Audio: No output on rear-right channel on 3x3mm 5.1 surround setup

jarylc · 2016-11-06 14:03:13

I am trying to set-up Logitech Z506 speakers on a Realtek ALC887-VD chip with ALSA and PulseAudio. However, the rear-right channel when running "speaker-test -c 6 -t wav -D surround51" does not output any sound. The other channels however (including center and rear-left), produce sound.

This was working before a re-installation and a change from BIOS grub to UEFI systemd boot. The port connections are exactly the same as before the re-installation, so it should not be the problem. I have tested the rear-right speaker by re-wiring it to rear-left temporarily and it produced sound.

I have tried various ways of trying to solve it, but to no avail.

Here are some data that may help:

uname -a

Linux jaryl-archpc 4.8.6-1-zen #1 ZEN SMP PREEMPT Mon Oct 31 18:01:55 UTC 2016 x86_64 GNU/Linux

aplay -lL

null
    Discard all samples (playback) or generate zero samples (capture)
pulse
    PulseAudio Sound Server
default
    Default ALSA Output (currently PulseAudio Sound Server)
sysdefault:CARD=PCH
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
    Default Audio Device
front:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
    Front speakers
surround21:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
    2.1 Surround output to Front and Subwoofer speakers
surround40:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
    4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
surround41:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
    4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround50:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
    5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers
surround51:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
    5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround71:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
    7.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Side, Rear and Woofer speakers
iec958:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Digital
    IEC958 (S/PDIF) Digital Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
    HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 0
    HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=PCH,DEV=1
    HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 1
    HDMI Audio Output
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 0: ALC887-VD Analog [ALC887-VD Analog]
  Subdevices: 0/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 1: ALC887-VD Digital [ALC887-VD Digital]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 7: HDMI 1 [HDMI 1]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

lspci -v (cropped to snd_hda_intel)

00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 6 Series/C200 Series Chipset Family High Definition Audio Controller (rev 05)
	Subsystem: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd Device a002
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 27
	Memory at f7800000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
	Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
	Capabilities: [60] MSI: Enable+ Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+
	Capabilities: [70] Express Root Complex Integrated Endpoint, MSI 00
	Capabilities: [100] Virtual Channel
	Capabilities: [130] Root Complex Link
	Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
	Kernel modules: snd_hda_intel

pamixer --list-sinks

Sinks:
0 "alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1b.0.analog-surround-51" "Built-in Audio Analog Surround 5.1"

pacmd list-sources

1 source(s) available.
  * index: 0
	name: <alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1b.0.analog-surround-51.monitor>
	driver: <module-alsa-card.c>
	flags: DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY DYNAMIC_LATENCY
	state: RUNNING
	suspend cause: 
	priority: 1950
	volume: front-left: 64880 /  99% / -0.26 dB,   front-right: 64880 /  99% / -0.26 dB,   rear-left: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB,   rear-right: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB,   front-center: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB,   lfe: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
	        balance 0.00
	base volume: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
	volume steps: 65537
	muted: no
	current latency: 0.00 ms
	max rewind: 1033 KiB
	sample spec: s16le 6ch 44100Hz
	channel map: front-left,front-right,rear-left,rear-right,front-center,lfe
	             Surround 5.1
	used by: 1
	linked by: 1
	configured latency: 50.00 ms; range is 0.50 .. 2000.00 ms
	monitor_of: 0
	card: 0 <alsa_card.pci-0000_00_1b.0>
	module: 6
	properties:
		device.description = "Monitor of Built-in Audio Analog Surround 5.1"
		device.class = "monitor"
		alsa.card = "0"
		alsa.card_name = "HDA Intel PCH"
		alsa.long_card_name = "HDA Intel PCH at 0xf7800000 irq 27"
		alsa.driver_name = "snd_hda_intel"
		device.bus_path = "pci-0000:00:1b.0"
		sysfs.path = "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0"
		device.bus = "pci"
		device.vendor.id = "8086"
		device.vendor.name = "Intel Corporation"
		device.product.id = "1c20"
		device.product.name = "6 Series/C200 Series Chipset Family High Definition Audio Controller"
		device.form_factor = "internal"
		device.string = "0"
		module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
		device.icon_name = "audio-card-pci"

