diff --git a/plugins/spu2-x/src/PS2E-spu2.cpp b/plugins/spu2-x/src/PS2E-spu2.cpp
index 10b2006c1b..d7432b1f1e 100644
--- a/plugins/spu2-x/src/PS2E-spu2.cpp
+++ b/plugins/spu2-x/src/PS2E-spu2.cpp
@@ -160,6 +160,20 @@ EXPORT_C_(s32) SPU2test()
 {
 	if( !CheckSSE() ) return -1;
 
+#ifdef _WIN32
+	if (IsWindows8OrGreater())
+	{
+		for (int n = 0; mods[n] != nullptr; ++n)
+		{
+			if (mods[n] == XAudio2_27_Out)
+			{
+				mods[n] = XAudio2Out;
+				break;
+			}
+		}
+	}
+#endif
+
 	ReadSettings();
 	if( SndBuffer::Test() != 0 )
 	{
diff --git a/plugins/spu2-x/src/SndOut.cpp b/plugins/spu2-x/src/SndOut.cpp
index 34812fc90b..2359db0487 100644
--- a/plugins/spu2-x/src/SndOut.cpp
+++ b/plugins/spu2-x/src/SndOut.cpp
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ SndOutModule* mods[]=
 {
 	&NullOut,
 #ifdef _MSC_VER
-	XAudio2Out,
+	XAudio2_27_Out,
 	DSoundOut,
 	WaveOut,
 #endif
diff --git a/plugins/spu2-x/src/SndOut.h b/plugins/spu2-x/src/SndOut.h
index 520e08572b..8cfab252b9 100644
--- a/plugins/spu2-x/src/SndOut.h
+++ b/plugins/spu2-x/src/SndOut.h
@@ -670,6 +670,7 @@ public:
 //internal
 extern SndOutModule* WaveOut;
 extern SndOutModule* DSoundOut;
+extern SndOutModule* XAudio2_27_Out;
 extern SndOutModule* XAudio2Out;
 #endif
 extern SndOutModule* PortaudioOut;
diff --git a/plugins/spu2-x/src/Spu2replay.cpp b/plugins/spu2-x/src/Spu2replay.cpp
index 5a059e7bcc..2558ab05c8 100644
--- a/plugins/spu2-x/src/Spu2replay.cpp
+++ b/plugins/spu2-x/src/Spu2replay.cpp
@@ -225,6 +225,18 @@ EXPORT_C_(void) s2r_replay(HWND hwnd, HINSTANCE hinst, LPSTR filename, int nCmdS
 	
 	conprintf("Playing %s file on %x...",filename,hwnd);
 
+	if (IsWindows8OrGreater())
+	{
+		for (int n = 0; mods[n] != nullptr; ++n)
+		{
+			if (mods[n] == XAudio2_27_Out)
+			{
+				mods[n] = XAudio2Out;
+				break;
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 #endif
 
 	// load file
diff --git a/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/Config.cpp b/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/Config.cpp
index 8434e11900..c7d4f2cbd8 100644
--- a/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/Config.cpp
+++ b/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/Config.cpp
@@ -82,20 +82,6 @@ int numSpeakers = 0;
 int dplLevel = 0;
 
 /*****************************************************************************/
-BOOL IsVistaOrGreater2() // workaround for XP toolset missing VersionHelpers.h 
-{
-	OSVERSIONINFOEX osvi;
-	DWORDLONG dwlConditionMask = 0;
-	int op = VER_GREATER_EQUAL;
-
-	ZeroMemory(&osvi, sizeof(OSVERSIONINFOEX));
-	osvi.dwOSVersionInfoSize = sizeof(OSVERSIONINFOEX);
-	osvi.dwMajorVersion = 6;
-
-	VER_SET_CONDITION(dwlConditionMask, VER_MAJORVERSION, op);
-
-	return VerifyVersionInfo(&osvi, VER_MAJORVERSION, dwlConditionMask);
-}
 
 void ReadSettings()
 {
@@ -140,12 +126,11 @@ void ReadSettings()
 	// portaudio occasionally has issues selecting the proper default audio device.
 	// let's use xaudio2 until this is sorted (rama)
 
-//	if ( IsVistaOrGreater2() ) {		// XA2 for WinXP, morder modern gets Portaudio
-//		CfgReadStr(L"OUTPUT", L"Output_Module", omodid, 127, PortaudioOut->GetIdent());
-//	}
-//	else {
+//	CfgReadStr(L"OUTPUT", L"Output_Module", omodid, 127, PortaudioOut->GetIdent());
+	if (IsWindows8OrGreater())
 		CfgReadStr(L"OUTPUT", L"Output_Module", omodid, 127, XAudio2Out->GetIdent());
-//	}
+	else
+		CfgReadStr(L"OUTPUT", L"Output_Module", omodid, 127, XAudio2_27_Out->GetIdent());
 
 	// find the driver index of this module:
 	OutputModule = FindOutputModuleById( omodid );
diff --git a/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/SndOut_XAudio2.cpp b/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/SndOut_XAudio2.cpp
index 58928eee28..523cac20a7 100644
--- a/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/SndOut_XAudio2.cpp
+++ b/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/SndOut_XAudio2.cpp
@@ -17,26 +17,26 @@
 
 #include "Global.h"
 
-#define _WIN32_DCOM
 #include "Dialogs.h"
-
-#include <xaudio2.h>
 #include <atlcomcli.h>
 
+#undef _WIN32_WINNT
+#define _WIN32_WINNT 0x0602
+#include <xaudio2.h>
+
 namespace Exception
 {
 	class XAudio2Error : public std::runtime_error
 	{
 	protected:
-		static const char* SomeKindaErrorString( HRESULT hr )
+		static const char* SomeKindaErrorString(HRESULT hr)
 		{
-			switch( hr )
-			{
-				case XAUDIO2_E_INVALID_CALL:
-					return "Invalid call for the XA2 object state.";
+			switch (hr) {
+			case XAUDIO2_E_INVALID_CALL:
+				return "Invalid call for the XA2 object state.";
 
