Re: [EXTERNAL] Re: [BUG] hda/tas2781: ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X audio issues with default firmware

[Takashi Iwai <tiwai@suse.de>]

On Sun, 04 Jan 2026 10:29:17 +0100,
Matthew Schwartz wrote:
> 
> On 1/4/26 12:58 AM, Xu, Baojun wrote:
> > Hi Antheas,
> > 
> > It may known issue which relative with calibration result.
> > Could you try to remove calibration result apply, and check if the problem still exist?
> > For example, mask below line (line number is 494) in tasdevice_dspfw_init() from tas2781-hda-i2c.c:
> > 
> > hda_priv->save_calibration(tas_hda);
> > 
> > Best Regards
> > Jim
> 
> Hi Jim,
> 
> Thanks for the reply. Antheas does not have hardware affected by this issue, but I can confirm that this fixes the problem on my own device.

Can anyone submit a proper fix patch?  It's a regression, and the fix
itself sounds trivial, as it seems.


thanks,

Takashi

> 
> Matt
> 
> > ________________________________________
> > From: Antheas Kapenekakis <lkml@antheas.dev>
> > Sent: 03 January 2026 19:48
> > To: Matthew Schwartz
> > Cc: Xu, Baojun; Ding, Shenghao; linux-sound@vger.kernel.org; linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org; tiwai@suse.de
> > Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [BUG] hda/tas2781: ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X audio issues with default firmware
> > 
> > On Sat, 3 Jan 2026 at 02: 31, Matthew Schwartz <matthew. schwartz@ linux. dev> wrote: > > On 1/2/26 3: 13 PM, Antheas Kapenekakis wrote: > > On Fri, 2 Jan 2026 at 21: 17, Matthew Schwartz > > <matthew. schwartz@ linux. dev>
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> > On Sat, 3 Jan 2026 at 02:31, Matthew Schwartz
> > <matthew.schwartz@linux.dev> wrote:
> >>
> >> On 1/2/26 3:13 PM, Antheas Kapenekakis wrote:
> >>> On Fri, 2 Jan 2026 at 21:17, Matthew Schwartz
> >>> <matthew.schwartz@linux.dev> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> On 1/2/26 9:12 AM, Antheas Kapenekakis wrote:
> >>>>> On Tue, 30 Dec 2025 at 22:44, Matthew Schwartz
> >>>>> <matthew.schwartz@linux.dev> wrote:
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>> On Dec 8, 2025, at 8:00 PM, Matthew Schwartz <matthew.schwartz@linux.dev> wrote:
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>> - snip
> >>>>>>> 2.52.0
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> After reading the TI E2E forums, it seems these calibration tuning configurations are only meant to be used during a calibration process.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> A source would be good here, a link or two
> >>>>
> >>>> Sorry about that, here is where I read about the differences between the two configs:
> >>>> https://e2e.ti.com/support/audio-group/audio/f/audio-forum/1558310/tas2563-what-is-the-difference-between-tuning-and-calibration-configuration-in-exported-smartamp-binary
> >>>
> >>> This link describes "calibration" configurations that are used in the
> >>> calibration procedure. It is not clear to me that it refers to the
> >>> calibration parameters exported by UEFI or in the configuration itself
> >>> to be used alongside a configuration. I would tend toward this being
> >>> irrelevant.
> >>>
> >>>> It's about a different amplifier model, but I assume the same applies to tas2781 given the naming structure is the same for the configurations.
> >>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> Instead, something else I found that works is not overriding the firmware file calibration data with the UEFI calibration data:
> >>>
> >>> I misunderstood what you meant by this before. I thought you meant
> >>> that the firmware overrode the UEFI data, not the other way around.
> >>> Surely, using the dummy data in the firmware file is better than using
> >>> incorrect data from UEFI. However, the manufacturer calibrated data
> >>> from the factory floor for each specific unit is in UEFI, so that is
> >>> what should be used.