/etc/asound.rc

# Use PulseAudio by default
pcm.!default {
  type pulse
  fallback "sysdefault"
  hint {
    show on
    description "Default ALSA Output (currently PulseAudio Sound Server)"
  }
}

ctl.!default {
  type pulse
  fallback "sysdefault"
}

# vim:set ft=alsaconf:

/etc/pulse/daemon.conf

flat-volumes = no
default-sample-channels = 6

/etc/pulse/default.pa was not changed.

alsamixer

dmesg (cropped to audio related bits)

[  431.531912] snd_hda_intel 0000:00:1b.0: enabling device (0000 -> 0002)
[  431.970882] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC0D2: autoconfig for ALC887-VD: line_outs=1 (0x14/0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0) type:line
[  431.970884] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC0D2:    speaker_outs=0 (0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0)
[  431.970885] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC0D2:    hp_outs=1 (0x1b/0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0)
[  431.970886] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC0D2:    mono: mono_out=0x0
[  431.970886] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC0D2:    dig-out=0x11/0x1e
[  431.970887] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC0D2:    inputs:
[  431.970888] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC0D2:      Rear Mic=0x18
[  431.970889] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC0D2:      Front Mic=0x19
[  431.970890] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC0D2:      Line=0x1a
[  431.970891] snd_hda_codec_realtek hdaudioC0D2:      CD=0x1c
[  433.250567] input: HDA Digital PCBeep as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/input10
[  433.251469] input: HDA Intel PCH Rear Mic as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/input11
[  433.251528] input: HDA Intel PCH Front Mic as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/input12
[  433.251586] input: HDA Intel PCH Line as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/input13
[  433.251640] input: HDA Intel PCH Line Out as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/input14
[  433.251694] input: HDA Intel PCH HDMI/DP,pcm=3 as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/input17
[  433.251746] input: HDA Intel PCH HDMI/DP,pcm=7 as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1b.0/sound/card0/input18

I have recently tried using hdajackretask to manually set the ports to line-out and their respective channels and it still doesn't work.

Last edited by jarylc (2016-11-06 14:54:58)

V1del · 2016-11-09 10:54:18

Reads like you've done everything doable on a software level (apart from maybe a strange regression in the kernel driver, therefore one thing you might want to try is e.g. linux-lts to verify that) or maybe some cosmic ray killed that single jack I suppose you don't have e.g. a Windows install to verify that?

jarylc · 2016-11-09 17:14:15

V1del wrote:

Reads like you've done everything doable on a software level (apart from maybe a strange regression in the kernel driver, therefore one thing you might want to try is e.g. linux-lts to verify that) or maybe some cosmic ray killed that single jack I suppose you don't have e.g. a Windows install to verify that?

I've tried linux, linux-lts and currently I'm on linux-ck. Same problem sadly.

I think I'll get Windows installed soon to test it out. Have a hunch it's the port. One thing I forgot to mention is that another change before this happened was the installation of my Nvidia GTX 280 card and the 340xx proprietary drivers to drive it.

Last edited by jarylc (2016-11-09 17:14:50)

jarylc · 2016-11-15 18:07:18

Some updates:

Seems like even testing on Windows returns the same issue.

I've come down to a few possibilities that caused it:
1) BIOS to UEFI switch
2) Installation of Nvidia card (maybe I'll try run once with integrated GPU one day to test)
3) Mic-in jack got ruined somehow (tested the cable with my phone jack, works properly)
4) Sound card got ruined somehow (maybe I placed some insane static charge into it while installing the Nvidia GPU)

Either way, 3/4 of these are hardware issues.

Looks like there isn't anything that I can do at the moment other than get better hardware.

Arch Linux

#1 2016-11-06 14:03:13

Audio: No output on rear-right channel on 3x3mm 5.1 surround setup

#2 2016-11-09 10:54:18

Re: Audio: No output on rear-right channel on 3x3mm 5.1 surround setup

#3 2016-11-09 17:14:15

Re: Audio: No output on rear-right channel on 3x3mm 5.1 surround setup

#4 2016-11-15 18:07:18

Re: Audio: No output on rear-right channel on 3x3mm 5.1 surround setup

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