-				case XAUDIO2_E_DEVICE_INVALIDATED:
-					return "Device is unavailable, unplugged, unsupported, or has been consumed by The Nothing.";
+			case XAUDIO2_E_DEVICE_INVALIDATED:
+				return "Device is unavailable, unplugged, unsupported, or has been consumed by The Nothing.";
 			}
 			return "Unknown error code!";
 		}
@@ -51,21 +51,21 @@ namespace Exception
 		}
 
 		virtual ~XAudio2Error() throw() {}
-		XAudio2Error( const HRESULT result, const std::string& msg ) :
-			runtime_error( msg ),
-			ErrorCode( result ),
+		XAudio2Error(const HRESULT result, const std::string& msg) :
+			runtime_error(msg),
+			ErrorCode(result),
 			m_Message()
 		{
 			char omg[1024];
-			sprintf_s( omg, "%s (code 0x%x)\n\n%s", what(), ErrorCode, SomeKindaErrorString( ErrorCode ) );
+			sprintf_s(omg, "%s (code 0x%x)\n\n%s", what(), ErrorCode, SomeKindaErrorString(ErrorCode));
 			m_Message = omg;
 		}
 	};
 }
 
-static const double SndOutNormalizer = (double)(1UL<<(SndOutVolumeShift+16));
+static const double SndOutNormalizer = (double)(1UL << (SndOutVolumeShift + 16));
 
-class XAudio2Mod: public SndOutModule
+class XAudio2Mod : public SndOutModule
 {
 private:
 	static const int PacketsPerBuffer = 8;
@@ -88,91 +88,89 @@ private:
 		int GetEmptySampleCount()
 		{
 			XAUDIO2_VOICE_STATE state;
-			pSourceVoice->GetState( &state );
-			return state.SamplesPlayed & (m_BufferSize-1);
+			pSourceVoice->GetState(&state);
+			return state.SamplesPlayed & (m_BufferSize - 1);
 		}
 
 		virtual ~BaseStreamingVoice()
 		{
 		}
 
-		BaseStreamingVoice( uint numChannels ) :
-			m_nBuffers( Config_XAudio2.NumBuffers ),
-			m_nChannels( numChannels ),
-			m_BufferSize( SndOutPacketSize * m_nChannels * PacketsPerBuffer ),
-			m_BufferSizeBytes( m_BufferSize * sizeof(s16) )
+		BaseStreamingVoice(uint numChannels) :
+			m_nBuffers(Config_XAudio2.NumBuffers),
+			m_nChannels(numChannels),
+			m_BufferSize(SndOutPacketSize * m_nChannels * PacketsPerBuffer),
+			m_BufferSizeBytes(m_BufferSize * sizeof(s16))
 		{
 		}
 
-		virtual void Init( IXAudio2* pXAudio2 ) = 0;
+		virtual void Init(IXAudio2* pXAudio2) = 0;
 
 	protected:
 		// Several things must be initialized separate of the constructor, due to the fact that
 		// virtual calls can't be made from the constructor's context.
-		void _init( IXAudio2* pXAudio2, uint chanConfig )
+		void _init(IXAudio2* pXAudio2, uint chanConfig)
 		{
 			WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE wfx;
 
 			memset(&wfx, 0, sizeof(WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE));
-			wfx.Format.wFormatTag		= WAVE_FORMAT_EXTENSIBLE;
-			wfx.Format.nSamplesPerSec	= SampleRate;
-			wfx.Format.nChannels		= m_nChannels;
-			wfx.Format.wBitsPerSample	= 16;
-			wfx.Format.nBlockAlign		= wfx.Format.nChannels*wfx.Format.wBitsPerSample/8;
-			wfx.Format.nAvgBytesPerSec	= SampleRate * wfx.Format.nBlockAlign;
-			wfx.Format.cbSize			= sizeof(WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE)-sizeof(WAVEFORMATEX);
+			wfx.Format.wFormatTag = WAVE_FORMAT_EXTENSIBLE;
+			wfx.Format.nSamplesPerSec = SampleRate;
+			wfx.Format.nChannels = m_nChannels;
+			wfx.Format.wBitsPerSample = 16;
+			wfx.Format.nBlockAlign = wfx.Format.nChannels * wfx.Format.wBitsPerSample / 8;
+			wfx.Format.nAvgBytesPerSec = SampleRate * wfx.Format.nBlockAlign;
+			wfx.Format.cbSize = sizeof(WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE) - sizeof(WAVEFORMATEX);
 			wfx.Samples.wValidBitsPerSample = 16;
-			wfx.dwChannelMask			= chanConfig;
-			wfx.SubFormat				= KSDATAFORMAT_SUBTYPE_PCM;
+			wfx.dwChannelMask = chanConfig;
+			wfx.SubFormat = KSDATAFORMAT_SUBTYPE_PCM;
 
 			//
 			// Create an XAudio2 voice to stream this wave
 			//
 			HRESULT hr;
-			if( FAILED(hr = pXAudio2->CreateSourceVoice( &pSourceVoice, (WAVEFORMATEX*)&wfx,
-				XAUDIO2_VOICE_NOSRC, 1.0f, this ) ) )
-			{
-				throw Exception::XAudio2Error( hr, "XAudio2 CreateSourceVoice failure." );
+			if (FAILED(hr = pXAudio2->CreateSourceVoice(&pSourceVoice, (WAVEFORMATEX*)&wfx,
+				XAUDIO2_VOICE_NOSRC, 1.0f, this))) {
+				throw Exception::XAudio2Error(hr, "XAudio2 CreateSourceVoice failure.");
 			}
 
-			InitializeCriticalSection( &cs );
-			EnterCriticalSection( &cs );
+			InitializeCriticalSection(&cs);
+			EnterCriticalSection(&cs);
 
 			pSourceVoice->FlushSourceBuffers();
-			pSourceVoice->Start( 0, 0 );
+			pSourceVoice->Start(0, 0);
 
 			qbuffer = new s16[m_nBuffers * m_BufferSize];
-			ZeroMemory( qbuffer, m_BufferSizeBytes * m_nBuffers );
+			ZeroMemory(qbuffer, m_BufferSizeBytes * m_nBuffers);
 
 			// Start some buffers.
 