> >>>
> >>>>> I did not look into the source code, do you have any reference in the
> >>>>> ACPI TAS code that r0_buf is prefilled with UEFI data?
> >>>>
> >>>> From what I understand, I think the current flow goes like this:
> >>>>
> >>>> 1. During driver init, tas2781_save_calibration() reads UEFI calibration data into the cali_data memory buffer and sets is_user_space_calidata=true: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/sound/hda/codecs/side-codecs/tas2781_hda.c*L162-L173__;Iw!!G3vK!U3mEJNuRpB9ZxVAGZZCyoMNqMnAl4M1N8YoxbHiMHIsF-13h4Wg_fbVfd008drQfvgstYyA1aQnWHw$
> >>>>
> >>>> 2. When switching to a DSP config, tasdevice_select_tuningprm_cfg() calls tasdevice_load_data() which writes the firmware configuration, including any calibration values embedded in that config: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/sound/soc/codecs/tas2781-fmwlib.c*L2510__;Iw!!G3vK!U3mEJNuRpB9ZxVAGZZCyoMNqMnAl4M1N8YoxbHiMHIsF-13h4Wg_fbVfd008drQfvgstYyDJTrchbQ$
> >>>>
> >>>> 3. Immediately after, tasdev_load_calibrated_data() writes the UEFI calibration data from step 1, overwriting the values just set in step 2: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/9b043680446067358913edc2e9dd71bf8ffae208/sound/soc/codecs/tas2781-fmwlib.c*L2392-L2428__;Iw!!G3vK!U3mEJNuRpB9ZxVAGZZCyoMNqMnAl4M1N8YoxbHiMHIsF-13h4Wg_fbVfd008drQfvgstYyBeYnGr_w$ + https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/sound/soc/codecs/tas2781-fmwlib.c*L2519__;Iw!!G3vK!U3mEJNuRpB9ZxVAGZZCyoMNqMnAl4M1N8YoxbHiMHIsF-13h4Wg_fbVfd008drQfvgstYyBz8-7Z6g$
> >>>>
> >>>> I confirmed this this by inserting some debug logs around tasdev_load_calibrated_data:
> >>>
> >>> I went through the code. It loads the UEFI data, sets
> >>> is_user_space_calidata=1, then if the data is available it loads it.
> >>> This is correct.
> >>>
> >>> To me this seems like the calibration data for amp 1 is written to
> >>> both amp 1 and amp 2, and for your firmware this breaks amp2.
> >>
> >> If this were the case, shouldn't my debug logs have the same data being written to dev 0 and dev 1?
> >>
> >> [    6.367380] tas2781-hda i2c-TXNW2781:00-tas2781-hda.0: tasdev_load_calibrated_data: dev 0 writing calibration: r0_reg=0x000ce4 data=3c5f7222
> >> [    6.371718] tas2781-hda i2c-TXNW2781:00-tas2781-hda.0: tasdev_load_calibrated_data: dev 1 writing calibration: r0_reg=0x000ce4 data=3c90e72d
> >>
> >>>
> >>> In tasdev_load_calibrated_data(), an i index is provided, but
> >>> cali_data is nested under priv. So only one calibration set is
> >>> supported. This means that amp 2 gets amp 1 calibrations.
> >>>
> >>> Perhaps there is a "SmartAmpCalibrationData2" that should be read
> >>> instead for amp 2 instead, can you dump the EFI variables and check?
> >>
> >> (128)(deck@steamdeck ~)$ ls /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/
> >> AmdAcpiVar-79941ecd-ed36-49d0-8124-e4c31ac75cd4               BugCheckProgress-ba57e015-65b3-4c3c-b274-659192f699e3             MemoryOverwriteRequestControl-e20939be-32d4-41be-a150-897f85d49829
> >> <snip>
> >> There's only one EFI var that seems to be for calibration data:
> >>
> >> xxd /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/CALI_DATA-1f52d2a1-bb3a-457d-bc09-43a3f4310a92:
> >>
> >> 00000000: 0700 0000 dd0a 0000 0300 0000 7e4a 9d68  ............~J.h
> >> 00000010: 0000 0000 2272 5f3c d515 f610 ac9a 9b2e  ...."r_<........
