[pulseaudio-discuss] Need help with audio gain on an Intel HDA equipt ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe

Gene Heskett gheskett at wdtv.com
Thu Jan 16 07:13:50 PST 2014


On Thursday 16 January 2014 09:48:10 Raymond Yau did opine:

> 2014-1-16 ن¸‹هچˆ5:52 و–¼ "Alexander E. Patrakov" <patrakov at gmail.com>
> ه¯«éپ“ï¼ڑ
> 
> > Gene Heskett wrote:
> > > On Wednesday 15 January 2014 18:02:04 Alexander E. Patrakov did 
opine:
> > > > 2014/1/15 Gene Heskett <gheskett at wdtv.com>:
> > > > > Running an older ubuntu 10.04.4 LTS 32 bit build because a
> > > > > specially patched rtai kernel is mandatory for one app. 
> > > > > However, I am booted
> 
> to
> 
> > > > > a 32bit 3.12.6 build ATM.
> > > > > 
> > > > > The Audigy2 Value (SBO-400) card, and my amps/3way speaker all
> > > > > went south for the winter in a space of about 3 weeks, so I
> > > > > bought
> 
> another
> 
> > > > > amplified 3way kit and switched the audio back to the intel HDA
> > > > > facilities on this motherboard.
> > > > > 
> > > > > Is there anyplace where I might find another 20 db of gain?  Its
> > > > > so quiet, even a youtube video would never get me accused of
> > > > > disturbing the peace.
> 
> .
> 
> > I have looked at the output. No smoking guns found (even with
> 
> codecgraph),
> 
> This seem abnormal
> 
> Monitor of combined sink is running and the two slaves of combined sink
> (HDMI and analog) are also running but HDMI is not plugged (unavailable)
> 
> 
> 
> Source #2 State: RUNNING
> Name: combined.monitor
> Description: Monitor Source of Simultaneous output to Internal Audio
> Analog Stereo, High Definition Audio Controller Digital Stereo (HDMI)
> Driver: module-combine.c
> Sample Specification: s16le 2ch 44100Hz
> Channel Map: front-left,front-right Owner
> 
> Module: 10
> Mute: no
> Volume: 0: 278% 1: 278% 0: 26.63 dB 1: 26.63 dB
> balance 0.00 Base Volume: 100% 0.00 dB
> Monitor of Sink: combined
> Latency: 0 usec, configured 200000 usec
> Flags: DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY
> Properties:
> device.description = "Monitor Source of Simultaneous output to Internal
> Audio Analog Stereo, High Definition Audio Controller Digital Stereo
> (HDMI)"
> device.class = "monitor"
> device.icon_name = "audio-input-microphone"
> 
> 
> Sink #0
>         State: RUNNING
>         Name: alsa_output.pci-0000_00_06.1.
> analog-stereo
>         Description: Internal Audio Analog Stereo
>         Driver: module-alsa-card.c
>         Sample Specification: s16le 2ch 44100Hz
>         Channel Map: front-left,front-right
>         Owner Module: 4
>         Mute: no
>         Volume: 0: 100% 1: 100%
>                 0: 0.00 dB 1: 0.00 dB
>                 balance 0.00
>         Base Volume: 100%
>                      0.00 dB
>         Monitor Source:
> alsa_output.pci-0000_00_06.1.analog-stereo.monitor Latency: 122184
> usec, configured 200000 usec
>         Flags: HARDWARE HW_MUTE_CTRL HW_VOLUME_CTRL DECIBEL_VOLUME
> LATENCY Properties:
>                 alsa.resolution_bits = "16"
>                 device.api = "alsa"
>                 device.class = "sound"
>                 alsa.class = "generic"
>                 alsa.subclass = "generic-mix"
>                 alsa.name = "AD1988B Analog"
>                 alsa.id = "AD1988B Analog"
>                 alsa.subdevice = "0"
>                 alsa.subdevice_name = "subdevice #0"
>                 alsa.device = "0"
>                 alsa.card = "0"
>                 alsa.card_name = "HDA NVidia"
>                 alsa.long_card_name = "HDA NVidia at 0xfe020000 irq 20"
>                 alsa.driver_name = "snd_hda_intel"
>                 device.bus_path = "pci-0000:00:06.1"
>                 sysfs.path =
> "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:06.1/sound/card0" device.bus = "pci"
>                 device.vendor.id = "10de"
>                 device.vendor.name = "nVidia Corporation"
>                 device.product.id = "0371"
>                 device.product.name = "MCP55 High Definition Audio"
>                 device.form_factor = "internal"
>                 device.string = "front:0"
>                 device.buffering.buffer_size = "65536"
>                 device.buffering.fragment_size = "32768"
>                 device.access_mode = "mmap+timer"
>                 device.profile.name = "analog-stereo"
>                 device.profile.description = "Analog Stereo"
>                 device.description = "Internal Audio Analog Stereo"
>                 alsa.mixer_name = "Analog Devices AD1988B"
>                 alsa.components = "HDA:11d4198b,104381f6,00100400"
>                 module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
>                 device.icon_name = "audio-card-pci"
>         Ports:
>                 analog-output: Analog Output (priority. 9900)
>                 analog-output-headphones: Analog Headphones (priority.
> 9000)
>         Active Port: analog-output
> 
> Sink #1
>         State: RUNNING
>         Name: alsa_output.pci-0000_03_00.1.hdmi-stereo
>         Description: High Definition Audio Controller Digital Stereo
> (HDMI) Driver: module-alsa-card.c
>         Sample Specification: s16le 2ch 44100Hz
>         Channel Map: front-left,front-right
>         Owner Module: 5
>         Mute: no
>         Volume: 0: 100% 1: 100%
>                 0: 0.00 dB 1: 0.00 dB
>                 balance 0.00
>         Base Volume: 100%
>                      0.00 dB
>         Monitor Source: alsa_output.pci-0000_03_00.1.hdmi-stereo.monitor
>         Latency: 122243 usec, configured 200000 usec
>         Flags: HARDWARE DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY
>         Properties:
>                 alsa.resolution_bits = "16"
>                 device.api = "alsa"
>                 device.class = "sound"
>                 alsa.class = "generic"
>                 alsa.subclass = "generic-mix"
>                 alsa.name = "HDMI 0"
>                 alsa.id = "HDMI 0"
>                 alsa.subdevice = "0"
>                 alsa.subdevice_name = "subdevice #0"
>                 alsa.device = "3"
>                 alsa.card = "1"
>                 alsa.card_name = "HDA NVidia"
>                 alsa.long_card_name = "HDA NVidia at 0xf9ffc000 irq 16"
>                 alsa.driver_name = "snd_hda_intel"
>                 device.bus_path = "pci-0000:03:00.1"
>                 sysfs.path =
> "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:0f.0/0000:03:00.1/sound/card1"
>                 device.bus = "pci"
>                 device.vendor.id = "10de"
>                 device.vendor.name = "nVidia Corporation"
>                 device.product.id = "0be3"
>                 device.product.name = "High Definition Audio Controller"
>                 device.string = "hdmi:1"
>                 device.buffering.buffer_size = "65536"
>                 device.buffering.fragment_size = "32768"
>                 device.access_mode = "mmap+timer"
>                 device.profile.name = "hdmi-stereo"
>                 device.profile.description = "Digital Stereo (HDMI)"
>                 device.description = "High Definition Audio Controller
> Digital Stereo (HDMI)"
>                 alsa.mixer_name = "Nvidia GPU 0b HDMI/DP"
>                 alsa.components = "HDA:10de000b,10de0101,00100200"
>                 module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
>                 device.icon_name = "audio-card-pci"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> state.NVidia_1 {
>     control.1 {
>         comment.access read
>         comment.type BOOLEAN
>         comment.count 1
>         iface CARD
>         name 'HDMI/DP,pcm=3 Jack'
>         value false
>     }
> 
>     control.8 {
>         comment.access read
>         comment.type BOOLEAN
>         comment.count 1
>         iface CARD
>         name 'HDMI/DP,pcm=7 Jack'
>         value false
>     }
>     control.15 {
>         comment.access read
>         comment.type BOOLEAN
>         comment.count 1
>         iface CARD
>         name 'HDMI/DP,pcm=8 Jack'
>         value false
>     }
> 
>     control.22 {
>         comment.access read
>         comment.type BOOLEAN
>         comment.count 1
>         iface CARD
>         name 'HDMI/DP,pcm=9 Jack'
>         value false
>     }

