Please review the FAQS below before contacting technical support. If you still have further questions, click here to contact us.
- What if I previously purchased the SRS Audio Sandbox for Windows XP (any SRS Audio Sandbox purchase/download before 5pm PST on February 28th, 2007) and want to upgrade to this version or reinstall with the current download?
- After I installed the SRS Audio Sandbox, my system hangs when I try to shut down or restart--why?
- My mediaplayer won’t play any sound after I recently installed the SRS Audio Sandbox—why?
- I have a 64 bit version of Windows Vista and the current download does not work on my machine—is there a 64 bit version?
- After I installed the SRS Audio Sandbox, my keyboard volume control does not work properly?
- There is no place for me to open a media file for playback.
- How do I restore the default settings?
- Why can't I select some of the same auto-selected rendering modes for my configuration when I'm not in auto-mode?
- The meters are not active during playback, and I don't hear any sound.
- I hear sound, but there doesn't seem to be any effect.
- The SRS Audio Sandbox's meters are only showing stereo at the input, but I am playing a surround DVD.
- When I am in the Sound and Audio Devices control panel, I get an error that I cannot open the direct sound device.
- I hear audio, but it's crackling and/or noisy.
- The audio stutters and/or CPU usage increases dramatically (for Windows XP users and Vista users with Conexant HD Audio)
- My Turtle Beach soundcard is not putting out 5.1 channels of output with the SRS Audio Sanbox. I get an error "Cannot render multi-channel audio since the preferred device does not support more than two channels."
- I see multiple soundcards in the SRS Audio Sanbox preferences, but I have an M-audio soundcard. Which should I choose to properly configure the SRS Audio Sandbox?
- How do I turn off the SRS Audio Sandbox bubble that appears in the taskbar when I open a media player?
- Can I use the SRS Audio Sandbox with other audio-enhancement plug-ins? The sound is poor when I do this.
- I have Windows Vista and get the message "The wizard was interrupted before SRS Audio Sandbox could be completely installed" when I try to install the SRS Audio Sandbox.
- I have a 5.1 surround system, but I am only getting sound from the front left and right speakers with SRS Audio Sandbox. How do I fix this?
- When I try to run the SRS Audio Sandbox, I get the message "The procedure entry point GetAddrInfoW could not be located in the dynamic link library WS2_32.dll"?
- The effect sounds weird or exaggerated.
- Will the SRS Audio Sandbox work with my USB speakers or Bluetooth speakers?
I recently upgraded to Windows 7 and I cannot find my SRS Audio Sandbox software, how do I get my Audio Sandbox software back?
1. What if I previously purchased the SRS Audio Sandbox for Windows XP and want to upgrade to this version?
Please click here to retrieve your specific manual activation key to upgrade. This upgrade is currently provided at no additional charge.
2. After I installed the SRS Audio Sandbox, my system hangs when I try to shut down or restart--why?
There is an SRS Audio Sandbox issue with some SoundMax cards. Please download the latest version of SRS Audio Sandbox (1.5.1) to correct this issue.
3. My mediaplayer won’t play any sound after I recently installed the SRS Audio Sandbox—why?
There is an SRS Audio Sandbox issue with some SoundMax cards. Please download the latest version of SRS Audio Sandbox (1.5.1) to correct this issue.
4. I have a 64 bit version of Windows Vista and the current download does not work on my machine—is there a 64 bit version?
Yes. Click here to download the 64 bit compatible version of Windows Vista.
5. After I installed the SRS Audio Sandbox, my keyboard volume control does not work properly?
There is an SRS Audio Sandbox issue. Please download the latest version of SRS Audio Sandbox (1.5.1) to correct this issue.
6. There is no place for me to open a media file for playback.
The SRS Audio Sandbox doesn't play audio files, it processes files played in other applications. Please see the how it works help topic for more information.
7. How do I restore the default settings?
Right-click on the title of the application and select "Load Default Settings...". You can optionally keep your presets.