> >> 00000020: 5d91 9600 0000 8025 0100 0000 2de7 903c  ]......%....-..<
> >> 00000030: 283c e810 ffc8 c12e fcce 9600 0000 8025  (<.............%
> >> 00000040: 8000 0000 0000 1964 0000 1974 0000 197c  .......d...t...|
> >> 00000050: 0000 1560 0000 1a70 eb7f b12b            ...`...p...+
> > 
> > I reviewed the loader for CALI_DATA, it supports multiple device
> > calibration data and indexes it currently. In addition, it has two
> > versions with CRC checks that pass, so one of those versions loads the
> > data correctly.
> > 
> > So everything looks technically correct
> > 
> > Here is your data from the first amp reordered:
> >        r0_reg=0x000ce4 408f5c29
> >        r0_reg=0x000ce4 3c5f7222
> >    invr0_reg=0x000cf4 0fdc788c
> >    invr0_reg=0x000cf4 10f615d5
> > r0_low_reg=0x000cfc 0f7e9100
> > r0_low_reg=0x000cfc 2e9b9aac
> >   pow_reg=0x000ae0 009b5281
> >   pow_reg=0x000ae0 0096915d
> >  tlimit_reg=0x000d70 25800000
> >  tlimit_reg=0x000d70 25800000
> > 
> > And the second amp:
> >     r0_reg=0x000ce4 40cccccd
> >     r0_reg=0x000ce4 3c90e72d
> >  invr0_reg=0x000cf4 0fcd6e9e
> >  invr0_reg=0x000cf4 10e83c28
> > r0_low_reg=0x000cfc 0f8d4fdf
> > r0_low_reg=0x000cfc 2ec1c8ff
> >    pow_reg=0x000ae0 009b9c58
> >    pow_reg=0x000ae0 0096cefc
> > tlimit_reg=0x000d70 25800000
> > tlimit_reg=0x000d70 25800000
> > 
> > There is a large deviation in r0, invr0, and r0_low in both of them.
> > Unfortunately, I do not have my Xbox Ally non-X to check to see if
> > it's incorrect. This hints to me that the registers get incorrect data
> > loaded, so there might be a mistake in the UEFI parser.
> > 
> > Here is a breakdown of your efivar
> > 0700 0000 # This is not supposed to be here / Might have been thrown
> > out by kernel if v2 loads
> > 
> > dd0a 0000 # 2781, is v2 protocol
> > 0300 0000 # Data-Group-Sum / How many nodes
> > 7e4a 9d68 # Timestamp
> > 
> > # First amplifier data
> > 0000 0000
> > 2272 5f3c # r0
> > d515 f610 # invr0
> > ac9a 9b2e # r0_low
> > 5d91 9600 # pow
> > 0000 8025 # tlimit
> > 
> > # Second amplifier data
> > 0100 0000
> > 2de7 903c # r0
> > 283c e810 # invr0
> > ffc8 c12e # r0_low
> > fcce 9600 # pow
> > 0000 8025 # tlimit
> > 
> > 8000 0000 # Calibration data / Derivation logic in TASDEVICE_REG
> > 0000 1964 # r0 addr
> > 0000 1974 # invr0 addr
> > 0000 197c # r0_low addr
> > 0000 1560 # pow addr
> > 0000 1a70 # tlimit addr
> > 
> > eb7f b12b # CRC32
> > 
> > Specifically for the 0x80, cali_reg addresses get stored into
> > r0/invr0... iff p->dspbin_typ == TASDEV_BASIC.
> > 
> > I suspect the problem here is that the UEFI override for the first
> > three values tries to change different registers and not r0, invr0 and
> > r0_low. The pow, tlimit look correct.