I am not sure what conclusion to draw from this although I'm somewhat 
surprised its only a 16 bit chipset.  I had years ago one of the original 
Sound Blasters, 16 bit, and it was always a huge balancing act to get all 
the gains set to prevent audible clipping in its D/A.  The Audigy2 Value 
card claimed 24 bits and gave me no such out of range problems.

Further analysis is making me wonder about interactions between the video 
and the audio, as it turns out, the nouveau driver, which was running a 
failed but older nvidia card quite nicely, is not playing at all well with 
the EVGA 8400GS card I put in when the color mapping went to pot in the 
older card.  The video card was replaced, and the Audigy2 removed in the 
same evening, replacing the Audigy2, and the speaker system being used both 
at the same time as the sound had become intermittent, like a corroded 
joint you had to bang with full power to fix it for a few seconds.

It (the video card) had been overheated several times, and I had replaced 
the fan on it twice when the bearings failed & I couldn't stand the noise.  
This one works better with the hdwe accel disabled, but it still won't non-
stop stream a locally stored mp4.

Thanks to finding another control and turning it up, I now do have enough 
gain I can listen to a news story on cnn, al-jazzera or faux.  It's not 
feasable to pick up the speakers and use them for headphones, and I don't 
have a 1/8 to 1/4" adapter for my big phones. A set of Optimus Pro 4AA's.  
Quite decent phones to these formerly golden but now fading ears.

Thanks, I appreciate it, a lot, Raymond.

Cheers, Gene
-- 
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>

Sic Transit Gloria Thursdi.
A pen in the hand of this president is far more
dangerous than 200 million guns in the hands of
         law-abiding citizens.


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