Low Volume v. Intel High Definition Audio

HMSS013 · #1 24th April 2009, 06:33 PM

working with Fedora 10...sound functions...but at a barely audible volume...even with all sliders at maximum.

alsamixer confirms that all sliders at at maximum volume...including all hidden sliders and switches.

system-config-soundcard defines:

Vendor: Intel Corporation
Model: 82801H (ICH8 Family) HD Audio Controller
Module: snd-hda-intel
PCM Device: ALC883 Analog
ALSA Driver Version: Driver Version 1.0.17
ALSA Lib Package: alsa-lib-1.0.19-2.fc10.i386
ALSA Utils Package: alsa-utils-1.0.19-2.fc10.i386

i have been researching this problem for weeks...most search results sound similar but aren't.

...all help is appreciated... but please don't tell me to check the volume...thx.

HMSS013 · #2 25th April 2009, 03:47 AM

also... the slider 'Front' seems to be controlling what little volume exists... but i'm using a pair of headphones...

(...i assume that surround sliders shouldn't have any affect in this situation...this may or may not be a detail worth mentioning...)

HMSS013 · #3 25th April 2009, 11:53 PM

yet another odd little bug... if you max the testing volume in system-config-soundcard it bumps all the mixer sliders down halfway.

**nirik** · #4 27th April 2009, 01:43 AM

Try the suggestions at:

http://fedorasolved.org/Members/fenr...d-workarounds/

and see if any help?

HMSS013 · #5 27th April 2009, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nirik

Try the suggestions at:

http://fedorasolved.org/Members/fenr...d-workarounds/

and see if any help?

problem has nothing to do with PulseAudio... i remove it upon firstboot.

**nirik** · #6 27th April 2009, 04:56 PM

Odd. What kernel are you running there? (output of 'uname -r')

Perhaps you need to specify an option to the snd-hda-intel?
(There are a ton of module options for it).

What model/make of laptop is this?

HMSS013 · #7 27th April 2009, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nirik

Odd. What kernel are you running there? (output of 'uname -r')

Perhaps you need to specify an option to the snd-hda-intel?
(There are a ton of module options for it).

What model/make of laptop is this?

Kernel is 2.6.27.12-170.2.5

(but this same issue is resident in all Kernel Versions in Fedora 9 as well as the new Ubuntu 9.04)

for reference sake... this is a 2007 iMac...

but i refrain from mentioning this because i don't want this thread to be moved to the PPC/Mac forum where little to no life exists.

**nirik** · #8 28th April 2009, 12:34 AM

ok. Several things to try:

- You could try a 2.6.29 kernel from the buildsystem.
http://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/b...?buildID=99901
for example.

- Try looking at:
http://www.mjmwired.net/kernel/Docum...figuration.txt
and the snd-hda-intel section. There are a number of options to try there.
Add them to your /etc/modprobe.conf and reboot.

HMSS013 · #9 28th April 2009, 03:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nirik

ok. Several things to try:

- You could try a 2.6.29 kernel from the buildsystem.
http://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/b...?buildID=99901
for example.

- Try looking at:
http://www.mjmwired.net/kernel/Docum...figuration.txt
and the snd-hda-intel section. There are a number of options to try there.
Add them to your /etc/modprobe.conf and reboot.

believe it or not... this issue is consistent across nearly two dozen various distributions and across numerous kernel versions.

**nirik** · #10 28th April 2009, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HMSS013

believe it or not... this issue is consistent across nearly two dozen various distributions and across numerous kernel versions.

I believe you. Would you like to try and track it down?

I would suspect it is one of:

- A module parameter needs to be passed as alsa doesn't correctly detect this card.

- There is a kernel bug that is preventing it from working right.

- Your hardware is broken somehow.

Trying the modules and making sure it's not fixed in the newest stable kernel seem like logical things to me to try.

SoftVision · #11 28th April 2009, 06:06 PM

I have a similar Intel HDA based sound card and I installed the Open Sound System (OSS). You can follow this basic guide: http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=220199

I experienced a major boost in the sound. ALSA's implementation for Intel cards has always been poor for me with low volume and sometimes even poor quality with some music.

HMSS013 · #12 28th April 2009, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nirik

I believe you. Would you like to try and track it down?

I would suspect it is one of:

- A module parameter needs to be passed as alsa doesn't correctly detect this card.

- There is a kernel bug that is preventing it from working right.

- Your hardware is broken somehow.

Trying the modules and making sure it's not fixed in the newest stable kernel seem like logical things to me to try.

ALSA correctly detects the card... and aside from the low volume it functions fine...and the hardware is not damaged...

...and if it's a kernel bug... then this bug is resident in nearly two dozen Kernel releases from Fedora 6... to the new 11 Preview release... as well as 3 flavors of Ubuntu...

i would like to track the problem down... but telling me my brand new iMac is broken is not the answer.