Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

Gullible Jones · 2005-09-05 01:09:24

Even with all volumes on alsamixer set to maximum, my via8233 onboard sound puts out about half what it ought to. Through my headphones, it sounds as though it's ten feet away... I can't seem to find anything on this problem anywhere on line, and I don't have a good preamp handy - only the piss-poor, buzzy black speakers that came with my last computer. Can anyone give me some advice?

ghostdawg · 2005-09-07 02:45:35

I just got my sound working and like yours, the volume is very low. I've turned up the mixers and checked other settings.

Does anybody have any idea how to get it louder?

Thnx.

ghostdawg · 2005-09-08 03:32:29

Does anybody have any suggestions on this problem?

Gullible Jones · 2005-09-08 21:11:26

Check out http://alsa.opensrc.org/index.php?page=via8233, there might be something there. I'm browsing it right now...

(BTW, I got the version wrong - I have KT400-8235 audio, not 8233.)

Edit: Hmm, this is weird. lshwd says it's 8235, while lspci says 8233.

Anyway, tried "option snd-via82xx ac97_quirk=0" in modprobe.conf, but that didn't do anything. I'll try the other ac97_quirk values...

Gullible Jones · 2005-09-08 22:30:28

Nope no such luck - I can't seem to get the max volume above half that of the Ensoniq 1371.

Dusty · 2005-09-11 01:09:43

FTR My onboard via8237 doesn't cause me any problems.

Is it possible that one of the goofily named switches to the right in alsamixer needs to be turned on or off? Sometimes those things do weird things... like turn the card off altogether!

Dusty

Gullible Jones · 2005-09-11 06:53:28

Nope, messed with that stuff. My best guess is that this audio hardware is designed for use with a whole big 6-channel audio setup, with amplifiers etc...

iBertus · 2005-09-11 16:10:24

I quit using my VIA onboard audio and stuck in a cheapo SB Live! card that was just laying around here. Must say, I'm happier with the SB Live! and won't be switching back.

ghostdawg · 2005-09-12 09:29:52

I'm not sure why it's not working. When I first tried AL in '03, I had it working without problems, but, now since I'm using it again, I can't seem to get it working.

Gullible Jones · 2005-09-12 10:49:38

Well... How low, exactly, is your volume? Is it just lower than it ought to be, or is inaudible? Because if it's inaudible, then try:

options snd-via82xx ac97_quirk=0

If your volume is just a lot lower than it should be, use a preamp, or just stick in another card.

ghostdawg · 2005-09-13 08:09:50

It is inaudible, can hardly hear sound. I did try that options line and still nothing. I shouldn't have to use another sound card since it did work once and it does work with all my other distros. But getting another card is an option.

Thnx.

Gullible Jones wrote:

Well... How low, exactly, is your volume? Is it just lower than it ought to be, or is inaudible? Because if it's inaudible, then try:
options snd-via82xx ac97_quirk=0
If your volume is just a lot lower than it should be, use a preamp, or just stick in another card.

Gullible Jones · 2005-09-13 10:54:49

Also try values of 1-3 for ac97_quirk. See if any of them work...

ghostdawg · 2005-09-14 02:22:23

Gullible Jones wrote:

Also try values of 1-3 for ac97_quirk. See if any of them work...

I will give those a try. Thnx.

Gullible Jones · 2005-09-29 01:26:29

I tried those, no success here... You got anything, ghostdawg?

(This is getting to be a problem. The Ensoniq 1371 I'm using now is being a pain... Garbling some sounds, distorting things a bit even at low volume. Also, audio quality is definitely inferior to VIA onboard stuff. Bah.)

freakyc · 2005-09-29 21:00:00

The drivers for the Ensoniq 1371 must have regressed or something. I remembered reading a linux soundcard roundup a few years ago that said it was the best sounding of the bunch.

http://www.linuxhardware.org/article.pl … ode=thread

I have one here that I'm going to try out once I get some more parts.

Sorry, can't help with the onboard sound. My onboard using via82xx here is louder and sounds better than it does in Windows. :?

Gullible Jones · 2005-09-29 21:46:52

My bad, the Ensoniq wasn't causing the problems... I had enabled ESD during some experimentation and forgottent to turn it off.

(Why the heck is anything still compiled with ESD support? ESD works, sure, but the sound quality is terrible.)

B15HOP · 2005-10-04 18:03:11

I have realised that my onboard VIA is a lil quiet too. I use a very old sterio amp and just past about half way volume, the static noise is quite noticable. When the sterio is just in FM radio mode, I hardly even need to turn volume up, ie about 15% volume.

90% Master and 71% PCM = pretty quiet, but anything higher for both PCM or Master = distortion.

Gullible Jones · 2005-10-04 19:14:32

This is weird. The same sound hardware seems to work better on Intel mobos than AMD mobos!

(Interestingly, on my last machine the Ensoniq 1371 I'm using was terribly scratchy.)

As for the distortion issue... I don't have that. Anyway, that can be solved, and seems to be unrelated to volume issues.

B15HOP · 2005-10-05 08:21:11

Yeah, I notice that my AMD xp2100 palamino core cpu produces a LOT less static noise when the CPU is at 100% usage. Even when its at 100%, I have to view virtual a screen that isn't showing that app (glxgears). But switching screens with OpenGL has caused lockups with me so meh.

anadyr · 2006-04-18 14:07:56

I had the same problem with the Via82xx chip, and I fixed it by unmuting LineOut, and put it on a decent volume...

Gullible Jones · 2006-04-18 14:38:14

Hey thanks, I'll see if that works. I'd almost given it up as a lost cause...

Gullible Jones · 2006-04-18 17:02:11

Nope, no go, there's no such channel as "Line Out", just "Line". I tried unmuting and maximizing the volume on everything, anyway, and now, instead of just having shit volume, it actually sounds like shit.

nedson · 2006-05-05 19:14:41

I also have a via82xx sound card...don't remember which...I'll check when I get home...

For me, the master volume doesn't do anything.

PCM and Headphone are the controls that work...is this true for anyone elses card?

Gullible Jones · 2006-05-05 20:23:28

Master doesn't work either here, but neither does Headphone, so the ac97_quirk options do nothing at all.

Arch Linux

#1 2005-09-05 01:09:24

Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#2 2005-09-07 02:45:35

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#3 2005-09-08 03:32:29

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#4 2005-09-08 21:11:26

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#5 2005-09-08 22:30:28

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#6 2005-09-11 01:09:43

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#7 2005-09-11 06:53:28

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#8 2005-09-11 16:10:24

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#9 2005-09-12 09:29:52

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#10 2005-09-12 10:49:38

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#11 2005-09-13 08:09:50

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#12 2005-09-13 10:54:49

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#13 2005-09-14 02:22:23

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#14 2005-09-29 01:26:29

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#15 2005-09-29 21:00:00

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#16 2005-09-29 21:46:52

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#17 2005-10-04 18:03:11

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#18 2005-10-04 19:14:32

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#19 2005-10-05 08:21:11

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#20 2006-04-18 14:07:56

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#21 2006-04-18 14:38:14

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#22 2006-04-18 17:02:11

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#23 2006-05-05 19:14:41

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

#24 2006-05-05 20:23:28

Re: Insanely low volume with via8233 onboard sound

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