8. Why can't I select some of the same auto-selected rendering modes for my configuration when I'm not in auto-mode?
In auto-mode, the rendering technology is selected based on the audio channels during playback as well as speaker configuration and content type. When no audio is preset, the auto detection scheme can't apply a technology until it sees the number of audio channels. As a result, the last used technology during playback is displayed which is not necessarily the one that will be used when audio starts playing according to the specified speaker and content type.
9. The meters are not active during playback, and I don't hear any sound.
Please make sure that your player application is using the default sound card and that the SRS Audio Sandbox is the default device. See the setup topic for more information. The meters are active during playback, but I still don't hear any sound.
Open the preferences dialog and make sure that the SRS Audio Sandbox is using the sound card that is connected to your speakers and headphones. Also refer to the how it works help topic.
Verify that the preferred sound device is not muted. Follow the steps in the setup help topic but choose the preferred device as the default sound card, temporarily. On the "Volume" tab of the Sounds and Audio Devices window, verify that the "Mute" checkbox is unchecked. Then go back and select the SRS Audio Sandbox as the default device. It's probably worth checking that the SRS Audio Sandbox is not muted either.
10. I hear sound, but there doesn't seem to be any effect.
Make sure that the SRS Audio Sandbox is enabled and the default audio device. Check that the application is playing audio using the default audio device. Also, check that the input and output meters are active in the control panel during playback.
11. The SRS Audio Sandbox's meters are only showing stereo at the input, but I am playing a surround DVD.
Make sure that the player supports surround decoding and that the player is configured to play the surround audio track (and not the stereo one). Next check that the speaker configuration of the SRS device is set to "5.1 Surround Speakers".
Note: You may need to stop, close, and reopen your player application after making changes.
When the SRS Audio Sandbox switches to SRS Circle Surround® II decoding, it doesn't provide surround output.
This can happen if one player directly opens the preferred device first in stereo and another player opens the default device (SRS device) later while the first application is still playing. The SRS device cannot change the output stream if another application is directly using the sound card. Also, your sound card must support multi-channel output for SRS Circle Surround II decoding.
To resolve this, stop and exit both applications then first re-open and start the player application that uses the default audio device.
12. When I am in the Sound and Audio Devices control panel, I get an error that I cannot open the direct sound device.
For some host devices if they are currently being played to directly by a player application, the DirectSound interface is not accessible by the SRS Audio Sandbox panel application. Usually what this means is that queries for information about the device such as speaker configuration will fail. The user will also be unable to adjust the speaker arrangement properties of the SRS Audio Sandbox in the Sound and Audio Devices control panel since it uses the same API to accomplish this (Windows XP). The solution is to stop all audio playback on the computer and assign applications to use the default sound card, making the default sound card the SRS Audio Sandbox.
13. I hear audio, but it's crackling and/or noisy.
Check that the problem only occurs when the Audio Sandbox is enabled. If the problem still happens when the SRS Audio Sandbox disabled, you may be clipping your speakers and your overall levels are too high. Start lowering levels until the noise disappears. If the noise persists at low levels, you may need to check your audio cables and connections or update your sound card driver.
Once you've confirmed the problem only happens when the SRS Audio Sandbox is on, try lowering the output volume of the player application until the noise goes away. If you are still experiencing noise or crackling, try lowering the level of the SRS Audio Sandbox volume control. This is controlling the level that is going into your sound card. You can also try lowering the volume for the sound card in the Sound and Audio devices control panel. Yes, there are a lot of volume controls in the audio chain! Lastly, try lowering your speaker volume.
If your soundcard supports processing effects and they are enabled, the accumulation of SRS Audio Sandbox processing along with those effects may cause unwanted distortion. Try adjusting the settings for the sound card's effects.
