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

[Gene Heskett]

On Thursday 16 January 2014 09:17:58 Alexander E. Patrakov did opine:

> 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.
> > > 
> > > Please post the output of alsa-info.sh
> > > 
> > > The script is at
> > > http://git.alsa-project.org/?p=alsa-driver.git;a=blob_plain;f=alsa/u
> > > tils /alsa-info.sh;hb=refs/heads/build
> > 
> > Output is huge, >60k, attached.  If the server passes it.
> 
> I have looked at the output. No smoking guns found (even with
> codecgraph), but you seem to have the "independent headphones" mode
> enabled for some reasons. It may well be that the output is routed
> elsewhere (to non-existing headphones?) by default, and what you hear
> is just some kind of leakage.
> 
> Please run:
> 
> alsamixer -c0
> 
> and report which controls affect the actual audible volume coming out of
> the speakers.

Master and PCM, and those are apparently not slaved to the little indicator 
applet that pops up with a horizontal slider at the top of the screen when 
I hit the mute, vol-down and vol-up buttons in the top edge of the 
keyboard.  all 3 effect but the alsa sliders were and are now, wide open.
 
> > > Also, we need to know whether this is a problem with speakers that
> > > you want to work around (which likely won't work), or a purely
> > > software problem. As you are a Certified Electronics Technician, I
> > > assume that you have a digital multimeter and a cable with a 3.5mm
> > > jack at one end and just three wires on the other.
> > > 
> > > I want you to run this command:
> > > 
> > > speaker-test -c1 -t sine
> > > 
> > > and measure the output voltage of the card at its maximum volume in
> > > three situations: with only an unloaded 3.5mm jack connected, with
> > > typical 32-ohm headphones connected, and with your speakers
> > > connected.

I'll use my oscilloscope when I've brought it home.  Possibly later today.
 
> > I'll have to make that up when I am awake.  Which I am not ATM, just
> > half. And FWIW, the digital meters I own are all able to read rms by
> > default. Which means their frequency response is totally in the
> > toilet above 60hz.
> 
> Here is a 60 Hz sine wave for your tools:
> 
> speaker-test -t sine -f 60 -c 1 -p 100000 -P 4 -F S16_LE

This seriously doubles in these small speakers, but is otherwise clean.  
Says its left front, reporting periods in values straddling 3.0, seems to 
run forever so I ctl+c'd it after about 90 secs.
 
The -F S16_LE is not described in my man page, what does this do?

I just woke up, but not for the day yet.  This torn up knee is making it 
very difficult to get any real sleep (no pain-free position available) and 
it doesn't want to walk me around this morning without yelling about it.

Thank you.

Cheers, Gene
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