> > 
> > But, due to p->dspbin_typ != TASDEV_BASIC, cali_reg ends up being
> > thrown out and the UEFI values end up corrupting the r0, invr0 and
> > r0_low default addresses. and not 00, 19, 64/74/7c
> > 
> > Antheas
> > 
> >>>
> >>> In that case, a minor refactor to move cali_data and
> >>> is_user_space_calidata from priv to priv->tasdevice[i] and then use
> >>> the proper efi var would fix this.
> >>>
> >>> Antheas
> >>>
> >>>> [    3.908963] tas2781-hda i2c-TXNW2781:00-tas2781-hda.0: tas2781_apply_calib: dspbin_typ=2, ndev=2, Setting is_user_space_calidata=true
> >>>> <snip>
> >>>>
> >>>> where it loads the UEFI calibration over top of the firmware calibration.
> >>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> It could be that there is a specific priority, where UEFI data is
> >>>>> supposed to be loaded after the firmware code, replacing the
> >>>>> calibration data from the file, or that is what is done in Windows.
> >>>>> But here it is done the other way. In that case, it might be more
> >>>>> appropriate to set a dummy var such as bool uefi_calib that becomes 1
> >>>>> when loading calibration from UEFI, and skip loading from the fw file
> >>>>> if available.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> But links, etc. Here, this would affect all TAS devices too, so it is
> >>>>> more major.
> >>>>
> >>>> Yes, was really hoping to get TI's feedback before potentially sending it out, as it would be a major change and the documentation on this is scarce. I could also be misunderstanding the calibration data load flow, but this is just from poking at this issue from every angle I can think of.
> >>>>
> >>>> Happy new year,
> >>>> Matt
> >>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Happy new year,
> >>>>> Antheas
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> diff --git a/sound/soc/codecs/tas2781-fmwlib.c b/sound/soc/codecs/tas2781-fmwlib.c
> >>>>>> index 78fd0a5dc6f2..1e768e6187da 100644
> >>>>>> --- a/sound/soc/codecs/tas2781-fmwlib.c
> >>>>>> +++ b/sound/soc/codecs/tas2781-fmwlib.c
> >>>>>> @@ -2377,6 +2377,7 @@ static void tasdev_load_calibrated_data(struct tasdevice_priv *priv, int i)
> >>>>>>         unsigned char *data = cali_data->data;
> >>>>>>         struct tasdevice_calibration *cal;
> >>>>>>         int k = i * (cali_data->cali_dat_sz_per_dev + 1);
> >>>>>> +       unsigned char r0_buf[4];
> >>>>>>         int rc;
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>         /* Load the calibrated data from cal bin file */
> >>>>>> @@ -2389,6 +2390,20 @@ static void tasdev_load_calibrated_data(struct tasdevice_priv *priv, int i)
> >>>>>>         }
> >>>>>>         if (!priv->is_user_space_calidata)
> >>>>>>                 return;
> >>>>>> +
> >>>>>> +       /*
> >>>>>> +        * Check if the DSP config already set the calibration registers.
> >>>>>> +        * Some tuning configs contain their own calibration data which should
> >>>>>> +        * not be overwritten by user space calibration data.
> >>>>>> +        */
> >>>>>> +       rc = tasdevice_dev_bulk_read(priv, i, p->r0_reg, r0_buf, 4);
> >>>>>> +       if (rc >= 0 && (r0_buf[0] | r0_buf[1] | r0_buf[2] | r0_buf[3])) {
> >>>>>> +               dev_dbg(priv->dev,
> >>>>>> +                       "%s: dev %d r0_reg already set by config, skipping calibration\n",
> >>>>>> +                       __func__, i);
> >>>>>> +               return;
> >>>>>> +       }
> >>>>>> +
> >>>>>>         /* load calibrated data from user space */
> >>>>>>         if (data[k] != i) {
> >>>>>>                 dev_err(priv->dev, "%s: no cal-data for dev %d from usr-spc\n",
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Is this more suitable to be upstreamed?
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Thanks,
> >>>>>> Matt
> >>>>>> <snip>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> > 
> > 
> > 
>