snd-hda-intel AD1981 - Sound volume low level

snd-hda-intel AD1981 - Sound volume low level

[Robert Gonciarz]

Hi, I just want to ask you if you have heard about the problem with low 
sound volume level even though you set the alsamixer on the (almost) 
maximum volume level. The sound card: snd-hda-intel / AD1981 / ICH7 )

It's a big problem for me especially when I watch a movie with
ac3 (DVD quality) decoded sound. The volume level is extrimly low in
such situation (I mean the level you hear the sound). I have to connect 
my loudspeakers to a ampilifier and set it in very high level.

I don't have such problem when I work with Windows XP. They are loud enough.

That's alsa-info.sh result: http://pastebin.ca/908831

It is said that there are some preferences in the totem package (hidden 
in alsamixer) that can fix it and make alsa to remember higher sound level.

I've noticed that problem with all kernels I tested (I've checked about 
15-20 kernels from that range 2.6.13.x - 2.6.24.x) (I usually
use vanillia kernel (from www.kernel.org) /with build alsa/). But I've 
tested the newest alsa-drivers: 1.0.16 with 2.6.24.2 kernel also and the 
result was the same.

Could you chack that problem, please?

Robert

Re: snd-hda-intel AD1981 - Sound volume low level

[Takashi Iwai]

At Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:50:00 +0100,
Robert Gonciarz wrote:
> 
> Hi, I just want to ask you if you have heard about the problem with low 
> sound volume level even though you set the alsamixer on the (almost) 
> maximum volume level. The sound card: snd-hda-intel / AD1981 / ICH7 )
> 
> It's a big problem for me especially when I watch a movie with
> ac3 (DVD quality) decoded sound. The volume level is extrimly low in
> such situation (I mean the level you hear the sound). I have to connect 
> my loudspeakers to a ampilifier and set it in very high level.
> 
> I don't have such problem when I work with Windows XP. They are loud enough.
> 
> That's alsa-info.sh result: http://pastebin.ca/908831
> 
> It is said that there are some preferences in the totem package (hidden 
> in alsamixer) that can fix it and make alsa to remember higher sound level.
> 
> I've noticed that problem with all kernels I tested (I've checked about 
> 15-20 kernels from that range 2.6.13.x - 2.6.24.x) (I usually
> use vanillia kernel (from www.kernel.org) /with build alsa/). But I've 
> tested the newest alsa-drivers: 1.0.16 with 2.6.24.2 kernel also and the 
> result was the same.

First of all, use HG version if you want to debug the problem.  1.0.16
is already too old and sticking with this version makes a lot of
problems (e.g. hitting the bugs that have been already fixed).

Looking at your alsa-info output, the Master volume isn't set to the
maximum.  But, I guess it doesn't matter (not loud enough) even with
the max Master volume, right?  And, the question is about the
headphone output or the speaker, or both?

I see no obvious problem in the codec setup.  One thing we can try is
to change the connection of output pins directly from the DAC.

Use hda-verb program to do this kind of thing without changing the
driver code:
	ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/people/tiwai/misc/hda-verb-0.2.tar.bz2

After compiling it, run as root like

	# ./hda-verb /dev/snd/hwC0D0 0x06 SET_CONN 0

and see /proc/asound/card0/codec#0 whether the connection of the
widget 0x05 is changed to the first one (pointing 0x03).


Takashi