Can I play sound through two devices at the same time?

[MamaBear2017]

I've never encountered this before, but...

We have 5 pet birds in the room next to my home office here. They enjoy music and certain music relaxes them.

So I bought a Creative D80 bluetooth speaker and just hooked it up in there, and linked it to the PC on my desk in the office here. I linked it and tested it and it was fine, but then I found out that the PC's sound was turned off. Ack.

So I right clicked the speaker icon in the Task Bar and clicked Playback Devices. It showed the bluetooth as the default device. So I set the speakers as the default device too. Nope. I have to disable one or the other, to get each one to play.

This is important, folks. These poor little birdies need some music to brighten their day, and I need my PC sound to work too. Isn't there a way to make them both work simultaneously?

 

[fireberd]

Windows only allows one default audio playback device. The may be a 3rd party program that will get around this (don't know but a thought).

 

[MamaBear2017]

I don't care if it's the "Default" player. Is there a way to play MP3 files to the BlueTooth, while playing other system sounds to my PC?
Sounds like "no"?

 

[fireberd]

The short answer is NO. Because of the limitation, you can have the PC sound card as default sound device (so you get PC sound) OR you can have the Bluetooth as default and you will get sound on the Bluetooth device. In Windows XP, SOME PC sound systems would allow two default sound devices but starting with Vista that capability was removed. Windows 10 is the same way, only one.

As I noted there may be a 3rd party application somewhere that will allow both, I haven't researched to see if there is, just something you may want to research.

 

[MamaBear2017]

I found this, so far: CheVolume, Liberate your Audio.

 

[fireberd]

Good job. Looks like that will do what you want. I didn't look at it in depth but from the screens and description on the home page it looks like it will do it.

 

[MamaBear2017]

Thanks! Will let you know...

 

[MamaBear2017]

Well those two things didn't do it, but yesterday I actually found something that did! I was searching for something on YouTube and came across this! So this is my post to one of the bird forums I'm a member of. This procedure is slightly convoluted but actually worked! :

I'm posting this because the video below actually showed me how to play music on my PC at the same time as playing it to the wireless bluetooth speakers in the bird room! I was just listening to Bangles - Mickey, which is Lucy's favorite song ( she sings "Hey Mickey you're so fine"! ) at the same time as listening to it in my office on my PC! Yeah! Hey Mickey!

Thank you! I could never get my PC speakers to play at the same time as my remote bluetooth speakers in the bird room with our parrots! Now it does!

Use 2 Audio Outputs at the Same Time with Windows - YouTube

This solution worked for me! Thanks all who tried, anyway.

 

[fireberd]

From the comments it looks like this works for some and not for others.

 

[MamaBear2017]

From the comments it looks like this works for some and not for others.

It's a little convoluted, so some people may not be doing it correctly? I had to mess with it.