-			for( uint i=0; i<m_nBuffers; i++ )
-			{
-				XAUDIO2_BUFFER buf = {0};
+			for (uint i = 0; i < m_nBuffers; i++) {
+				XAUDIO2_BUFFER buf = { 0 };
 				buf.AudioBytes = m_BufferSizeBytes;
-				buf.pContext   = &qbuffer[i*m_BufferSize];
+				buf.pContext = &qbuffer[i*m_BufferSize];
 				buf.pAudioData = (BYTE*)buf.pContext;
-				pSourceVoice->SubmitSourceBuffer( &buf );
+				pSourceVoice->SubmitSourceBuffer(&buf);
 			}
 
-			LeaveCriticalSection( &cs );
+			LeaveCriticalSection(&cs);
 		}
 
 		STDMETHOD_(void, OnVoiceProcessingPassStart) () {}
-		STDMETHOD_(void, OnVoiceProcessingPassStart) (UINT32) { };
+		STDMETHOD_(void, OnVoiceProcessingPassStart) (UINT32) {}
 		STDMETHOD_(void, OnVoiceProcessingPassEnd) () {}
 		STDMETHOD_(void, OnStreamEnd) () {}
-		STDMETHOD_(void, OnBufferStart) ( void* ) {}
-		STDMETHOD_(void, OnLoopEnd) ( void* ) {}
-		STDMETHOD_(void, OnVoiceError) (THIS_ void* pBufferContext, HRESULT Error) { };
+		STDMETHOD_(void, OnBufferStart) (void*) {}
+		STDMETHOD_(void, OnLoopEnd) (void*) {}
+		STDMETHOD_(void, OnVoiceError) (THIS_ void* pBufferContext, HRESULT Error) {}
 	};
 
 	template< typename T >
 	class StreamingVoice : public BaseStreamingVoice
 	{
 	public:
-		StreamingVoice( IXAudio2* pXAudio2 ) :
-			BaseStreamingVoice( sizeof(T) / sizeof( s16 ) )
+		StreamingVoice(IXAudio2* pXAudio2) :
+			BaseStreamingVoice(sizeof(T) / sizeof(s16))
 		{
 		}
 
@@ -183,58 +181,56 @@ private:
 			killMe->FlushSourceBuffers();
 			killMe->DestroyVoice();
 
-			EnterCriticalSection( &cs );
-			safe_delete_array( qbuffer );
-			LeaveCriticalSection( &cs );
-			DeleteCriticalSection( &cs );
+			EnterCriticalSection(&cs);
+			safe_delete_array(qbuffer);
+			LeaveCriticalSection(&cs);
+			DeleteCriticalSection(&cs);
 		}
 
-		void Init( IXAudio2* pXAudio2 )
+		void Init(IXAudio2* pXAudio2)
 		{
 			int chanMask = 0;
-			switch(m_nChannels)
-			{
-				case 1: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_CENTER; break;
-				case 2: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT; break;
-				case 3: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT | SPEAKER_LOW_FREQUENCY; break;
-				case 4: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT | SPEAKER_BACK_LEFT | SPEAKER_BACK_RIGHT; break;
-				case 5: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT | SPEAKER_FRONT_CENTER | SPEAKER_BACK_LEFT | SPEAKER_BACK_RIGHT; break;
-				case 6: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT | SPEAKER_FRONT_CENTER | SPEAKER_BACK_LEFT | SPEAKER_BACK_RIGHT | SPEAKER_LOW_FREQUENCY; break;
-				case 8: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT | SPEAKER_FRONT_CENTER | SPEAKER_BACK_LEFT | SPEAKER_BACK_RIGHT | SPEAKER_SIDE_LEFT | SPEAKER_SIDE_RIGHT | SPEAKER_LOW_FREQUENCY; break;
+			switch (m_nChannels) {
+			case 1: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_CENTER; break;
+			case 2: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT; break;
+			case 3: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT | SPEAKER_LOW_FREQUENCY; break;
+			case 4: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT | SPEAKER_BACK_LEFT | SPEAKER_BACK_RIGHT; break;
+			case 5: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT | SPEAKER_FRONT_CENTER | SPEAKER_BACK_LEFT | SPEAKER_BACK_RIGHT; break;
+			case 6: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT | SPEAKER_FRONT_CENTER | SPEAKER_BACK_LEFT | SPEAKER_BACK_RIGHT | SPEAKER_LOW_FREQUENCY; break;
+			case 8: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT | SPEAKER_FRONT_CENTER | SPEAKER_BACK_LEFT | SPEAKER_BACK_RIGHT | SPEAKER_SIDE_LEFT | SPEAKER_SIDE_RIGHT | SPEAKER_LOW_FREQUENCY; break;
 			}
-			_init( pXAudio2, chanMask );
+			_init(pXAudio2, chanMask);
 		}
 
 	protected:
-		STDMETHOD_(void, OnBufferEnd) ( void* context )
+		STDMETHOD_(void, OnBufferEnd) (void* context)
 		{
-			EnterCriticalSection( &cs );
+			EnterCriticalSection(&cs);
 
 			// All of these checks are necessary because XAudio2 is wonky shizat.
-			if( pSourceVoice == NULL || context == NULL )
-			{
-				LeaveCriticalSection( &cs );
+			if (pSourceVoice == NULL || context == NULL) {
+				LeaveCriticalSection(&cs);
 				return;
 			}
 
 			T* qb = (T*)context;
 
-			for(int p=0; p<PacketsPerBuffer; p++, qb+=SndOutPacketSize )
-				SndBuffer::ReadSamples( qb );
+			for (int p = 0; p < PacketsPerBuffer; p++, qb += SndOutPacketSize)
+				SndBuffer::ReadSamples(qb);
 
-			XAUDIO2_BUFFER buf = {0};
-			buf.AudioBytes	= m_BufferSizeBytes;
-			buf.pAudioData	= (BYTE*)context;
-			buf.pContext	= context;
+			XAUDIO2_BUFFER buf = { 0 };
+			buf.AudioBytes = m_BufferSizeBytes;
+			buf.pAudioData = (BYTE*)context;
+			buf.pContext = context;
 
-			pSourceVoice->SubmitSourceBuffer( &buf );
-			LeaveCriticalSection( &cs );
+			pSourceVoice->SubmitSourceBuffer(&buf);
+			LeaveCriticalSection(&cs);
 		}
 
