[alsa-devel] 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