You can also revert the sound settings from ‘Audio’ to ‘Surround’ again and see if that works or not.

If the surround sound still doesn’t work, proceed to the next solution.

Solution 2 of 2: Factory Reset the Nintendo Switch

Factory resetting a device resets all the settings and data and clears out all the software glitches and bugs. It’s applicable to TVs as well. For instance, you can solve the aspect ratio problem on Samsung TVs just by factory resetting it!

To factory reset the Nintendo Switch, you will need to:

• Go to the ‘System Settings’ from the home menu.
  
• After that, scroll down to ‘System’ and select it. Then, go to the ‘Formatting Options’.
  
• From there, select ‘Restore Factory Settings’ to delete the entire data stored in the memory.
  
• Finally, accept and go through all the prompts to reset the switch. 

The Final Words

That’s the end of this article. Hopefully, now you know how the fix the issue when the Nintendo Switch surround sound not working.

Always make sure you check all the cables to see if they are fitted correctly or not. Also, tighten them if they’re loose. Connecting cables correctly can solve the majority of your problems! Best of luck.