 	};
-#if _WIN32_WINNT < 0x602
+
 	HMODULE xAudio2DLL;
-#endif
+	decltype(&XAudio2Create) pXAudio2Create;
 	CComPtr<IXAudio2> pXAudio2;
 	IXAudio2MasteringVoice* pMasteringVoice;
 	BaseStreamingVoice* voiceContext;
@@ -245,124 +241,96 @@ public:
 	{
 		HRESULT hr;
 
-		jASSUME( pXAudio2 == NULL );
-#if _WIN32_WINNT < 0x602
-		// On some systems XAudio2.7 can unload itself and cause PCSX2 to crash.
-		// Maintain an extra library reference so it can't do so. Does not
-		// affect XAudio 2.8+, but that's Win8+. See
-		// http://blogs.msdn.com/b/chuckw/archive/2015/10/09/known-issues-xaudio-2-7.aspx
-#ifdef _DEBUG
-		xAudio2DLL = LoadLibrary(L"XAudioD2_7.dll");
-#else
-		xAudio2DLL = LoadLibrary(L"XAudio2_7.dll");
-#endif
-#endif
+		jASSUME(pXAudio2 == NULL);
+
+		xAudio2DLL = LoadLibraryEx(XAUDIO2_DLL, nullptr, LOAD_LIBRARY_SEARCH_SYSTEM32);
+		if (xAudio2DLL == nullptr)
+			throw std::runtime_error("Could not load " XAUDIO2_DLL_A ". Error code:" + std::to_string(GetLastError()));
+
+		pXAudio2Create = reinterpret_cast<decltype(&XAudio2Create)>(GetProcAddress(xAudio2DLL, "XAudio2Create"));
+		if (pXAudio2Create == nullptr)
+			throw std::runtime_error("XAudio2Create not found. Error code: " + std::to_string(GetLastError()));
 
 		//
 		// Initialize XAudio2
 		//
-		CoInitializeEx( NULL, COINIT_MULTITHREADED );
+		CoInitializeEx(NULL, COINIT_MULTITHREADED);
 
-		UINT32 flags = 0;
-#if _WIN32_WINNT < 0x602
-		if( IsDebugBuild )
-			flags |= XAUDIO2_DEBUG_ENGINE;
-#endif
-
-		try
-		{
-			if ( FAILED(hr = XAudio2Create( &pXAudio2, flags ) ) )
-				throw Exception::XAudio2Error( hr,
-					"Failed to init XAudio2 engine.  XA2 may not be available on your system.\n"
-					"Ensure that you have the latest DirectX runtimes installed, or use \n"
-					"DirectX / WaveOut drivers instead.  Error Details:"
-				);
-#if _WIN32_WINNT < 0x602
-			XAUDIO2_DEVICE_DETAILS deviceDetails;
-			pXAudio2->GetDeviceDetails( 0, &deviceDetails );
-#endif
+		try {
+			if (FAILED(hr = pXAudio2Create(&pXAudio2, 0, XAUDIO2_DEFAULT_PROCESSOR)))
+				throw Exception::XAudio2Error(hr, "Failed to init XAudio2 engine. Error Details:");
 
 			// Stereo Expansion was planned to grab the currently configured number of
 			// Speakers from Windows's audio config.
 			// This doesn't always work though, so let it be a user configurable option.
 
-			int speakers;		
-			switch(numSpeakers) // speakers = (numSpeakers + 1) *2; ?
+			int speakers;
+			switch (numSpeakers) // speakers = (numSpeakers + 1) *2; ?
 			{
-				case 0: speakers = 2; break; // Stereo
-				case 1: speakers = 4; break; // Quadrafonic
-				case 2: speakers = 6; break; // Surround 5.1
-				case 3: speakers = 8; break; // Surround 7.1
-				default: speakers = 2;
+			case 0: speakers = 2; break; // Stereo
+			case 1: speakers = 4; break; // Quadrafonic
+			case 2: speakers = 6; break; // Surround 5.1
+			case 3: speakers = 8; break; // Surround 7.1
+			default: speakers = 2;
 			}
 
-#if _WIN32_WINNT < 0x602
-			// Any windows driver should support stereo at the software level, I should think!
-			jASSUME( deviceDetails.OutputFormat.Format.nChannels > 1 );
-#endif
-
 			//
 			// Create a mastering voice
 			//
-			if ( FAILED(hr = pXAudio2->CreateMasteringVoice( &pMasteringVoice, speakers, SampleRate ) ) )
-			{
-				SysMessage( "Failed creating mastering voice: %#X\n", hr );
+			if (FAILED(hr = pXAudio2->CreateMasteringVoice(&pMasteringVoice, speakers, SampleRate))) {
+				SysMessage("Failed creating mastering voice: %#X\n", hr);
 				CoUninitialize();
 				return -1;
 			}
 
-			switch( speakers )
-			{
+			switch (speakers) {
+			case 2:
+				ConLog("* SPU2 > Using normal 2 speaker stereo output.\n");
+				voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<StereoOut16>(pXAudio2);
+				break;
+
+			case 3:
+				ConLog("* SPU2 > 2.1 speaker expansion enabled.\n");
+				voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo21Out16>(pXAudio2);
+				break;
+
+			case 4:
+				ConLog("* SPU2 > 4 speaker expansion enabled [quadraphenia]\n");
+				voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo40Out16>(pXAudio2);
+				break;
+
+			case 5:
+				ConLog("* SPU2 > 4.1 speaker expansion enabled.\n");
+				voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo41Out16>(pXAudio2);
+				break;
+
+			case 6:
+			case 7:
+				switch (dplLevel) {
+				case 0:
+					ConLog("* SPU2 > 5.1 speaker expansion enabled.\n");
+					voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo51Out16>(pXAudio2);   //"normal" stereo upmix
+					break;
+				case 1:
+					ConLog("* SPU2 > 5.1 speaker expansion with basic ProLogic dematrixing enabled.\n");
+					voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo51Out16Dpl>(pXAudio2); // basic Dpl decoder without rear stereo balancing
+					break;
 				case 2:
-					ConLog( "* SPU2 > Using normal 2 speaker stereo output.\n" );
-					voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<StereoOut16>( pXAudio2 );
+					ConLog("* SPU2 > 5.1 speaker expansion with experimental ProLogicII dematrixing enabled.\n");
+					voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo51Out16DplII>(pXAudio2); //gigas PLII
+					break;
+				}
 				break;
 