14. The audio stutters and/or CPU usage increases dramatically (for Windows XP users and Vista users with Conexant HD Audio)
This may happen because your sound card driver is outdated or your computer processor is too slow. Check your system against the SRS Audio Sandbox requirements and compatible soundcards.
If you have a Windows Vista PC with Conexant HD Audio, audio will not process properly unless you are running the SRS Audio Sandbox as a System Administrator of the PC where you are logged in. If you are logged in as a user, you can correct this by closing the SRS Audio Sandbox, then reopening it by right-clicking on the shortcut and choosing the option to Run As and then choosing the Administrator account or account with Administrator priveleges. This will correct the issue.
Sometimes additional memory, ensuring that your hard disk drives are operating in DMA mode, and reducing the hardware acceleration for the device can help improve audio performance. An internet search on "DMA hard drive setup audio", "audio stutter", "audio performance tips XP" can uncover volumes of helpful information on these topics.
15. My Turtle Beach soundcard is not putting out 5.1 channels of output with the SRS Audio Sanbox. I get an error "Cannot render multi-channel audio since the preferred device does not support more than two channels."
Due to the way that Turtle Beach soundcards render mult-channel audio, the SRS Audio Sandbox is currently unable to process multi-channel output for these cards, though it will process stereo output.
16. I see multiple soundcards in the SRS Audio Sanbox preferences, but I have an M-audio soundcard. Which should I choose to properly configure the SRS Audio Sandbox?
M-audio soundcards will show up as multiple soundcards in the SRS Audio Sandbox preferences. Typically, you want to choose the first soundcard that is listed.
17. How do I turn off the SRS Audio Sandbox bubble that appears in the taskbar when I open a media player?
To turn this feature off, open the SRS Audio Sandbox and click on the options button. From there, choose the preferences menu and then uncheck the option “Alert me when popular media players are opened”.
18. Can I use the SRS Audio Sandbox with other audio-enhancement plug-ins? The sound is poor when I do this.
Because of the way that the SRS Audio Sandbox works, you should not have other audio enhancement plug-ins (e.g. Windows Media Player audio enhancement plug-ins, etc.) running while you are using the SRS Audio Sandbox. Make sure that you disable other audio enhancements in your media player before using it with the SRS Audio Sandbox.
19. I have Windows Vista and get the message "The wizard was interrupted before SRS Audio Sandbox could be completely installed" when I try to install the SRS Audio Sandbox.
This is likely because you do not have administrator privileges in Windows Vista to install applications, such as the SRS Audio Sandbox. To correct this, you need to log in with an account that has administrator privileges before installing the SRS Audio Sandbox.
20. I have a 5.1 surround system, but I am only getting sound from the front left and right speakers with SRS Audio Sandbox. How do I fix this?
Check that the speaker configuration of the SRS Audio Sandbox is set to "5.1 Surround Speakers". This should correct the issue, if the SRS Audio Sandbox was set to another configuration.
21. When I try to run the SRS Audio Sandbox, I get the message “The procedure entry point GetAddrInfoW could not be located in the dynamic link library WS2_32.dll”?
The SRS Audio Sandbox requires Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later. You do not have service pack 2 installed.
22. The effect sounds weird or exaggerated.
Some player applications have built-in effects of their own. Try turning off effects in the player application one at a time to see which effect may be incompatible with the SRS rendering process. Also, experiment with the predefined presets provided in the SRS Audio Sandbox to find one that works best with your media.
23. Will the SRS Audio Sandbox work with my USB speakers or Bluetooth speakers?
Yes, the current version, 1.6.6.0 will work. If you have a previous version that is not working with these speakers, please upgrade to this version.
24. I recently upgraded to Windows 7 and I cannot find my SRS Audio Sandbox software, how do I get my Audio Sandbox software back?
When you upgraded to Windows 7, your system did not reinstall the driver for SRS Audio Sandbox. Please reinstall the software from this link: http://downloads.srs-store.com/SRS_Audio_Sandbox.zip
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS