4.0 Sound in Windows - Always Simulated Center?

[The Bright Side]

Hey guys, I just noticed something in Windows. I have the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB sound card, and Windows only gives me the following options for my surround set-up: "2/2.1 Speakers", "5.1 Speakers" and "Headphones". The funny thing is, when I play back 4.0 or 4.1 files in e.g. Foobar2000 or VLC, I always gets a simulated center channel. (or, uh, stereo when I set the output to "2/2.1").

The simulation is decent enough, but I guess if I listen to quad, I want to listen to ... well, quad - not simulated 5.1.

This doesn't bug me, because I am a Ubuntu user and only have Windows for games and those times I want to extract SACD ISOs, convert DVD-A to FLAC, merge FLACs or the like. Foobar2000 and DVDA-Explorer, mostly. If I ever play 4-channel files in Windows, it's to check if a conversion went fine.

For playback in Ubuntu, I can just set my sound output settings to 4.1, and I get wonderful 4-channel sound with a silent center (if I do set it to 5.1, I get the same simulated center as in Windows).

So I'm really just curious. How do you Windows guys out there address this playback issue? Do you just have different cards whose drivers have a 4-channel option?

 

[Q-Eight]

There may be a setting, but where, I haven't a clue.

I have a similar problem. When I first got my PC with it's 5.1 card, I had the option for "Quadraphonic" in the drop down list of setups. Sweet! I thought.
For the first little while it worked fine. Play a stereo track, only the front speakers play. Play a Quad song, and all four spring to life.

And all where happy.

Until....

A dreaded update! Now, stereo plays out of all four, paired left and right when set to Quad, yet it DOESN'T do that if I select 5.1! Not a huge deal, but annoying that settings won't stay the same.

 

[The Bright Side]

I know, right? I really don't mind switching the sound settings in Ubuntu from 5.1 to 4.1 whenever I play a quad disc, as they're easily accessible from the top panel. Just takes 3 mouse clicks. But I really, really hope they won't release an update some time that messes up the setting!