-				case 3:
-					ConLog( "* SPU2 > 2.1 speaker expansion enabled.\n" );
-					voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo21Out16>( pXAudio2 );
-				break;
-
-				case 4:
-					ConLog( "* SPU2 > 4 speaker expansion enabled [quadraphenia]\n" );
-					voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo40Out16>( pXAudio2 );
-				break;
-
-				case 5:
-					ConLog( "* SPU2 > 4.1 speaker expansion enabled.\n" );
-					voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo41Out16>( pXAudio2 );
-				break;
-
-				case 6:
-				case 7:
-					switch(dplLevel)
-					{
-					case 0:
-						ConLog( "* SPU2 > 5.1 speaker expansion enabled.\n" );
-						voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo51Out16>( pXAudio2 );   //"normal" stereo upmix
-						break;
-					case 1:
-						ConLog( "* SPU2 > 5.1 speaker expansion with basic ProLogic dematrixing enabled.\n" );
-						voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo51Out16Dpl>( pXAudio2 ); // basic Dpl decoder without rear stereo balancing
-						break;
-					case 2:
-						ConLog( "* SPU2 > 5.1 speaker expansion with experimental ProLogicII dematrixing enabled.\n" );
-						voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo51Out16DplII>( pXAudio2 ); //gigas PLII
-						break;
-					}
-				break;
-
-				default:	// anything 8 or more gets the 7.1 treatment!
-					ConLog( "* SPU2 > 7.1 speaker expansion enabled.\n" );
-					voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo51Out16>( pXAudio2 );
+			default:	// anything 8 or more gets the 7.1 treatment!
+				ConLog("* SPU2 > 7.1 speaker expansion enabled.\n");
+				voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo51Out16>(pXAudio2);
 				break;
 			}
 
-			voiceContext->Init( pXAudio2 );
-		}
-		catch( Exception::XAudio2Error& ex )
-		{
-			SysMessage( ex.CMessage() );
+			voiceContext->Init(pXAudio2);
+		} catch (Exception::XAudio2Error& ex) {
+			SysMessage(ex.CMessage());
 			pXAudio2.Release();
 			CoUninitialize();
 			return -1;
@@ -373,20 +341,11 @@ public:
 
 	void Close()
 	{
-		// Clean up?
-		// All XAudio2 interfaces are released when the engine is destroyed,
-		// but being tidy never hurt.
-
-		// Actually it can hurt.  As of DXSDK Aug 2008, doing a full cleanup causes
-		// XA2 on Vista to crash.  Even if you copy/paste code directly from Microsoft.
-		// But doing no cleanup at all causes XA2 under XP to crash.  So after much trial
-		// and error we found a happy compromise as follows:
-
-		safe_delete( voiceContext );
+		safe_delete(voiceContext);
 
 		voiceContext = NULL;
 
-		if( pMasteringVoice != NULL )
+		if (pMasteringVoice != NULL)
 			pMasteringVoice->DestroyVoice();
 
 		pMasteringVoice = NULL;
@@ -394,18 +353,17 @@ public:
 		pXAudio2.Release();
 		CoUninitialize();
 
-#if _WIN32_WINNT < 0x602
 		if (xAudio2DLL) {
 			FreeLibrary(xAudio2DLL);
 			xAudio2DLL = nullptr;
+			pXAudio2Create = nullptr;
 		}
-#endif
 	}
 
 	virtual void Configure(uptr parent)
 	{
 	}
-	
+
 	s32  Test() const
 	{
 		return 0;
@@ -413,7 +371,7 @@ public:
 
 	int GetEmptySampleCount()
 	{
-		if( voiceContext == NULL ) return 0;
+		if (voiceContext == NULL) return 0;
 		return voiceContext->GetEmptySampleCount();
 	}
 
diff --git a/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/SndOut_XAudio2_27.cpp b/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/SndOut_XAudio2_27.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ba39334128
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/SndOut_XAudio2_27.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,434 @@
+/* SPU2-X, A plugin for Emulating the Sound Processing Unit of the Playstation 2
+ * Developed and maintained by the Pcsx2 Development Team.
+ *
+ * Original portions from SPU2ghz are (c) 2008 by David Quintana [gigaherz]
+ *
+ * SPU2-X is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms
+ * of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Found-
+ * ation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * SPU2-X is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY;
+ * without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
+ * PURPOSE.  See the GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * along with SPU2-X.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+#include "Global.h"
+
+#include "Dialogs.h"
+
+#include <xaudio2.h>
+#include <atlcomcli.h>
+
+namespace Exception
+{
+	class XAudio2_27Error : public std::runtime_error
+	{
+	protected:
+		static const char* SomeKindaErrorString( HRESULT hr )
+		{
+			switch( hr )
+			{
+				case XAUDIO2_E_INVALID_CALL:
+					return "Invalid call for the XA2 object state.";
+
+				case XAUDIO2_E_DEVICE_INVALIDATED:
+					return "Device is unavailable, unplugged, unsupported, or has been consumed by The Nothing.";
+			}
+			return "Unknown error code!";
+		}
+
+	public:
+		const HRESULT ErrorCode;
+		std::string m_Message;
+
+		const char* CMessage() const
+		{
+			return m_Message.c_str();
+		}
+
+		virtual ~XAudio2_27Error() throw() {}
+		XAudio2_27Error( const HRESULT result, const std::string& msg ) :
+			runtime_error( msg ),
+			ErrorCode( result ),
+			m_Message()
+		{
+			char omg[1024];
+			sprintf_s( omg, "%s (code 0x%x)\n\n%s", what(), ErrorCode, SomeKindaErrorString( ErrorCode ) );
+			m_Message = omg;
+		}
+	};
+}
+
+static const double SndOutNormalizer = (double)(1UL<<(SndOutVolumeShift+16));
+
+class XAudio2_27_Mod: public SndOutModule
+{
+private:
+	static const int PacketsPerBuffer = 8;
+	static const int MAX_BUFFER_COUNT = 3;
+
+	class BaseStreamingVoice : public IXAudio2VoiceCallback
+	{
+	protected:
+		IXAudio2SourceVoice* pSourceVoice;
+		s16* qbuffer;
+
+		const uint m_nBuffers;
+		const uint m_nChannels;
+		const uint m_BufferSize;
+		const uint m_BufferSizeBytes;
+
+		CRITICAL_SECTION cs;
+
+	public:
+		int GetEmptySampleCount()
+		{
+			XAUDIO2_VOICE_STATE state;
+			pSourceVoice->GetState( &state );
+			return state.SamplesPlayed & (m_BufferSize-1);
+		}
+
+		virtual ~BaseStreamingVoice()
+		{
+		}
+
+		BaseStreamingVoice( uint numChannels ) :
+			m_nBuffers( Config_XAudio2.NumBuffers ),
+			m_nChannels( numChannels ),
+			m_BufferSize( SndOutPacketSize * m_nChannels * PacketsPerBuffer ),
+			m_BufferSizeBytes( m_BufferSize * sizeof(s16) )
+		{
+		}
+
+		virtual void Init( IXAudio2* pXAudio2 ) = 0;
+
+	protected:
+		// Several things must be initialized separate of the constructor, due to the fact that
+		// virtual calls can't be made from the constructor's context.
+		void _init( IXAudio2* pXAudio2, uint chanConfig )
+		{
+			WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE wfx;
+
+			memset(&wfx, 0, sizeof(WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE));
+			wfx.Format.wFormatTag		= WAVE_FORMAT_EXTENSIBLE;
+			wfx.Format.nSamplesPerSec	= SampleRate;
+			wfx.Format.nChannels		= m_nChannels;
+			wfx.Format.wBitsPerSample	= 16;
+			wfx.Format.nBlockAlign		= wfx.Format.nChannels*wfx.Format.wBitsPerSample/8;
+			wfx.Format.nAvgBytesPerSec	= SampleRate * wfx.Format.nBlockAlign;
+			wfx.Format.cbSize			= sizeof(WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE)-sizeof(WAVEFORMATEX);
+			wfx.Samples.wValidBitsPerSample = 16;
+			wfx.dwChannelMask			= chanConfig;
+			wfx.SubFormat				= KSDATAFORMAT_SUBTYPE_PCM;
+
+			//
+			// Create an XAudio2 voice to stream this wave
+			//
+			HRESULT hr;
+			if( FAILED(hr = pXAudio2->CreateSourceVoice( &pSourceVoice, (WAVEFORMATEX*)&wfx,
+				XAUDIO2_VOICE_NOSRC, 1.0f, this ) ) )
+			{
+				throw Exception::XAudio2_27Error( hr, "XAudio2 CreateSourceVoice failure." );
+			}
+
+			InitializeCriticalSection( &cs );
+			EnterCriticalSection( &cs );
+
+			pSourceVoice->FlushSourceBuffers();
+			pSourceVoice->Start( 0, 0 );
+
+			qbuffer = new s16[m_nBuffers * m_BufferSize];
+			ZeroMemory( qbuffer, m_BufferSizeBytes * m_nBuffers );
+
+			// Start some buffers.
+
+			for( uint i=0; i<m_nBuffers; i++ )
+			{
+				XAUDIO2_BUFFER buf = {0};
+				buf.AudioBytes = m_BufferSizeBytes;
+				buf.pContext   = &qbuffer[i*m_BufferSize];
+				buf.pAudioData = (BYTE*)buf.pContext;
+				pSourceVoice->SubmitSourceBuffer( &buf );
+			}
+
+			LeaveCriticalSection( &cs );
+		}
+
+		STDMETHOD_(void, OnVoiceProcessingPassStart) () {}
+		STDMETHOD_(void, OnVoiceProcessingPassStart) (UINT32) { };
+		STDMETHOD_(void, OnVoiceProcessingPassEnd) () {}
+		STDMETHOD_(void, OnStreamEnd) () {}
+		STDMETHOD_(void, OnBufferStart) ( void* ) {}
+		STDMETHOD_(void, OnLoopEnd) ( void* ) {}
+		STDMETHOD_(void, OnVoiceError) (THIS_ void* pBufferContext, HRESULT Error) { };
+	};
+
+	template< typename T >
+	class StreamingVoice : public BaseStreamingVoice
+	{
+	public:
+		StreamingVoice( IXAudio2* pXAudio2 ) :
+			BaseStreamingVoice( sizeof(T) / sizeof( s16 ) )
+		{
+		}
+
+		virtual ~StreamingVoice()
+		{
+			IXAudio2SourceVoice* killMe = pSourceVoice;
+			pSourceVoice = NULL;
+			killMe->FlushSourceBuffers();
+			killMe->DestroyVoice();
+
+			EnterCriticalSection( &cs );
+			safe_delete_array( qbuffer );
+			LeaveCriticalSection( &cs );
+			DeleteCriticalSection( &cs );
+		}
+
+		void Init( IXAudio2* pXAudio2 )
+		{
+			int chanMask = 0;
+			switch(m_nChannels)
+			{
+				case 1: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_CENTER; break;
+				case 2: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT; break;
+				case 3: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT | SPEAKER_LOW_FREQUENCY; break;
+				case 4: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT | SPEAKER_BACK_LEFT | SPEAKER_BACK_RIGHT; break;
+				case 5: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT | SPEAKER_FRONT_CENTER | SPEAKER_BACK_LEFT | SPEAKER_BACK_RIGHT; break;
+				case 6: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT | SPEAKER_FRONT_CENTER | SPEAKER_BACK_LEFT | SPEAKER_BACK_RIGHT | SPEAKER_LOW_FREQUENCY; break;
+				case 8: chanMask |= SPEAKER_FRONT_LEFT | SPEAKER_FRONT_RIGHT | SPEAKER_FRONT_CENTER | SPEAKER_BACK_LEFT | SPEAKER_BACK_RIGHT | SPEAKER_SIDE_LEFT | SPEAKER_SIDE_RIGHT | SPEAKER_LOW_FREQUENCY; break;
+			}
+			_init( pXAudio2, chanMask );
+		}
+
+	protected:
+		STDMETHOD_(void, OnBufferEnd) ( void* context )
+		{
+			EnterCriticalSection( &cs );
+
+			// All of these checks are necessary because XAudio2 is wonky shizat.
+			if( pSourceVoice == NULL || context == NULL )
+			{
+				LeaveCriticalSection( &cs );
+				return;
+			}
+
+			T* qb = (T*)context;
+
+			for(int p=0; p<PacketsPerBuffer; p++, qb+=SndOutPacketSize )
+				SndBuffer::ReadSamples( qb );
+
+			XAUDIO2_BUFFER buf = {0};
+			buf.AudioBytes	= m_BufferSizeBytes;
+			buf.pAudioData	= (BYTE*)context;
+			buf.pContext	= context;
+
+			pSourceVoice->SubmitSourceBuffer( &buf );
+			LeaveCriticalSection( &cs );
+		}
+
+	};
+
+	HMODULE xAudio2DLL;
+	CComPtr<IXAudio2> pXAudio2;
+	IXAudio2MasteringVoice* pMasteringVoice;
+	BaseStreamingVoice* voiceContext;
+
+public:
+
+	s32 Init()
+	{
+		HRESULT hr;
+
+		jASSUME( pXAudio2 == NULL );
+
+		// On some systems XAudio2.7 can unload itself and cause PCSX2 to crash.
+		// Maintain an extra library reference so it can't do so. Does not
+		// affect XAudio 2.8+, but that's Win8+. See
+		// http://blogs.msdn.com/b/chuckw/archive/2015/10/09/known-issues-xaudio-2-7.aspx
+#ifdef _DEBUG
+		xAudio2DLL = LoadLibrary(L"XAudioD2_7.dll");
+#else
+		xAudio2DLL = LoadLibrary(L"XAudio2_7.dll");
+#endif
+
+		//
+		// Initialize XAudio2
+		//
+		CoInitializeEx( NULL, COINIT_MULTITHREADED );
+
+		UINT32 flags = 0;
+		if( IsDebugBuild )
+			flags |= XAUDIO2_DEBUG_ENGINE;
+
+		try
+		{
+			if ( FAILED(hr = XAudio2Create( &pXAudio2, flags ) ) )
+				throw Exception::XAudio2_27Error( hr,
+					"Failed to init XAudio2 engine.  XA2 may not be available on your system.\n"
+					"Ensure that you have the latest DirectX runtimes installed, or use \n"
+					"DirectX / WaveOut drivers instead.  Error Details:"
+				);
+
+			XAUDIO2_DEVICE_DETAILS deviceDetails;
+			pXAudio2->GetDeviceDetails( 0, &deviceDetails );
+
+			// Stereo Expansion was planned to grab the currently configured number of
+			// Speakers from Windows's audio config.
+			// This doesn't always work though, so let it be a user configurable option.
+
+			int speakers;
+			switch(numSpeakers) // speakers = (numSpeakers + 1) *2; ?
+			{
+				case 0: speakers = 2; break; // Stereo
+				case 1: speakers = 4; break; // Quadrafonic
+				case 2: speakers = 6; break; // Surround 5.1
+				case 3: speakers = 8; break; // Surround 7.1
+				default: speakers = 2;
+			}
+
+			// Any windows driver should support stereo at the software level, I should think!
+			jASSUME( deviceDetails.OutputFormat.Format.nChannels > 1 );
+
+			//
+			// Create a mastering voice
+			//
+			if ( FAILED(hr = pXAudio2->CreateMasteringVoice( &pMasteringVoice, speakers, SampleRate ) ) )
+			{
+				SysMessage( "Failed creating mastering voice: %#X\n", hr );
+				CoUninitialize();
+				return -1;
+			}
+
+			switch( speakers )
+			{
+				case 2:
+					ConLog( "* SPU2 > Using normal 2 speaker stereo output.\n" );
+					voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<StereoOut16>( pXAudio2 );
+				break;
+
+				case 3:
+					ConLog( "* SPU2 > 2.1 speaker expansion enabled.\n" );
+					voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo21Out16>( pXAudio2 );
+				break;
+
+				case 4:
+					ConLog( "* SPU2 > 4 speaker expansion enabled [quadraphenia]\n" );
+					voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo40Out16>( pXAudio2 );
+				break;
+
+				case 5:
+					ConLog( "* SPU2 > 4.1 speaker expansion enabled.\n" );
+					voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo41Out16>( pXAudio2 );
+				break;
+
+				case 6:
+				case 7:
+					switch(dplLevel)
+					{
+					case 0:
+						ConLog( "* SPU2 > 5.1 speaker expansion enabled.\n" );
+						voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo51Out16>( pXAudio2 );   //"normal" stereo upmix
+						break;
+					case 1:
+						ConLog( "* SPU2 > 5.1 speaker expansion with basic ProLogic dematrixing enabled.\n" );
+						voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo51Out16Dpl>( pXAudio2 ); // basic Dpl decoder without rear stereo balancing
+						break;
+					case 2:
+						ConLog( "* SPU2 > 5.1 speaker expansion with experimental ProLogicII dematrixing enabled.\n" );
+						voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo51Out16DplII>( pXAudio2 ); //gigas PLII
+						break;
+					}
+				break;
+
+				default:	// anything 8 or more gets the 7.1 treatment!
+					ConLog( "* SPU2 > 7.1 speaker expansion enabled.\n" );
+					voiceContext = new StreamingVoice<Stereo51Out16>( pXAudio2 );
+				break;
+			}
+
+			voiceContext->Init( pXAudio2 );
+		}
+		catch( Exception::XAudio2_27Error& ex )
+		{
+			SysMessage( ex.CMessage() );
+			pXAudio2.Release();
+			CoUninitialize();
+			return -1;
+		}
+
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	void Close()
+	{
+		// Clean up?
+		// All XAudio2 interfaces are released when the engine is destroyed,
+		// but being tidy never hurt.
+
+		// Actually it can hurt.  As of DXSDK Aug 2008, doing a full cleanup causes
+		// XA2 on Vista to crash.  Even if you copy/paste code directly from Microsoft.
+		// But doing no cleanup at all causes XA2 under XP to crash.  So after much trial
+		// and error we found a happy compromise as follows:
+
+		safe_delete( voiceContext );
+
+		voiceContext = NULL;
+
+		if( pMasteringVoice != NULL )
+			pMasteringVoice->DestroyVoice();
+
+		pMasteringVoice = NULL;
+
+		pXAudio2.Release();
+		CoUninitialize();
+
+		if (xAudio2DLL) {
+			FreeLibrary(xAudio2DLL);
+			xAudio2DLL = nullptr;
+		}
+	}
+
+	virtual void Configure(uptr parent)
+	{
+	}
+
+	s32  Test() const
+	{
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	int GetEmptySampleCount()
+	{
+		if( voiceContext == NULL ) return 0;
