make realtek speakers default

windows 11 on another computer
realtek is the speaker we use
we have epson projector which keeps knocking out realtek and using epson speakers for projector
how do we make realtek default speaker that epson can't sideline

Hello and welcome to the forum. You can set your default speakers by going to settings>system>sound>under 'choose where to play sound' select speakers realtek audio. You can then click the little arrow over to the right(>)to further tweak your speaker settings.

You can go into the Sound control panel, and disable the sound device for the Epson projector. Presumably it's getting audio via HDMI.

That. And to get there right click start menu, select run. Type in mmsys.cpl and click OK.

Under Playback, right-click Epson and select Disable.

Actually, this is no need to "disable" anything, simply set the speaker you want to "Default"...



The green arrow will move to the default speaker and state, "Default Device"

The reason you don't want to "Disable" is so the system can "automatically" use as device is you chose to. Example my Teac DAC ASIO driver is the default playback device; however, I often switch between it and the Realtek Digital Output driver depending on what I'm playing. "Disabling" the driver will cause an error when I switch to it on the fly, and I will then have to "solve" the problem.

Point is the OP may want to use the Epson playback when needed. Disabling just creates more steps when needing to use it

Hope this helps.

bobkn said:

You can go into the Sound control panel, and disable the sound device for the Epson projector. Presumably it's getting audio via HDMI.

Click to expand...

I'm wondering something. Won't he have to do this each time he plugs in the projector? It won't remain a permanent setting once the hdmi is unplugged because Windows will no longer see the device.

glasskuter said:

I'm wondering something. Won't he have to do this each time he plugs in the projector? It won't remain a permanent setting once the hdmi is unplugged because Windows will no longer see the device.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I have no idea. I have never used a PC (or laptop) that way.

@glasskuter,

glasskuter said:

I'm wondering something. Won't he have to do this each time he plugs in the projector? It won't remain a permanent setting once the hdmi is unplugged because Windows will no longer see the device.

Click to expand...

Edited to clarify, simplify, and clear some mistakes...

Once the OP enables the projector, being it has its own playback device (driver) it will (should) automatically be chosen for use by the projector. Once the projector is turned off, the driver will disappear, and playback will resume using the default driver (just tested it). If both devices are enabled at the same time, and the projector is not playing, the default driver will take precedence.

Hope that makes sense.

Dru2 said:

and the projector is not playing, the default driver will take precedence.

Click to expand...

Thanks @Dru2 for verifying that. That's the way I thought it worked. Since the projector has its own playback, Windows recognizes that so every time he plugs it in, the system will automatically use the projector speaker unless the poster goes into settings and tells it to use the Realtek speakers. He wants it to use the Realtek automatically but since its plug and play I think he's going to have to manually do it.

glasskuter said:

He wants it to use the Realtek automatically but since its plug and play I think he's going to have to manually do it.

Click to expand...

To be honest it's kind of convoluted and depends on the connected devices and how they also operate, so plenty of "what ifs"

EX: since my Teac DAC accepts multiple inputs, I have it connected to my PC via USB and optical cable to the soundcard (short story, the DAC sounds better musically through USB, but some media won't play through the USB, thus the optical connection).

Because the DAC allows multiple inputs, simply using the input selector allows me to choose the playback device on the fly without needing to go into the PC's sound settings and changing it there (other than initially setting the default driver).

Here on the left you see both Teac USB and Realtek with Teac as default. When the DAC is off, or I switch to optical (simulates USB driver off), the Teac driver disappears (right image) and the Realtek driver becomes the default. If both drivers are there (left image - DAC/USB on), the Teac becomes the default driver as that's what I've set.



Now if I want the DAC to use the Realtek driver as default, yes, I have to do it manually in the sound settings. So yeah, convoluted, dependent, and lots of what ifs

At any rate, my initial post was to point out there's no need to disable a device when you can simply select a default device. Disabling is unnecessary and just requires more steps to setup again when you need that driver. This post was about answering glasskuter's question

Hello!

I have my laptop connected to my TV to watch Netflix and other video sites. The default is to play sound via my TV speakers due to the HDMI connection. However, I also have a bluetooth speaker that we use at night when the kid is sleeping, so we can have the volume down and the speaker next to us, rather than increase the volume of the TV to hear the dialogs. I have set the default sound device to the Bluetooth speaker. So when the speaker is activated, the sound is always played on the speaker. When the speaker is switched off, it plays on the TV speakers. I have also confirmed that if I set the default output to laptop speakers (Realtek), it will play there instead of TV when the bluetooth speaker is off. So just set the Realtek speaker default, you don't need to do anything else. Sound will always play from the Realtek speaker no matter is the projector is connected or not. Setting a device default overrides Windows automatic speaker changes.

PS: Even with a Bluetooth speaker, if you change the default to something else, such as Realtek Speakers, Windows will ignore the Bluetooth speaker and play from Realtek. This is until you make the Bluetooth speaker default again. Checked.

spapakons said:

PS: Even with a Bluetooth speaker, if you change the default to something else, such as Realtek Speakers, Windows will ignore the Bluetooth speaker and play from Realtek. This is until you make the Bluetooth speaker default again. Checked.

Click to expand...

Considering the item is a Bluetooth device (which gets connected/reconnected at boot) that's not really surprising is it

It doesn't matter it is a Bluetooth speaker. If I set Realtek default (while the Bluetooth speaker is also connected), then the sound always play from Realtek speakers ignoring the Bluetooth speaker or the HDMI connection. If I want the sound to automatically play from TV when I connect the HDMI cable, I must explicitly set HDMI to default again. If I want to play from the Bluetooth speaker once connected, I have to explicitly make the Bluetooth speaker default again. I mean that once you make Realtek default, sound will always play from the Realtek speaker no matter what, exactly what the OP wants.

spapakons said:

It doesn't matter it is a Bluetooth speaker. If I set Realtek default (while the Bluetooth speaker is also connected), then the sound always play from Realtek speakers ignoring the Bluetooth speaker or the HDMI connection.

Click to expand...

Actually, if you connect a Bluetooth sound device it IS going to set itself as the default playback device because the system automatically assumes that's the device you want to use.... why else connect a BT device if you're not going to use it???

When I connect my BT headphones, the sound settings automatically defaults to them, and away from my DAC, because BT sound devices get priority. If I change (force) the default back to the DAC, it plays and the BT get disconnected



Left BT headphones auto set to default and plays. Right, forced default to DAC, it plays, BT phones don't. Nothing new here

Bluetooth speaker is ignored when switched on if you change the default to Realtek speakers. I can hear my JBL making the characteristic "connected" sound, but the sound keeps coming from Realtek.