+		return voiceContext->GetEmptySampleCount();
+	}
+
+	const wchar_t* GetIdent() const
+	{
+		return L"xaudio2";
+	}
+
+	const wchar_t* GetLongName() const
+	{
+		return L"XAudio 2.7 (Recommended)";
+	}
+
+	void ReadSettings()
+	{
+	}
+
+	void SetApiSettings(wxString api)
+	{
+	}
+
+	void WriteSettings() const
+	{
+	}
+
+} static XA2;
+
+SndOutModule *XAudio2_27_Out = &XA2;
diff --git a/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/Spu2-X.vcxproj b/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/Spu2-X.vcxproj
index 900911bdac..3c3a7430b0 100644
--- a/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/Spu2-X.vcxproj
+++ b/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/Spu2-X.vcxproj
@@ -107,8 +107,6 @@
     <CodeAnalysisRuleAssemblies Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Release|Win32'" />
     <TargetName Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Devel|Win32'">$(ProjectName)-dev</TargetName>
     <LinkIncremental Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Devel|Win32'">false</LinkIncremental>
-    <IncludePath Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Release|Win32'">$(DXSDK_DIR)\include;$(IncludePath)</IncludePath>
-    <LibraryPath Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Release|Win32'">$(DXSDK_DIR)\Lib\x86;$(LibraryPath)</LibraryPath>
   </PropertyGroup>
   <ItemDefinitionGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Devel|Win32'">
     <Midl>
@@ -121,7 +119,7 @@
       </HeaderFileName>
     </Midl>
     <ClCompile>
-      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(DXSDK_DIR)include;$(SolutionDir)3rdparty\portaudio\include\;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
+      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(SolutionDir)3rdparty\portaudio\include\;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
       <PreprocessorDefinitions>FLOAT_SAMPLES;NDEBUG;_USRDLL;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
       <ExceptionHandling>Async</ExceptionHandling>
       <EnableEnhancedInstructionSet>StreamingSIMDExtensions2</EnableEnhancedInstructionSet>
@@ -160,7 +158,7 @@
       </HeaderFileName>
     </Midl>
     <ClCompile>
-      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(DXSDK_DIR)include;$(SolutionDir)3rdparty\portaudio\include\;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
+      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(SolutionDir)3rdparty\portaudio\include\;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
       <PreprocessorDefinitions>FLOAT_SAMPLES;_USRDLL;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
       <ExceptionHandling>Async</ExceptionHandling>
       <PrecompiledHeader>Use</PrecompiledHeader>
@@ -193,7 +191,7 @@
       </HeaderFileName>
     </Midl>
     <ClCompile>
-      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(DXSDK_DIR)include;$(SolutionDir)3rdparty\portaudio\include\;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
+      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(SolutionDir)3rdparty\portaudio\include\;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
       <PreprocessorDefinitions>FLOAT_SAMPLES;NDEBUG;_USRDLL;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
       <ExceptionHandling>Async</ExceptionHandling>
       <EnableEnhancedInstructionSet>StreamingSIMDExtensions2</EnableEnhancedInstructionSet>
@@ -234,7 +232,7 @@
       </HeaderFileName>
     </Midl>
     <ClCompile>
-      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(DXSDK_DIR)include;$(SolutionDir)3rdparty\portaudio\include\;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
+      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(SolutionDir)3rdparty\portaudio\include\;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
       <PreprocessorDefinitions>wxUSE_GUI=0;FLOAT_SAMPLES;DEBUG_FAST;_USRDLL;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
       <ExceptionHandling>Async</ExceptionHandling>
       <PrecompiledHeader>Use</PrecompiledHeader>
@@ -345,6 +343,9 @@
     <ClCompile Include="SndOut_DSound.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="SndOut_waveOut.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="SndOut_XAudio2.cpp" />
+    <ClCompile Include="SndOut_XAudio2_27.cpp">
+      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(DXSDK_DIR)include;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
+    </ClCompile>
     <ClCompile Include="..\Linux\Alsa.cpp">
       <ExcludedFromBuild Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='DebugStrict|Win32'">true</ExcludedFromBuild>
       <ExcludedFromBuild Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Debug|Win32'">true</ExcludedFromBuild>
diff --git a/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/Spu2-X.vcxproj.filters b/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/Spu2-X.vcxproj.filters
index d456189de8..3f164873fd 100644
--- a/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/Spu2-X.vcxproj.filters
+++ b/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/Spu2-X.vcxproj.filters
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@
     <ClCompile Include="SndOut_waveOut.cpp">
       <Filter>Source Files\Sound Output\Windows</Filter>
     </ClCompile>
-    <ClCompile Include="SndOut_XAudio2.cpp">
+    <ClCompile Include="SndOut_XAudio2_27.cpp">
       <Filter>Source Files\Sound Output\Windows</Filter>
     </ClCompile>
     <ClCompile Include="..\Linux\Alsa.cpp">
@@ -213,6 +213,9 @@
     <ClCompile Include="..\DplIIdecoder.cpp">
       <Filter>Source Files\Sound Output</Filter>
     </ClCompile>
+    <ClCompile Include="SndOut_XAudio2.cpp">
+      <Filter>Source Files\Sound Output\Windows</Filter>
+    </ClCompile>
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
     <None Include="..\..\LGPL.txt">
diff --git a/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/WinConfig.h b/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/WinConfig.h
index 269ff0c465..3169a9d4e2 100644
--- a/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/WinConfig.h
+++ b/plugins/spu2-x/src/Windows/WinConfig.h
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 #include <commctrl.h>
 #include <initguid.h>
 #include <tchar.h>
+#include <VersionHelpers.h>
 
 #include "resource.h"